Funny, subversive and jammed with action, "Monsters vs. Aliens" is the birth of what figures to be another animated blockbuster franchise. Many theaters will offer the film in stunning 3-D, and that's the way I recommend seeing it if at all possible. Animators use the effects subtly and steadily, drawing you into the screen for unexpected, eyeball-blowing thrills.
You can tell you're into something good from the opening frame, when the familiar DreamWorks logo screen -- the one with the fishing-pole-dangling kid sitting on the crescent moon -- is violated to hilarious effect by a spaceship tractor beam.
Then you're tossed headlong into a relentlessly exciting, funny and heart-tugging adventure that ridicules horror and sci-fi cliches while fusing them together for something spectacular. Think "Scream" meets Woody Allen's "Sleeper."
With a knack for deadpan humor that rivals her showing in "Legally Blonde," Reese Witherspoon voices Susan, a woman who's hit by a meteor on her wedding day (hate when that happens) to become Ginormica, a 50-foot menace to society.
Men in black subdue and transfer her to a secret government compound along with fellow beasties, including a brainless, one-eyed, see-through blob called Bob (Seth Rogen, as sardonic as ever), brainy anthropomorphic arthropod Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), reptilian menace Missing Link (Will Arnett) and the flying, mute bug Insectosaur.
They'd be left there to rot if not for a marauding alien robot force led by Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson), who is after the meteorite that created Ginormica, and figures to kill or enslave the human populace while he's at it. The alien overlord's introduction to Earthlings is a spot-on satire of a human-resources hatchet man's layoff spiel.
Deciding their only hope of survival rests in the hands of their monster prisoners, G-men (presided over by the oblivious president, voiced by Stephen Colbert) turn the beasties loose. Each monster has his/her/its own reason to help. Dr. Cockroach wants to flex his mental muscle, Bob is just going with the flow and Ginormica is on the hunt for her narcissistic newscaster fiance, Derek (Paul Rudd).
As the monsters take on Gallaxhar and his evil minions -- just wait for when he trots out his cloning machine -- they become a tight-knit gang of outcasts reminiscent of the X-Men. "Monsters vs. Aliens" capitalizes on the superpowered-family aspect that "The Incredibles" tried for but missed. The monsters are lovable alone but priceless together, with well-written banter that keeps the yuks rolling.
Little touches bring the movie to life, and if you look hard enough you'll find layer upon layer of witty, whimsical humor. Take a scene late in the film, when Bob is in the background, not directly involved in the action, and his eye accidentally pops out. He scurries around searching for it, then swallows it. It pops back into his eye socket and he pops a self-satisfied smile.
Expect a broad grin if you're in the audience, especially if you're lucky enough to catch the movie in 3-D.
3.5 stars out of 4
Rated: PG for sci-fi action, crude humor and mild language.
Directors: Rob Letterman, Conrad Vernon.
Family call: Fine for families.
Running time: 94 minutes.
(Pvillarreal(at)azstarnet.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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