ViewGuide

Created Apr 19, 2009 12:03AM PST • Edited Apr 19, 2009 12:03AM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Very Good 3.5

   For what I thought would be a children’s film, Monsters vs. Aliens was indeed a hilarious, visually-spectacular comedy – in the vein of Shrek, but perhaps not as reliant on popular culture, and as a result more engaging.

4. Acting

   Good 3.0

   Reese Witherspoon gives Susan/Ginormica the right mixture of desperation and confusion that the character needs, where as every other character serves only as comedy for the film. Hugh Laurie (House), Seth Rogen and Will Arnett give the monsters their voices, whilst Keifer Sutherland and Stephen Colbert provide other voices.

5. Male Stars Very Good 3.5

   Laurie, Rogen and Arnett each have the comedic timing to give their characters that much more – Laurie’s cockroach doctor embodying the mad scientist, whilst Rogen’s blob-style freak is pretty much an extension of every character the comedian has ever played, though sanitised for a younger audience. Arnett is perhaps the most anonymous, with his character (a take-off of the Creature from the Black Lagoon) having much of the exposition and not much of the comedy.

6. Female Stars Good 3.0

   Witherspoon does not have the comedic scenes that the other characters enjoy, and perhaps would have benefited somewhat. However, as our normal, human path into the film, I suppose she has to remain this way, and the actress gives the character that sense of innocence that she needs.

7. Female Costars Good 3.0

   Adjusted accordingly.

8. Male Costars Good 3.0

   Keifer Sutherland and Stephen Colbert provide laughs as General W.R. Monger (the man in charge of the monsters) and the US President, Colbert giving the film much of its childish humour and Sutherland really just sounding like the Southern Jack Bauer. Rainn Wilson and Paul Rudd provide interesting voice parts for other characters.

10. Film

    Very Good 3.5

    The film is beautiful to look at, whilst the music and dialogue are sometimes lacking.

11. Direction Good 3.0

    Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon produce a delightfully ridiculous satire of the monster films back in the 1950s, and also show that given the right actors, CGI films can be more engaging and hilarious. Another hit for Dreamworks really!

12. Play Very Good 3.5

    Much of this is, obviously, quite immature and childish humour, but some of Rogen and Laurie’s lines are perhaps more adult and more hilarious than you might imagine. For a kid’s film, this movie had me laughing at its dialogue quite a bit – showing that Dreamworks do still endeavour to reach out to older audiences.

13. Music OK 2.5

    Pretty anonymous soundtrack if I’m honest – though it doesn’t really matter, as it’s the visuals you’re drawn to anyway. Axel F makes an appearance here though, in quite a funny scene – and is probably the only remnant of popular culture to be found throughout, making a marked change from the Shrek films.

14. Visuals Really Great 4.5

    It’s all about the visuals here, being a CGI film, and the movie looks fantastic. In fact, had I had the chance to see it in 3D I would have – it’s obvious even in 2D how good the film would actually look in three dimensions. Dreamworks managed to make humans look great in Shrek, but here they appear just TOO cartoony – I suppose that fits with the film’s aim anyway, but it made it that much weirder to see these stringy, bug-eyed humans.

15. Content

16. Edge

    Tame 1.0

    This is a kid’s film, through and through. Younger kids might get scared, but otherwise anyone can see this film.

17. Sex Innocent 1.0

18. Violence Gentle 1.0

19. Rudeness Polite 1.0

21. Reality

    Fantasy 5.0

    Monsters vs. Aliens – the title should perhaps show the reality of what you’re about to watch.

22. Circumstantial Fantasy 5.0

23. Biological Fantasy 5.0

24. Physical Fantasy 5.0