Monsters vs Aliens
When California girl Susan Murphy is unwittingly clobbered by a meteor full of outer space gunk on her wedding day, she mysteriously grows to 49-feet-11-inches tall. The military jumps into action and Susan is captured and secreted away to a covert government compound. There, she is renamed Ginormica and placed in confinement with a ragtag group of Monsters: the brilliant but insect-headed Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D.; the macho half-ape, half-fish The Missing Link; the gelatinous and indestructible B.O.B.; and the 350-foot grub called Insectosaurus. Their confinement is cut short, however, when a mysterious alien robot lands on Earth and begins storming the country. In a moment of desperation, the President is persuaded to enlist the motley crew of Monsters to combat the Alien Robot and save the world from imminent destruction. --©Paramount Pictures UK
3.1 out of 5 based on 16 reviews
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Omniscore:
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Certificate |
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Genre |
Sci-Fi / Fantasy, Family / Children |
Director |
Rob Letterman Conrad Vernon |
Cast |
Reese Witherspoon, Kiefer Sutherland, Paul Rudd, Hugh Laurie Seth Rogen |
Studio |
Paramount Pictures UK |
Release Date |
April 2009 |
Running Time |
95 minutes |
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When California girl Susan Murphy is unwittingly clobbered by a meteor full of outer space gunk on her wedding day, she mysteriously grows to 49-feet-11-inches tall. The military jumps into action and Susan is captured and secreted away to a covert government compound. There, she is renamed Ginormica and placed in confinement with a ragtag group of Monsters: the brilliant but insect-headed Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D.; the macho half-ape, half-fish The Missing Link; the gelatinous and indestructible B.O.B.; and the 350-foot grub called Insectosaurus. Their confinement is cut short, however, when a mysterious alien robot lands on Earth and begins storming the country. In a moment of desperation, the President is persuaded to enlist the motley crew of Monsters to combat the Alien Robot and save the world from imminent destruction. --©Paramount Pictures UK
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Reviews
Empire Magazine
Kim Newman
“Shrek aside, DreamWorks CG ’toons have been eclipsed by Pixar’s efforts, but this can go antennae-to-tentacle with the best of any studio — and leaves recent tagalongs like Bolt or Igor in the dust. Besides a big heart, it has outstanding 3-D action sequences”
23/04/2009
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The Daily Express
Allan Hunter
“Fast-moving and sweet-natured with some healthy messages about tolerance and female empowerment, Monsters Vs Aliens is a lot of fun.”
03/04/2009
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The Independent
Anthony Quinn
“Now this has all the stuff missing from The Boat That Rocks – charm, invention, surprise and some terrific laughs.”
03/04/2009
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Total Film
Neil Smith
“A snappy script and some neat 3D make for an above-average romp with plenty of in-jokes for cineastes and fan-boys alike.”
23/03/2009
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The Observer
Philip French
“Monsters vs. Aliens targets smart-ass kids and is overly referential, but provides decent family entertainment.”
05/04/2009
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Channel 4 Film
Daniel Etherington
“All this is realised crisply and colourfully, and thanks to the 3D much of it spills off the screen. These visuals combined with the excellent cast ... make for a comprehensively entertaining package. If there's a lack of originality, the film is bolstered by the sheer verve of the animation and effects.”
23/04/2009
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The Guardian
Peter Bradshaw
“It's all very good value, although I have a vague feeling that a gallery of freaky sci-fi creatures, as in Monsters Inc, may not engage the young audience's sympathies as much as humanoids. Great fun, anyway.”
03/04/2009
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The Evening Standard
Derek Malcolm
“The pace is fast and furious, the imaginative tropes — which include a fight between the friendly monsters and a large robot egg on the Golden Gate Bridge — reference at least a dozen movies like The Blob, The Fly and The Creature from the Black Lagoon.”
02/04/2009
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Scotland on Sunday
Siobhan Synnot
“Monsters Vs Aliens is slight but energetically amusing and comes with who-can-argue-with-that ideological messages (in this case, embrace your own weirdness and girl power for cartoonish women). Monsters Vs Aliens may not be a 50ft masterpiece, but while it's on screen you couldn't wish for a better funfair ride.”
29/03/2009
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The Daily Mail
Chris Tookey
“There are times when the film-makers seem to be having more fun than their audience... But they're outweighed by moments of real, albeit surreal, charm - like when gelatinous BOB chats up a dish of pineapple jelly at a pool party - that would melt the heart of even a sentient blob of gloop.”
02/04/2009
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The Times
Wendy Ide
“...a pleasant diversion... where Monsters does triumph is with its impressive 3-D”
02/04/2009
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Variety
Todd McCarthy
“More congenial and less crass than some of DreamWorks Animation's big titles... All the same, that extra inspiration needed to truly knock this one out of the park is noticeably missing... a film of chuckles, smiles and light amusement rather than big laughs, galvanizing excitement and original invention.”
20/03/2009
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Time Out
Derek Adams
“‘Monsters vs Aliens’ is skilfully animated and spasmodically funny, but you get the impression the film’s seven (!) writers ran out of ideas two-thirds of the way through, opting for a conventional succession of overwrought combat sequences and feverish hyperbole.”
02/04/2009
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The Independent on Sunday
Nicholas Barber
“A fun time-passer for the Easter holiday, but destined to be forgotten by the time school starts.”
05/04/2009
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The Financial Times
Nigel Andrews
“This Easter digimation romp is big on action and slapstick, small on charm, tiny on wit and endurability; unless you are nine, when anything goes.”
01/04/2009
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The Daily Telegraph
Tim Robey
“...smarmy, clever-clever, faintly cynical...”
03/04/2009
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