Format: 

Blu-ray

Directed by: 

Rob Letterman

Directed by: 

Conrad Vernon

Publisher: 

Dreamworks

Release Date: 

09.29.2009

MSRP: 

$39.99

Number of Discs: 

1

Also in Box: 

4 pairs of 3-D glasses

Digital Copy: 

No

The Movie

I sometimes wonder when audiences will demand more than just a mediocre animated film. Then I look at the opening weekend figures for Monsters vs. Aliens, and I keep on wondering. This latest release from Dreamworks Animation Studios is not a bad film, just a superficial one. Behind the astonishing animation is a hollow plot with morals that are tired and worn from overuse. If the idea of an outcast learning to appreciate his/her uniqueness while searching for acceptance feels like déjà vu, it's because this is the same formula that Dreamworks has stretched to encompass all of its animated releases.

Now here's Monsters vs. Aliens, which chronicles the plight of Susan (voice of Reese Witherspoon), a bride-to-be who, just before delivering her vows, is hit with an asteroid and grows to the height of a skyscraper. Her frightened fiancé, Derek (Paul Rudd), then runs off as military troops arrive to sedate Susan and transport her to a top secret underground holding facility. There she is dubbed "Amazonia" and placed in a holding cell with four other "monsters": The Missing Link (Will Arnett), a narcissistic amphibian with a pension for scaring beachgoers; B.O.B. (Seth Rogan), a brainless blob created at a food testing laboratory after a ranch dip experiment went horribly wrong; Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), a former scientist now transformed into a talking insect; and Insectosaurus, a mutated caterpillar that towers over all the other monsters, including Susan. After an alien ruler (Rainn Wilson) sends a robot droid to scour Earth for a lost element -- one that might transform an ordinary woman into a giant, perhaps? -- the President of the United States (Stephen Colbert) agrees to release the monsters under the care of General W.R. Monger (Keifer Sutherland) to combat an alien invasion.

Visually, the film is absolutely stunning. From the opening shots of outer space to the detail of the fur on Insectosaurus, no expense was spared in the animation department. I would have liked it, however, if the human characters had been given equal treatment. While it's great to see things like B.O.B. digesting a whole ham (complete with disintegration), it's unfortunate that the human characters can move their lips in what seems like only two animations. It gives the human characters a disconnected feeling from the rest of the cast -- a prominent fault considering that Susan is one of those human characters interacting with monsters that are much better animated than she is. Nevertheless, the film is a visual treat. Bright colors permeate the screen and attention to detail is astounding, from textures to contours. Each character moves differently from the others and never looks like a carbon copy. The visuals are thoroughly enjoyable all the way through.

If only the plot weren't so tired and worn, Monsters vs. Aliens would be a much better film than it is. Despite a strong showing from the cast of voice actors and the superb visual effects, Monsters vs. Aliens is just another lesson-toting animated film from a studio that is working in familiar territory. It's enjoyable for the hour-and-a-half that it takes to go through the motions of other Dreamworks films, but it does not have the staying power of other Dreamworks classics.

Click here for our full review of Monsters vs. Aliens.

The Extras

This release includes the following extras:

• Filmmakers' Commentary
• Animators' Corner
• "B.O.B.'s Big Break" (in 3-D and 2-D)
• Paddle Ball 3-D
• Karaoke Music Party
• Dreamworks Animation Video Jukebox
• Modern Monster Movie-Making
• Tech of Monsters vs. Aliens
• Deleted Scenes
• Top Secret Area

The filmmakers' commentary features producer Lisa Stewart and directors Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon. It is not the most insightful commentary, but it is fun. One amusing tidbit of information they provide is the fact that, since the computer renders the movement of the characters' clothes without human input into the clothes' animation, the computer's physics engine is entirely what determines how they move. Occasionally characters' clothes would suddenly fall off during a scene, leading to some funny out-of-context statements. Also hilarious is the original version of the alien ear-sipping tea gag.