Monsters Vs Aliens

Director: Rob Letterman, Conrad Vernon

Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Kiefer Sutherland, Rainn Wilson, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Renee Zellweger

Year: 2009 Running Time: 94 mins Rating:

After being hit by a meteorite on her wedding day, poor Susan (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) is transformed into a 50ft colossus. In no time, the military have her locked away in a secret base with other freaks of nature like Dr Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), The Missing Link (Will Arnett) and a blob called Bob (Seth Rogen). But when an evil UFO commander threatens to take over the Earth, Susan and the monster squad are cut loose to stop the invasion. Riffing on every sci-fi classic under the sun with zappy animation and a dappy script, it’s a state-of-the-art CG, 3D B-movie.

Review

For all the success of Shrek and Kung Fu Panda, it seems that however hard they try, DreamWorks will always be one branch lower than Disney/Pixar on animation’s evolutionary tree.

But despite being second out of the 3D traps after Bolt, their first special-specs-required outing is at least as eye-catching as Pixar’s Oscar-nominated pacesetter. Occasionally, it’s even better.

Unfortunately the (six) writers are so busy playing Space Invaders with the script - firing out hit-and-miss gags while picking off as many sci-fi movies as they can think of - that they don’t match the technical innovation with enough original ideas of their own.

It could be pitched a hundred different ways but it’s essentially a mash-up of War Of The Worlds, Attack Of The 50 Foot Woman and Monsters, Inc.

It begins with Californian cutie Susan (Witherspoon) being clonked by a space rock just as she’s about to marry selfish TV weatherman Derek (Paul Rudd).

But before she can say “I do”, she’s suddenly ten times her normal size (as is her dress, in the PG-approved, Incredible Hulk style) and whisked off to a government facility run by Keifer Sutherland’s gung-ho General W.R. Monger (see what they did there?).

There she bonds with other genetically unusual inmates – mad scientist Dr Cockroach (Laurie), ape/fish crossover The Missing Link (Arnett), gelatinous, brainless blue mass B.O.B. (Rogen), and Insectosaurus, a hairy, 350-foot grub.

And with 'Susan' not being very monstrous, she is renamed Ginormica.

Doomed to rot in mutant prison, their luck changes when a four-eyed, megalomaniac, alien squid called Galaxxar (Rainn ‘The Rocker’ Wilson) dispatches a giant robot to pave the way for his clone invasion.

The President (political satirist Stephen Colbert) has no choice. The monsters must be unleashed in return for their freedom.

Just keeping up with all the in-jokes is an entertainment in itself. Homages to look out for include The Day The Earth Stood Still, The Blob, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Close Encounters, Cloverfield, Dr Strangelove, Japanese icon Moth-Ra, the films of Hideo Miyazaki, and a finale that’s pure Empire Strikes Back.

But since many will be lost on younger viewers and non-movie buffs, it’s just as well that the animation is such a reach-out-and-touch-it treat.

The 3D visuals don’t quite carry all the gags that fall flat, but the good ones are keepers – especially whenever President Colbert’s finger goes near a red button.

The enthusiastic vocals are another big plus and there are all the traditional, nutritional messages about friendship, acceptance, beauty being on the inside, etc.

It comes in peace. Take it to your leader.