With an all-star cast including Reese Witherspoon Seth Rogen and Hugh Laurie the computer animated “Monsters vs. Aliens” appears to be on the track to succes.
Although the film definitely has its moments of genius it falls short of its original potential and unfortunately does not contain enough depth to compare to other Dreamworks’ masterpieces such as “Shrek” or “Kung Fu Panda.”
Reese Witherspoon stars as Susan the young woman protagonist who is accidently transformed into a radioactive giant when an alien meteor crashes beside her. Consequently the government abducts her into a clandestine organization alongside other friendly quirky monsters. And shortly afterwards they are recruited to fight the newly-invaded alien robot.
This is the sole plot of the movie and there is not much else to say about it – the film is relentlessly simple. The plot is boring not to mention that to a great extent the plot screenplay and dialogue are clichéd and banal.
An example of the story’s mediocrity is displayed when the antagonist alien claims after having been shot at “you tried to kill me.” Of course someone is trying to kill him – he was being shot at. Mindless and elementary language waters down the creativity of the film.
The antagonist character incidentally is one of the most dull unintimidating and over-used antagonists that a viewer could have the misfortune of experiencing.
Consequently the film has no depth except a hint of feminism that is disguised amid all the action. Overall it is shallow with very little if any redeeming literary or thematic value.
Although the movie is sporadically comical it does not quite reach the level of humor needed to sustain an entertaining comedy status. Many of the jokes are downright boring.However Rogen as the lovable and moronic B.O.B. singlehandedly carries most of the humor. In one particularly amusing scene he reveals that his gelatinous form does not encompass a brain and declares that one actually does not need a brain to function. Three seconds later he is choking and wheezing because he simply forgot how to breathe. This is the kind of playful humor “Monsters vs. Aliens” features.
The film also succeeds in the uniqueness and creativity of the monsters. They develop into more than just monsters – they transform into characters that the viewers can relate to even if they are a little simple. They’re quirky stupid entertaining and in some instances encompass complex aspects of character development. B.O.B. especially is an extremely inimitable character who illuminates the screen with his outlandish demeanor.
Furthermore the film is visually exceptional. Computer graphics improve with time and this movie goes all out with high-action color-packed battles and chase scenes. In one such segment the misfit monsters are fleeing from a giant alien robot. Susan as colossal as she is uses cars as roller skates and evades the robot in a visually impressive chase scene through the city.
The film has its moments of creativity including intermittent comedic scenes and characters as well as visually striking effects. It nonetheless falls short of its potential to become a classic Dreamworks’ masterpiece. Even in its simplicity the film often lacks the uniqueness of some of its more notable counterparts. It is neither horrendous nor outstanding. It is an average and sporadically enjoyable film that is really only worth renting – at least in this economy.