MOVIE REVIEW: Monsters Vs Aliens (U)

Dreamworks Animation seems to have been playing catch-up ever since its first CG movie, Antz way back in 1998. Despite many hits, they’ve not had consistency or the adulation of their biggest rivals, Pixar. As the CG animation war moves into another dimension, will the studio’s first fully digital 3D movie, Monsters Vs. Aliens, give them the advantage over Pixar’s long-awaited Up?

Inspired by the monster movies of the 50’s, the film centres on Susan (Reese Witherspoon), a woman who is about to get married when she is hit by an asteroid, turning her into, well, a giant. Captured by an eccentric, jet pack-wearing general (Kiefer Sutherland), she is renamed Ginormica and thrown in a facility with three other monsters - a half man, half insect (Hugh Laurie); a macho sea monster (Will Arnett) and a brainless talking blob (Seth Rogen). Susan’s future seems bleak until Earth comes under attack from an octopus-like alien called Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson), and the planet’s only hope is Susan and her oddball companions.

With such a rich heritage of both sci-fi and monster movies to choose from, a lot of the pleasure for adults is picking out all the movie references (not least in a hilarious sequence involving the US President and a an electric keyboard). It sets a light-hearted tone that is present throughout Monsters Vs. Aliens, continuing the Shrek trend of making family films that are funny for the adults as well as the kids. Plot is certainly not a priority here, but with such funny gags and brilliant voice talent on display, you’ll be too busy chuckling to notice.

Witherspoon is an inoffensive heroine, but the real fun comes from the supporting players. Rogen is great as the idiot of the gang, stealing a lot of the scenes from his co-stars, and Wilson is just as good as the comedy villain. Laurie is reliable as the mad scientist-turned-vermin, Paul Rudd channels his Anchorman days as Susan’s egotistical fiancée, and Sutherland unveils some comedy prowess with his gravely-voiced general.

It may not be breaking any new ground in terms of story or content, but Monsters Vs. Aliens is a very funny, well-written and deftly executed holiday film that will keep all ages happy. 2D audiences won’t miss out on the humour, but you really have to see this in 3D, in what is one of the first films to use the medium as a storytelling device, not just a gimmick. With previous Dreamworks efforts Madagascar and Shrek both spawning sequels, it’s not unimaginable to think this would follow suit. Happily, given how much fun this film is, it wouldn’t be an unwelcome decision either.