Monsters vs. Aliens 3-D - 3 out of 4 Stars

Who Would Love This Movie: People under the age of 10, people who like 3-D animated features, and people who like silliness

Best Mood to Walk In With: Childish glee :)

Don't See This Movie If: You want realism, seriousness, or adults in the seats around you


I have to begin this with a discloser: I believe you should see children's movies with a child if at all possible. Having a small partner in crime will enhance the movie, since she or he will laugh at all the kid-directed jokes whose funniness you may have missed due to your (ugh!) adulthood. Also, you will feel clever and superior when you laugh at the jokes the little ones do not get. Just kidding... ;)

But seriously, in the world of kid movies Monsters vs. Aliens is much better than so-so movies like Madagascar 2, Flushed Away, Over the Hedge, Surf's Up, and Bolt, because unlike these forgettable flicks, Monsters vs. Aliens does not rely only on gross humor. You may not believe me if you've seen the the trailers (the ads I saw included the President calling a "code brown" and also showed a guy photocopying his butt to get through security), but this movie was pretty clever in its one-liners, though the story was a little flat for adults. (It should be noted, though, that my date Cody thought the storyline was excellent in his four year old opinion.)

This criticism is why Monsters vs. Aliens was good, but not quite in the realm of the insta-hits like Finding Nemo, Toy Story, or Wall-E. These classics are not only funny and entertaining, but also bring an unexpected poignancy to their stories. With Monsters vs. Aliens, what you see is what you get for the most part, so no Kleenex is necessary. The one exception to this straight forward formula is the unexpected subtle message of girl power. Gone are the days of Ariel sitting on a rock, longing for some man to complete her, and Susan aka Ginormica is happy to bring a more millenial and empowering message to the kiddies.

Along with this surprising burst of feminism, Reese Witherspoon is her normal charming self, even though her packaging is a little different. And Seth Rogen brings on the goofiness per usual. The other cast members lending their voices to this ensemble is impressive in their collective star power once you get to the credits, but you probably won't guess at who they are during the film.

Keep Your Eyes Closed For: the scenes where Insectasaurus uses his snot as a bodily appendage (gross!)
Keep Your Eyes Open For: the yo-yo scene at the beginning (that's why seeing the movie in 3-D is so important! :))

As for the 3-D, I highly encourage you to spend the extra few dollars to upgrade from the normal showing. Disney's Bolt in 3-D was not much better than 2-D, but Monsters vs. Aliens really used the extra dimension pretty creatively. Also, you get to see the trailers for Ice Age 3 in 3-D and Up in 3-D, the latter of which looks like it will be phenomenal.

Movies are Life. ~ K