When the monsters challenged the aliens

Monster’s vs Aliens
Voice-over cast: Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Paul Rudd
Director: Rob Letterman, Conrad Vernon
Rating: ** 1/2

When you add to the summer break, an animated movie, some cute monsters and evil aliens and 3D experience, you’d think you have at hand a recipe for a great cocktail. But do you?

When a giant meteor hits Susan Murphy (Reese Witherspoon) on her wedding day, she grows 49-feet 11-inches tall. The military steps in and takes her into a secret military facility, wherein she meets strange creatures: Dr Cockroach (Hugh Laurie) who is a brilliant scientist who has been transformed into a cockroach; The Missing Link (Will Arnett ), a macho half-ape, half-fish creature; BOB (Seth Rogen), a gelatinous and indestructible being; and the 350-foot grub called Insectosaurus. She is told that the facility has been in existence since the 1950s and is used to prison ‘monsters’ like her and the creatures.

Enter an evil alien, determined to rob Susan of her powers, kill and enslave the human population and rule over the earth. Unable to fight it off, the monsters are sent to battle off the alien and protect Mother Earth. Needless to say, the monsters save the day and find their space.

The movie is but a spoof of the many science-fiction and monster genre movies and the references to Spielberg (Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, War Of The Worlds), Mars Attacks, Evolution are many. The monsters themselves are inspired by many cartoon and comic books, be it an experiment that goes bad and transforms the mad scientist, or the lead who becomes a superhero after a meteor hits her. Then there is also the plight of the many superheroes, issues of non-acceptance by the society.

The movie is light and often funny, and gives you exactly what is expected of animated movies. But the simplicity of the script and the story line does beget a question: why such a large collaboration of a tandem of directors (Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon) and a handful of screenwriters to concoct such a straightforward story?

The 3D effect makes for good viewing, what with bits of spacecrafts being almost flung at you and a character racing the streets of San Francisco using cars as roller-skates. But what the movie genuinely lacks is endearing characters, that which makes Shrek and Nemo unforgettable.

The movie is an assortment of gags and puns, but will remain nothing more than just that.