Monsters vs Aliens (2009)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Directors:

Rob Letterman
Conrad Vernon

Writers:

Maya Forbes (screenplay) &
Wallace Wolodarsky (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

27 March 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Oooze gonna save us?

Plot:

When a meteorite from outer space hits a young woman and turns her into a giant monster, she is taken to a secret government compound where she meets a ragtag group of monsters also rounded up over the years.

Plot Keywords:

Monster | Giant | California | Save The World | Destruction

US Showtimes:

(register to personalize)

Cast

Reese Witherspoon	...	Susan Murphy / Ginormica (voice)
Seth Rogen	...	B.O.B. (voice)
Hugh Laurie	...	Dr. Cockroach Ph.D. (voice)
Will Arnett	...	The Missing Link (voice)
Kiefer Sutherland	...	General W.R. Monger (voice)
Rainn Wilson	...	Gallaxhar (voice)
Stephen Colbert	...	President Hathaway (voice)
Paul Rudd	...	Derek Dietl (voice)
Julie White	...	Wendy Murphy (voice)
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Carl Murphy (voice)
Amy Poehler	...	Computer (voice)
Ed Helms	...	News Reporter (voice)
Renée Zellweger	...	Katie (voice)
John Krasinski	...	Cuthbert (voice)
Sean Bishop	...	Private Bullhorn / Helicopter Pilot / Advisor Ortega (voice)

Also Known As:

Monsters vs Aliens: A Monstrous IMAX 3D Experience (USA) (IMAX version)

MPAA:

Rated PG for sci-fi action, some crude humor and mild language.

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.44 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Czech Republic:U | USA:PG (certificate #45124) | Ireland:PG | Australia:PG | UK:PG | South Korea:All | Finland:K-7 | Norway:7 | Philippines:G (MTRCB) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Portugal:M/6 (original version) | Portugal:M/6 (dubbed version) | Argentina:Atp | Sweden:7 | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:I | Belgium:KT | Mexico:AA | Peru:PT | Brazil:Livre | Singapore:PG | New Zealand:PG | Iceland:L

Company:

DreamWorks Animation

Trivia:

In the scene during the closing credits, the President asks the audience if anyone wants to freeze his head. Stephen Colbert, who provided the voice of the President, gives detailed outlines on how to unfreeze his head in an apocalyptic future in his book, 'I Am America and So Can You'.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Susan is Ginormica she is chasing Gallaxhar through a hallway while he is closing doors on her. She breaks through the doors leaving holes of her character outline. Later in the movie, as Susan, she runs back through the doors, but she is the same size as the outlines in the door.

Quotes:

The President of the United States: Eat lead, robot!
[Shoots at robot; nothing happens]
The President of the United States: Turns out it eats lead. I'm brave! I am a brave president!

Movie Connections:

References Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958)

Soundtrack:

Who's Crying Now

Monsters Vs. Aliens Movie Review from The Massie Twins

Wonderfully inventive characters and highly polished visuals abound in Dreamworks' latest computer animation extravaganza, working diligently to disprove the concept that story is the most important element. With hilarious caricatures, gargantuan CG sets, and grandiose action sequences, it almost succeeds. But ultimately the aesthetics can't win out over an expected plot, hit-or-miss humor, and characters whose personalities don't live up to their appealing appearances (as well as quite a few underused voice talents, such as the tragically unrecognizable Renee Zellweger, Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd).

On her wedding day (in Fresno California, the most romantic city in the world), Susan Murphy (Reese Witherspoon) is hit by a meteorite infused with Quantonium, a rare and powerful element that causes her to grow to an enormous size. Targeted by the government as a "monster," Susan is captured and imprisoned at a secret facility where other such oddities have been held since the 1950's, when it was deemed that the public couldn't handle the presence of extraterrestrials. Governed by Patton-esquire General Monger (Kiefer Sutherland), the tenants include Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), a mad scientist who accidentally transformed himself into a roach-human hybrid; B.O.B. (Seth Rogen), a gelatinous, brainless mass brought to life in an experiment gone wrong; The Missing Link (Will Arnett), a Creature-from-the-Black-Lagoon-like lizard man; and the skyscraper-sized mutant larvae Insectosaurus.

When deranged alien overlord Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson) arrives on Earth to obtain the precious Quantonium and conquer the world, President Hathaway (Stephen Colbert) offers the monsters their freedom in exchange for defeating the evil mastermind and his legion of robots and clones. "Do something violent!" commands the trembling American leader, after giving an ineffective welcoming to a towering probe droid. (In a spoof of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the President unleashes a series of jazzy funk beats and dance moves that tops the hilarity with its wild spontaneity.) Pixar may be the heavyweight champion of computer animated feature films, but Dreamworks Animation is steadily making its way into the ring. With Monsters vs. Aliens, they've gotten the formula down pat - exhilarating action, amazing special effects, humorous character designs and a relatively preach-free plot. The intensity of the film is extraordinary, with an attack on the Golden Gate Bridge matching the sheer magnitude of destruction in Cloverfield and challenging the awe of Independence Day and Godzilla. The throwbacks to classic B-movie monstrosities form an homage collage that rivals the research put into The Incredibles' comic book character origins.

Although Monsters vs. Aliens doesn't offer a noticeably large number of literally in-your-face moments, seeing it in 3D (and/or IMAX) certainly doesn't hurt. No details are spared with the absolutely brilliant CG models and animation, and the textures and lighting are consistently photorealistic. It may not rank amongst the greatest computer animated works, but in its technical mastery and pure entertainment achievements, it's out of this world.

- The Massie Twins