Monsters Vs. Aliens is a wonderful Pixar-esque film that boasts top-notch graphics and humor. Although the story was more than a little predictable, the star-studded cast and the huge amount of nerdy in-jokes made for an enjoyable outing nonetheless. The fact that it’s also available in high definition 3D at my local theater was just the icing on the cake.

My wife and I watched Monster vs. Aliens this past weekend at our local multiplex. Since I had never had the pleasure of experiencing a film in 3D, I was really looking forward to seeing how this would affect the overall viewing experience. Once the movie began, the difference between the 3D version of the film and a traditional 2D movie was simply mind-blowing. The film is simply stunning in 3D. Small details like the reflections on a character’s eyes, the individual hairs on Insectosaurus’ body and even clothing textures all gained a much more realistic visual feel to them. And that was only the small stuff! The big stuff like the slow camera pans across space are simply breathtaking. During some of the more spectacular scenes, the only reason I knew I was watching a movie and not looking through a window was the dust on the projection screen.

All girlish gushing aside though, I must say that the 3D experience does significantly improve one’s viewing experience, it does not necessarily make every scene better. In some scenes, especially the ones involving wide pans over the city and Golden Gate Bridge, the 3D effect tended to make the cars and buildings look more like toy play sets. In addition, the stylized character designs didn’t always lend themselves well to a 3D presentation. Perhaps the most glaring example of this was movie’s main character, Susan Murphy, a.k.a Ginormica. In more than a few scenes, her large head looked more like a giant watermelon attached to a beanpole rather than anything resembling a human cranium. In fact, I really wouldn’t have been surprised is Linus from Peanuts had shown up in the middle of the movie and started worshipping her as the Great Pumpkin. =^_^;;=

The story, although funny and entertaining, is nothing that viewers haven’t seen before. I realize that this is film is aimed more at children then older viewers like me, but I can’t help think that even the kids are growing weary of the whole “with great power, comes great responsibility” storyline that seems to be basis for every superhero style out these days. Frankly, what really set this film apart from the rest was the excellent cast and its delightful tongue in cheek in humor. If I wasn’t chuckling over some humorous bit of dialogue delivered by the likes of Hugh Laurie or Stephen Colbert, I was snickering of the countless references to such film classics as Dr. Strangelove and Encounters of the Third Kind. Despite its trite storyline, Monsters vs. Aliens does a wonderful job of smartly parodying iconic classics without devolving into a pointless gagfest.

Bottom Line:
Go see this film in theaters if you can, it’s well worth the price to see it in 3D for the spectacular visuals. Although the story is stereotypical superhero fare, the cast pull it off with such humor and flair that you’ll be greatly entertained nonetheless.

Final score: 4 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by: LC1
Review Format: Movie Theater in 3D