Monsters versus Aliens may not be DreamWorks' very best work, says our Frank, but compared with the animated science fiction and fantasy flicks coming out from everyone else, it's still good enough. There are plenty of kicks for us adults, and you can expect your tots to be tickled too.

For the most part the DreamWorks animation machine has been consistently effective in keeping the kiddies and grown-ups fascinated by the engaging, imaginative characterisations not to mention the dazzling CG-animated visuals that encourages that eye-popping sensation. After all, family fare is meant to pass the 4-F inspection: fun, flashy, frivolous and feisty. Guess what...the wacky and wily Monsters vs. Aliens definitely had won its seal of approval in these categories.



Although not the best offering from the DreamWorks kiddie-crafty factory, Monsters vs. Aliens still packs a sufficient amount of jolting jocularity that is sure to satisfy the entertaining mindsets of youngsters and oldsters alike.

With co-directors Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon at the helm and the talented top-notch performers up to par in their impish voiceover duties Monsters vs. Aliens certainly doesn't disappoint as an animated spectacle full of vibrancy and wonderment. One can make an argument that Disney/Pixar may not necessarily lose any sleep over DreamWorks' latest playful roller-coaster romp but this computer-animated cupcake of a film still resonates soundly with its cozy yet mildly chaotic kooky characters.

The main reservations behind Monsters vs. Aliens is its simplistic story-line of the good (albeit freaky) guys vs. the bad ones. It really does not justify the collaboration of a tandem of directors and a handful of screenwriters to concoct a familiar straightforward premise that seems rather puzzling creatively. Plus, Letterman/Vernon and their collection of scribers appear strained at times when attempting to mingle in varying references from obvious sci-fi blueprints that range from War of the Worlds to Monsters, Inc.

In addition to satirising the sci-fi genre in rollicking fashion the handlers felt compelled to take on more than they could chew at times by awkwardly tossing in a mishmash of loose-minded gags and action sequences that sometimes step on each other's toes. More often than not Monsters vs. Aliens feels too busy and aimless occasionally for many to settle in on the eye-winking B-movie spoofing it touts so eagerly. Nevertheless, this 3-D comedy-adventure has its silly-minded heart in the right place as it aims to please those interested in its roving gumption for roguish chuckles.

Bride-to-be Susan (voiced by Oscar-winner Reese Witherspoon) is all set to exchange wedding vows at the altar with her pompous-minded TV weatherman groom (Paul Rudd) when their timing of "I dos" is interrupted by a massive meteorite thus turning the blushing bride into a 50-foot colossus cutie.

Moody military mastermind General W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland) soon captured the enormous Susan and locks hr away with other odd-looking mutants. There, she meets up with an one-eyed gelatin-esque bluish blob named Bob (Seth Rogen), Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), ape-like The Missing Link (Will Arnett) and the gigantic 350-ft. Insectosaurus.

General Monger decides to put the handful of monstrous misfits to work for his cause to protect the planet namely from the opportunistic and ominous alien Gallaxhar whose presence certainly jeopardises the entire Earth. Basically, Gallaxhar wants to get his hands on the mysterious element known as Quantonium--the same infamous resource that turned poor Susan into the walking Amazon that she is right now.

Can Susan and the rest of the squad prevent further damage to the planet by taking down Gallaxhar and his "alien"-ating minions? Will General Monger regret his decision to unleash Susan and her fellow freak-a-zoids on these precariously pesky visitors?

No doubt that Monsters vs. Aliens wants to appeal exclusively to the separate demographics and that's truly admirable to a certain point. Witherspoon's Susan is naturally an inspiration to the little girls that dream of being saviors of the world on course with the guys that always seem get the privilege and/or glory of being the heralded rescuers.

The boys/men will get a kick out of the action-oriented sequences that may rival any live-action bits they've seen in mainstream popcorn flicks with real muscle-heads blowing things up. Of course this leaves the tots that will simply be tickled by the funny-looking goofy monsters that function in the cockeyed craziness that persists.

It is fine that the movie is appeasing to various segments of the audience but the flick tends to overreach intermittently while forgetting its focus as it juggles so many zany entanglements at a time. Still, Monsters vs. Aliens is undeniably alive in its penchant for showy highjinks and the nostalgia it's aping regarding the old-time sci-fi serials of yesteryear as well as the modern-day glossy blockbusters that bombard the big screen so routinely. The assortment of gags and goofs run from devilishly inane to questionably lame. Hey, it is supposed to be innocuous family entertainment so maybe the spirit of the hit-and-miss gags and jokes are a push at this point, right?

The voiceover work from the big name performers are fabulously giddy and inspired--particularly from Witherspoon's soft-spoken heroic Susan, the scene-stealing Rogan as bubbly Bob the blob and the riotous Sutherland as the gung-ho Patton-styled general out for patriotic blood. Even political satirist Stephen Colbert scores some points as the daffy-minded President overseeing the destruction that the terrorising aliens are causing to the surrounding world.

The enhancement of the 3-D effects do give Monsters vs. Aliens some peppered personality in three-dimensional scope and style. The pop cultural platitudes and ambitious set pieces (witness the spectacular Golden Gate Bridge action-oriented staging) are highly spirited and intoxicating for the jumpy senses.

Overall, the flippancy and festive nature that accompanies our pestilent protagonists is the key to why Monsters vs. Aliens will prevail as a zesty escapist treat for those that enjoy an animated vehicle with an off-kilter sense of humour and perhaps some unassuming paper thin pathos.

Frank Ochieng

© 2009 Frank Ochieng