[img]7|left|||no_popup[/img] Review: Monsters Vs. Aliens

If it’s not official already, “Monsters vs. Aliens” should leave no doubt that 3D, in all it’s eye-popping, headache-free glory, has come of age. I’m not sure which film, exactly, definitely marked the milestone for me – maybe it was Disney’s “Monster House” – but regardless, the smooth, elegant implementation of the technology has matured into something more than a gimmick. “Monsters vs. Aliens” is the latest of the new generation 3D films that, Ebert’s skepticism notwithstanding, offer a genuinely rich cinematic experience. Naturally, more are on the way.

Whether DreamWorks Animation’s Jeffrey Katzenberg is correct in predicting 3D’s eventual ubiquitousness, however, is an open question. I’m trying to picture a film like, say, “Rachel Getting Married,” delivered in 3D. Or how about “The Reader,” with its quietly passionate character moments and, of course, sex scenes? As an exercise, choose a favourite classic film and ask whether it would work as well with that extra dimension. Since not all filmmakers are on board with Katzenberg’s vision of 3D utopia, my feeling is that 3D won’t be the standard for general filmmaking for some time, if at all. But while we’re on the topic of the medium’s future, I’d love to see an animated, black & white 3D film. Stripped of colour, the film would have to rely on expressionist techniques, on shadows and light in addition to dimension…

It Won’t Make You Ponder

…but that’s another movie. For now, we have “Monsters vs. Aliens,” a gentle, full-colour pastiche of classic monster movies served with the unimpeachable moral of accepting people for who they are, no matter how different. As with just about any CGI film not made by Pixar, the imaginative quality of the characters and plots – monsters used by the government to fight off an alien’s destructive attempt to recover a rare energy source – is baffled by cross-purposes and a certain numerical painting method. Centered on bride-to-be Susan (voiced by Reese Witherspoon), who is rendered enormous by her contact with the aforementioned energy source, “Monsters vs. Aliens,” at heart, strives for a respectable character story with heart and humour. Unlike “Madagascar 2,” however, which could yuk it up to hilarious and quotable effect unrestrained by any need to go beyond lip-servicing the plot, “Monsters vs. Aliens” ends up with merely cute comedy dosed with pop-culture self-awareness. Disappointing, perhaps, is the ironic role of Stephen Colbert, who so famously and brilliantly roasted President Bush at the Foreign Press Correspondents’ dinner a few years ago, as the President of the United States. But there is consolation in hearing Hugh Laurie’s rakish British voice for the film’s silliest scene-stealing creation, the mad-scientist-turned-cockroach, Dr. Cockroach. All that, in a film about which there is very little to dissect, or dialogue to later recite in fits of giggling, or awe to be felt at the story and characters’ scope. Consume, enjoy, move on.

That comparison to Pixar is a low-blow, perhaps. Then again, it seems that films made by anyone else don’t quite aim for anything other than easy entertainment. On that level, it doesn’t get much easier than “Monsters vs. Aliens,” and audiences get what they pay for, to the dime.

Entertainment Value: ** (out of two)
Technical Quality: * (out of two)

Monsters Vs. Aliens. Directed by Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon. Written by Maya Forbes, Wallace Wolodarsky, Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger and Letterman. With the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Seth Rogen, Will Arnett, Kiefer Sutherland, Rainn Wilson, Paul Rudd, and Stephen Colbert. 95 minutes. Rated PG (for sci-fi action, crude humor and mild language).

Frédérik invites you to discuss this film and more at his blog.