“Monsters Vs Aliens” long on laughs & spectacle, short on emotionally-satisfying storytelling

Jim Hill

16 years ago

I know that this is going to sound kind of weird. Especially when you consider that I’m talking
about a motion picture where a 300-foot tall grub and a 350-foot tall alien robot
grapple at Golden Gate Bridge …

… but DreamWorks Animation’s latest production, “Monsters Vs
Aliens” feels .. Well, kind of puny.

Don’t get me wrong. This Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon
film (which – FYI – is the Studios’ first to be produced in Intru 3D) has lots
of great gags, several memorable characters as well as some action
sequences that will really blow your socks off. But as for “Monsters Vs Aliens”
‘s overall story … This movie just isn’t sure what it really wants to be. Is it
a Mad Magazine-like sci-fi spoof? An affectionate send-up of monster movies
from the 1950s? Or a female empowerment flick?

And because “Monsters Vs Aliens” is kind of all over the
map, story-wise (Silly one minute, sincere the next), it’s hard to invest
emotionally in this film & its characters. Which is why – in the end – DreamWorks’ latest is
pretty lightweight entertainment. Where
you’ll laugh at individual lines & scenes as you’re actually watching “MVA,”
but then not remember a whole lot as you’re walking out of the theater.

Which is a shame. Given that the crew at DWA clearly has an affection for monster movies of the 1950s & 1960s. I mean, check out
the film that General W.R. Monger (voiced by Kiefer Sutherland) shows the
President (voiced by Stephen Colbert) in that “Dr. Strangelove” –inspired war
room. This classified film is loaded with clips that replicate the exact look, style,
camera composition and even the lighting of individual shots from “The Fly,” “Revenge of the Creature,” “The Blob” as well as several Toho Studios
releases. The care that was taken here, the attention to detail is obvious.

So clearly a lot of thought went into the visual design of “Monsters
Vs Aliens.” Because this creative team wanted to make sure that their film looked just right (EX:
When the military finally fires on that enormous robot, its deflector shields
repel missile impact in the exact same way as the alien vessels did in “Independence Day”). But – that said — where is the skill in storytelling, the depth
of feeling that audiences found in “Kung Fu Panda” ? This time around, the only
depths that DreamWorks Animation officials seem to have been interested in plumbing were depth
of field & depth of focus.

Now please don’t misunderstand. “Monsters
Vs Aliens” ‘s 3D action sequences truly are spectacular. Just the battle on Golden Gate Bridge — as
Ginormica (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) struggles to save all of those
motorists while she avoids being crushed by the alien robot’s massive claws —
is worth the price of admission all by itself.

But that said … As much as I may have been amused by B.O.B.
(That bright blue ball of goo that Seth Rogen speaks for. Who – FYI – has most of
the best lines in this motion picture. Including the sure-to-be-quoted “I may
not have a brain. But I do have a plan”) I kept hoping for something more. A film that wouldn’t just dazzle my eye. But – like “Shrek,” “Over the Hedge” and “Kung Fu Panda” – also touch the heart.

Here’s hoping that – once DreamWorks Animation gets a better
handle on how to produce these Intru 3D movies – that they then learn how to strike a
balance between delivering an emotionally-satisfying story and serving up a 3D spectacle. Because as of right
now … Well, DWA clearly has the 3D spectacular stuff down cold. It’s only when it comes to the storytelling
end of things that “Monsters Vs Aliens” comes up short.

Your thoughts?