Film of the week: Monsters Vs Aliens (PG)

Damon Smith • Published 13 Apr 2009 08:30 0 Comments

Just when it seemed that no one could challenge the computer animated might of Pixar (Ratatouille, WALL-E), directors Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon deliver an out-of-this-world adventure that proves heroes come in all shapes and sizes.

Fast-paced and peppered with cute visual gags, Monsters Vs Aliens is a blast from eye-popping start to uproarious finish, especially in cinemas projecting in jaw-dropping 3D.

Admittedly, Letterman and Vernon's picture borrows heavily from Pixar's 2004 smash hit The Incredibles, with nods to Godzilla and countless B-movies, but there are sufficient flashes of invention and a smattering of heartfelt emotion to bring a tear to the eye.

The opening section delivers one wow moment after the next as the camera drifts through space towards Earth, descending on a research facility where a scientist plays with an elasticated bat and ball (which appears to bounce out of the screen in 3D), just as an unidentified flying object hurtles towards California.

The object - a green, glowing meteorite - lands on fun-loving Susan Murphy (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) on her wedding day, shortly before she is due to tie the knot to TV weatherman Derek Dietl (Paul Rudd).

Before he has a chance to say "I do", Susan grows in size until she stands an impressive 49 feet and 11 inches tall.

Wedding guests flee and Susan is held hostage by the military in a secret government compound where she learns that other so-called monsters have suffered a similar fate.

Fellow captives include brilliant inventor Dr Cockroach PhD (Hugh Laurie), half-ape half-fish The Missing Link (Will Arnett), indestructible gelatinous mass B.O.B. (Rogen) and a 350-feet long grub called Insectosaurus.

"One other thing," barks General W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland), the military man in charge of the facility, "the government has changed your name to Ginormica."

In a freakish twist, megalomaniac alien Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson) dispatches a giant alien probe to Earth to retrieve the fallen meteorite.

The metallic monster easily repels every missile and bomb in the military's arsenal so President Hathaway (Stephen Colbert) reluctantly issues an executive order to free the monsters and set them upon the invader from another planet.

Monsters Vs Aliens shoots for the moon and soars, melding colourful visuals and a script laden with belly laughs that should appeal to young and old alike.

If Witherspoon's heroine is the emotional heart of the story, Laurie, Arnett and Rogen share the giggles, the latter in fine form as the brainless gloop, who thinks he has found a soul mate in a lime green jelly full of pineapple chunks.

Sutherland is amusing too as the gruff man of combat, who briefly shows his softer side: "I'm so happy, I could cry... if I hadn't lost my tear ducts in the war!"

Action sequences unfold at breakneck speed, reducing San Francisco to twisted metal and rubble.

A sideswipe at the French baits the hook nicely for possible sequels.

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This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 09 Apr 09

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