Monsters vs. Aliens

Monsters vs. Aliens

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogan, Will Arnett, Hugh Laurie, Rainn Wilson

Directed by: Conrad Vernon, Rob Letterman

Reviewed by: Conor Flynn







Hollywood currently has an affinity for the 1950’s. The influence of this particular period on modern cinema seems immense. Yet things arguably haven’t progressed much in fifty years. Take for example 3D technology. Once again 3D is being used to entice audiences back into cinema theatres. In a certain light things have come full circle with this new 3D animated feature which pays homage to some of the best sci-fi B-movies of the 50’s…

After being hit by a meteorite on her wedding day, Susan Murphy (Witherspoon) quickly discovers she has grown into a giant. She is seized by the military, lead by General W.R. Monger (Sutherland) and taken to a monster facility. Here she meets B.O.B. (Rogan), Dr. Cockroach (Laurie), The Missing Link (Arnett) and Insectosaurus. After a giant robot attack, the General enlists these monsters to protect the planet from Gallaxhar (Wilson), an alien who wants the power of Quantonium, something which Susan now possesses…

‘Monsters vs. Aliens’ is essentially a mix of ‘Monsters Inc’ meets ‘The Incredibles’ with an affectionate nod to yesteryear. There are numerous references made to 50’s monster movies, most strikingly to the characters themselves. Basically they are all hybrids of monsters such as Mothra, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Fly, The Blob and The Fifty Foot Woman. Ultimately this is a film which will be loved by some, though most will be left severely wanting.

To begin with, the film is a let-down in the laughs department. The jokes are hit and miss and unfortunately the misses seem to be in greater abundance than the hits. One particular joke early on involves a reference to ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ tune ‘Alex F’ and is agonizingly forced and unfunny. One of the best jokes involves a ‘hang in there, baby’ poster, but it is humorous rather than hilarious. The 3D is disappointing, and truth be told, very irritating. It contains the usual items being thrown towards you, but the background remains as flat as a pancake. There is no real sense of depth of field. What really vexes though is that the 3D distracts from other visuals, in particular, the gigantic visual of Insectosaurus, which for sheer scale in size alone, is utterly breathtaking. Having 3D bits and pieces exploding around this lovably cute monster diminishes from its wonderment factor.

‘Monsters vs Aliens’ is a terrific concept let down by a lazy execution. It’s simply not as funny as it could and should have been. All that said; if you have to see it, try and see it in 2D on the biggest screen possible.