Eye-Popping Monsters vs. Aliens

Lately it seems 3D special effects are used to carry a movie at the expense of everything else (My Bloody Valentine), or the 3D effects seem like an added on bonus to give a film some much needed punch (Jonas Brothers--The 3D Concert Experience). Coraline attempted to juice up its stop action animation with 3D effects, but the effort was sporadic. With Monsters Vs. Aliens, filmmakers have finally nailed full use of 3D animation for maximum effect. It would be a delightful film even without the eye-popping effects, but with them, it’s phenomenal. You know the goal has been achieved when you remove your 3D glasses and watch your fellow audience members duck, bob, weave, grab and fend off unidentified flying objects.

The voice casting is tremendous. Reese Witherspoon is a naïve young bride who, right before her wedding, comes in contact with a meteor that renders her a gargantuan giant with super strength. Government agents, their leader voiced by Kiefer Sutherland, quickly dub her ‘Ginormica’ and sequester her away in a type of prison with other monsters: a sweet but brainless blob named B.O.B. (Seth Rogen); a genius cockroach scientist not unlike the fly, (Hugh Laurie) a scary looking fish/man known as The Missing Link (Will Arnet), and a giant bug who can’t speak. They are called upon to do battle with marauding aliens lead by a multi-eyed squid creature called Galaxhar (gleefully voiced by Rainn Wilson). The earth’s fate, of course, hangs in the balance of the battle between the monsters and the aliens. Perhaps the most genius move of all was in the casting of Stephen Colbert as the vain, egocentric fearful leader, the President of the United States. The guy and his antics are absolutely hysterical.

The 3D effects are consistently entertaining throughout the film. They don’t show up, then go away—it seems there is always something intriguing popping out at you. See the film in 3D if it’s at all possible in your area, and even if it isn’t, it’s well worth the drive. If you don’t have children, beg, borrow or steal some to go with you. If that’s not an option, know that the rest of the audience will probably be wearing their 3D glasses and will therefore be unaware of your over-aged self sitting there, doubled over with laughter. Monsters Vs. Aliens is just too much fun to miss.

Rated PG