by Karen Louise Hollis

Created on: July 16, 2010

Any fans of animated movies and family films would have eagerly been anticipating the release of Monsters vs. Aliens back in 2009. It was made by DreamWorks Animation, the company who made such successes as Shrek and Madagascar, and this time ventured into the world of science-fiction as its theme.

Monsters vs. Aliens tells the story of Susan Murphy (voiced by Reece Witherspoon), an ordinary American girl who is excited to be marrying her boyfriend Derek Dietl (Paul Rudd), who experiences some low-key fame as a television weatherman. However, their wedding day is interrupted when a meteorite crashes down to Earth, landing on Susan and leading her to absorb quantonium. This causes a strange reaction as Susan grows taller becoming a giant woman.

Provoking a large-scale military reaction from the US government, the extra-tall Susan is captured and put in a secure prison with other monsters the government has captured over the years. She soon befriends them.

There is B.O.B. (voiced by Seth Rogen) who is a blue blob with one eye and not the brightest monster in the world. There is also Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. (Hugh Laurie) who is an eccentric scientist who has a range of wacky devices he can make from anything around him. The strange fish-monkey creature is the Missing Link (Will Arnett) and finally there is Insectosaurus (who never talks) who is a giant bug, who is even taller than Susan. 

When the Earth faces an alien threat, the US government decide the only way they can save the world is to unleash their supply of captive monsters. So the Monsters vs. Aliens battle begins.

The story is well-constructed and the pace is fast-moving, but not too much that it becomes too confusing. It will hold the attention of both children and adults and will be especially appreciated by fans of old movies like King Kong and more modern ones such as E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, as there are many knowing nods to the classic movies of this genre.

It is a fun romp in the old tradition of good versus evil, with lots of exciting scenes and cartoon violence. It never becomes too frightening and the PG rating seems very fair. The team of monsters are very endearing and each has their own personality. Susan is a good character too and each one goes through a journey throughout the movie, so they improve themselves and discover strengths they never knew they had.

The animation itself is beautifully done and the detail is excellent. The individual strands of hair moving around are especially impressive, whether on Susan’s platinum blonde head or on the furry body of Insectosaurus.

It is also very funny with some great one-liners and a witty script. It is a film that all ages will find entertaining. The characters are cute and interesting, the story holds your attention throughout and the 90 minutes fly by. Great all round family entertainment – ideal for keeping the kids busy for a while during the school vacation!

  

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