'Monsters vs. Aliens' saved by satire

"Monsters vs. Aliens" — 3.5 out of 5 stars

Ty Hampton
Critic's Corner

Dreamworks' newest big screen computer animated picture "Monsters vs. Aliens" isn't a lot of things for adult viewers, but it is pretty funny.

Sure it has enough gross-out splats and action-packed spurts for the little guys, but mom and dad won't be sleeping through this one or checking their watch as it is filled with hilarious, but wholesome, political satire and adult comedy that soars over your 10-year-old's heads. But don't worry there's plenty in there for them too.

Most brides have cold feet on their wedding day, but instead Susan (Reese Witherspoon) just grew 200 feet on hers after she was hit by a meteor. The gigantic woman dubbed by the government as "Ginormica" is swept away into a secret hideout where she is locked away with a handful of other mutant "monster" misfits (Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett) who never plan on being out in the world again.

But with an alien attack from the evil Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson) impending on Earth, President Hathaway (Stephen Colbert) turns to his chief general W.R. Monger's (Kiefer Sutherland) plan to combat the aliens with monsters. The monsters set out to use their odd talents to save the world from utter demise.

Despite having a subpar storyline with no real direction or message (other than defeat the aliens) the writers of this one managed to sneak in some good lines and quips that are performed perfectly by a comedic ensemble cast like none I've seen in animated films of recent years. Sure, maybe they're not all the biggest names in Hollywood, but most of the actors who voiced-over the animated characters are in fact some of the funniest characters out there right now.

Other than the forementioned stars — Paul Rudd, Ed Helms, Renee Zellweger, John Krasinski, Jeffrey Tambor, and Amy Poehler also lend vocal performances to the film in smaller roles. Not bad for a kid's movie, right?

So the storyline isn't great and I didn't find anything too groundbreaking with the visuals of the animation, but I've heard that it's cooler in 3-D so maybe bring a pair of your own glasses if you get a chance. Many animated films are taking the 3-D turn these days and this throw-back trend seems to be the wave of the future.

This animated film doesn't make the same class as 2008's "Kung Fu Panda" or "Wall-E" — with I thought were both don't miss films for the genre — but it succeeds in some genuinely comedic "pop culture reference" moments that wouldn't have worked in the better two. Like Seth Rogen's character, a gelatinous blob named Bob who is therefore easily confused, emotionally fragile, and proceeds to attempt his best pick-up lines on a jello pudding.

If it helps to rank this animated feature in your mind, the film was created by the same people who made "Shark's Tale" and "Shrek 2" — neither the best animated Dreamworks piece but still funny and entertaining in their own right. For me, I would put their latest attempt "Monsters vs. Aliens" above Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon's other works.

For the animated film genre I'm going to give this one 3.5 out of 5 stars with no reservations as it is great for the entire family. Sure there will be a couple of clean adult jokes that go over your kid's heads but there will probably be some "splat" kid jokes that go over our adult heads as well.

Plus, it's just about right at a short and sweet 1 hour and 34 minutes. Either way I recommend it to families and fans of animated movies.

"Monsters vs. Aliens" is PG for sci-fi action, some crude humor and mild language. The movie is showing at the Showboat Cinema 2 in Polson at 4, 7:15, and 9 p.m. nightly.