Monsters vs. Aliens
When a meteor full of space gunk transforms Susan Murphy (Reese Witherspoon) into a giant, the government renames her Ginormica and confines her to a secret compound with other monsters, like bug-headed Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie). When an extraterrestrial robot lands on Earth and begins a rampage, Gen. W.R. Monger persuades the president to send Ginormica and her fellow monsters to battle the machine and save the planet.
Release Date: March 27, 2009
Runtime: 1 hr 34 min
Genre: Adventure , Comedy , Science fiction , Animated
Director: Conrad Vernon, Rob Letterman
Producer: Lisa Stewart, Jill Hopper, Latifa Ouaou
Cast: Kiefer Sutherland, Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, Stephen Colbert, Rainn Wilson
(less)Ok for ages 8+ . What would you rate it?
Rated PG Some Crude Humor|Sci-Fi Action|Mild Language
- Sex & Nudity
- Violence & Gore
- Profanity
Content details via Kids-In-Mind
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Reviews
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Pretty intense action scenes. Didn't initially enjoy this one, but as I have seen it more, it isn't a bad movie.
June 8th, 2011 Details -
This movie had some funny moments, but mostly it is very corny. The whole thing is a bit of a rip-off of the movie Mars Attacks. Like that film, this one is a huge parody of old alien movies. Same old ideas, just a new angle. The whole thing is a fun ride though. I give this a high PG for violence, and some potty humor dialogue.
September 8th, 2011 Details -
The kids seem to like this, but it's pretty unoriginal. Just your run-of-the-mill animated film.
August 12th, 2011 Details -
There are times when "Monsters vs. Aliens" gets right up in your face.
In fact, one of the formats the new film is being shown in is 3-D, which means a few objects — such as a paddle ball, a few meteors and space debris — seem to pop right out of the screen and appear to be on a direct collision course with your face.
Thankfully, the effect is not used to the irksome degree of last year's "Journey to the Center of the Earth" remake, which was all gimmick and little else.
And instead, this animated, science-fiction/comedy has considerable charms and as much excitement in it as any cartoon feature since 2004's "The Incredibles."
(However, it should be noted that there are a few bits that might be a little intense or too suspenseful for really younger viewers.)
The film also has a first-rate voice cast. Reese Witherspoon provides the voice for Susan Murphy, who's about to marry her longtime sweetheart, would-be network news anchorman Derek Dietl (voiced by Paul Rudd).
Unfortunately, on her wedding day Susan appears to have been struck by a meteor. As it turns out, it was a close call, though radiation from the meteor has caused her to grow tenfold.
So the U.S. Army is sent in to capture Susan before she can cause any damage.
Now known as Ginormica, she's kept inside a top-secret facility that houses other so-called "monsters." They include Dr. Cockroach, PhD. (Hugh Laurie), the Missing Link (Will Arnett), an apelike amphibian, a big, blue blob like organism known as B.O.B. (Seth Rogen), and a much-larger beast, the caterpillar-like Insectosaurus.
Their captors set this bunch free, though, when squidlike alien conqueror Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson) sets his sights on the Earth.
Gallaxhar sends a huge robotic drone down to the surface to do his dirty work. But Ginormica and the others are able to repel the first attack — though the Golden Gate Bridge is destroyed in the process.
The voice performers are clearly having fun. Witherspoon hasn't sounded this free and easy in years, and Stephen Colbert steals scenes as the voice of the U.S. president.
Also, the movie is peppered with bits that kids might not get but which their parents might enjoy (there are references to "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "Beverly Hills Cop" and other movies).
And the brief but fun origin sequences for each of the monsters mirror classic sci-fi and horror movie moments (Susan's transformation is right out of "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman"; Dr. Cockroach's creation is virtually the same as "The Fly.")
"Monsters vs. Aliens" is rated PG and features animated sci-fi violence (creature attacks, laser blasts, explosive, fiery and vehicular mayhem, and some violence against women), some crude scatological references and other humor, brief drug content (tranquilizer darts), scattered mild profanity (mostly religiously based), and some derogatory language and slurs. Running time: 94 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com
March 27th, 2009 Details -
This is a pretty good movie. Definitely worth at least one watch. Somewhat predictable, but fun nonetheless.
July 26th, 2012 Details