Monsters vs. Aliens Theatrical Review

Jim Hill

3/27/2009 12:06 AM EST

I know that this is going to sound kind of weird.  Especially when you consider that I'm talking about a motion picture where a 300-foot tall grub and a 350-foot tall alien robot grapple at Golden Gate Bridge...but DreamWorks Animation's latest production, "Monsters Vs Aliens" feels .. Well, kind of puny.

Don't get me wrong. This Robert Letterman and Conrad Vernon film (which – FYI – is the Studios' first to be produced in Intru 3D) has lots of great gags, several very memorable characters as well as some action sequences that will really blow your socks off. But as for "Monsters Vs Aliens" ‘s overall story … This movie just isn't sure what it really wants to be. Is it a Mad Magazine-like sci-fi spoof? An affectionate send-up of monster movies from the 1950s? Or a female empowerment flick?

And because "Monsters Vs Aliens" is kind of all over the map, story-wise (Silly one minute, sincere the next), it's hard to invest emotionally in this film. Which is why – in the end – DreamWorks' latest is pretty lightweight entertainment.  Where you'll laugh at individual lines & scenes as you're actually watching "MVA," but then not remember a whole lot as you're walking out of the theater.

Which is a shame. Given that the folks at DWA clearly have a real affection for monster movies of the 1950s & 1960s. I mean, check out the film that General W.R. Monger (voiced by Kiefer Sutherland) shows the President (voiced by Stephen Colbert) in that "Dr. Strangelove" –inspired war room. That classified film is loaded with clips that duplicate the exact look, style, camera composition and even the lighting for individual shots from "The Fly," "Revenge of the Creature," "The Blob" as well as several Toho Studios releases.

So obviously a lot of thought went into the planning of "Monsters Vs Aliens." As the creative team made sure that their film looked just right (EX: When the military finally fires upon that enormous robot, its deflector shields repel missile impact in the exact same way that the alien vessels did that in "Independence Day"). But – that said -- where is the skill, the solid storytelling, the depth of feeling that audiences found in "Kung Fu Panda" ? This time around, the only depths that DreamWorks Animation officials were interested in plumbing were depth of field & depth of focus.

Now don't get me wrong. The 3D technology that's used in "Monsters Vs Aliens" truly is spectacular. Just the battle on Golden Gate Bridge -- as Ginormica (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) struggles to save all of those motorists while she avoids being crushed by that alien robot's massive claws -- worth the price of admission all by itself.

But that said … As much as I may have been amused by B.O.B. (That bright blue ball of goo that Seth Rogen speaks for. Who – FYI – has most of the best lines in this motion picture. Including the sure-to-be-quoted "I may not have a brain but I do have a plan") I was still hoping for something more here. A film that wouldn't just dazzle my eye. But – like "Shrek," "Over the Hedge" and "Kung Fu Panda" – also touch the heart.

I'm hoping that – once DreamWorks Animation gets a better handle on how to produce these Intru 3D movies – that they'll then be learn how to strike a balance between delivering an emotionally-satisfying story and  serving up a 3D spectacle. Because as of right now … Well, DWA clearly has the 3D spectacle stuff down cold. It's only when it comes to its storytelling that "Monsters Vs Aliens" comes up short.

Your thoughts?

-- Jim Hill

Be sure to visit FlickDirect's Monsters vs. Aliens movie page for more information.


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