Monsters vs Aliens DVD Review
Rob Letterman, Conrad Vernon Direct DreamWorks Animation Movie
Sep 23, 2009
DreamWorks Animation's Monsters vs. Aliens was a decent enough flick that unfortunately came out in a year when everyone from Studio Ghibli (Ponyo) to Pixar (Up) and Focus Features (Coraline) was unleashing superior product. It earned a respectable $380 million worldwide: enough to justify an NBC television series and Halloween special, but wasn't the triumph DWA CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg was hoping for, especially since it debuted DWA's "InTru 3D" process that Katzenberg hopes will revolutionize modern movies.
Now that it's on DVD, will Monsters vs. Aliens' charms reveal themselves?
DreamWorks Animation's Monsters vs. Aliens Stars Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Will Arnett, Hugh Laurie
This comic pretty much says it all when it comes to the difference between Pixar and DreamWorks Animation. One studio develops a really cool story and animates it, while the other takes a premise ("Let's spoof 1950's monster movies!" "Let's spoof kung fu movies!"), adds some franchise-friendly characters, and throws a metric ton of jokes on the screen in the hopes that one or two are funny.
To be fair, the majority of the jokes work but directors Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon have the bad habit of stringing out the unfunny sequences (the "Axel F" and "Dance, Dance, Revolution" sequences) in the vain hope that someone will laugh.
As the heroic Susan/Ginormica, Reese Witherspoon proves why otherwise excellent Hollywood actors should be very careful when stepping into the voice room. Witherspoon doesn't embarrass herself in her role, but is overshadowed by her costars: Will Arnett (Missing Link), Hugh Laurie (Dr. Cockroach Ph.D), Kiefer Sutherland (General W.R. Monger) and Seth Rogen (BOB the Blob).
All three are standouts in their respective roles with Laurie's performance raising questions about why he isn't as big a comedy star in the U.S. as he is in his native Great Britain.
Animation-wise, the film is genuinely stunning: DWA films have always looked good, but some have aged better than others. If DWA spent as much time on creating compelling stories as they do sexing up the visuals, they would be able to take the CGI Animation title belt from Pixar.
DVD Extras
Directors Letterman and Vernon, plus producer Lisa Stewart, add a dull audio commentary to the flick. It's informative (apparently Witherspoon got a "ghost voice" in places), but there's not a lot of spark between the trio.
There is an unintended chuckle when Letterman says they were restraining themselves when it came to hurling objects at the audience 3D-style. Considering how much stuff hurtles at you in the film, one shudders at what Monsters vs. Aliens would have looked like should the filmmakers *not* restrained themselves.
"Modern Monster Movie-Making" is your typical behind-the-scenes featurette where the crew kiss the cast's . . . buttons and say how fun and revolutionary this movie really is. Expect a lot of hype about the "InTru 3D" process that DWA developed with Intel, and used for the first time in this movie. "The Tech of Monsters vs. Aliens" goes more in-depth about the process, and shows how they used live-action references for the San Francisco chase sequence.
"DreamWorks Animation Video Jukebox" is a collection of the musical sequences from previous DWA films like Shrek, Madagascar, etc.
Pushing the "Do Not Push" button in the Main Menu takes the viewer to the sneak peek portion of the DVD, where you can check out the "Kung Fu Panda Virtual World," find out more about the Shrek Broadway show and view a stunningly lame preview for DreamWorks' next animated feature How to Train Your Dragon.
The Final Analysis
Monsters vs. Aliens was a solid animated flick that got sandwiched between a bunch of much better movies this year. Most of the jokes work but one still gets a sense that the filmmakers were trying too hard to make a funny movie, instead of allowing the humour to flow naturally.
This DVD gets a 7/10.
Fun Fact: Look for a separate DVD review of DWA's BOB's Big Break, coming soon to Suite 101.
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