Monsters vs. Aliens

Monsters vs. Aliens is a movie that works well in theory. It has a good story with a great team of characters. In actuality, however, the movie is a big disappointment. This is a case where it is perfectly OK to judge a book by its cover, so to speak.

The movie is about a young woman named Susan (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) who looks forward to marrying her boyfriend, Derek (Paul Rudd), and going to Paris for their honeymoon. On her wedding day, however, she gets hit by a meteorite and transforms into a literal giant. She is captured by government officials and taken to a secret compound where she meets fellow monsters B.O.B. (Seth Rogen), Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie) and the Missing Link (Will Arnett). They are all told that they will never leave but when an alien named Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson) threatens to take over Earth, they are released by General W. R. Monger (Keifer Sutherland) with duties to save the world.

Because Monsters vs. Aliens is rated PG, it is something children will no doubt enjoy. And with 3-D showings available, kids will have a field day. For older audience members, however, the rating might be too tame and the 3-D experience is easily forgettable. What's left is a movie that feels endless despite being only 94 minutes long.

While Monsters vs. Aliens does provide some great humor, funny references to other films and lovable characters, the movie overall lacks greatness. Because this isn't an ensemble film, the other characters are overshadowed (literally and figuratively) by Susan, whose transformation leads her on a quest of self-discovery.

Monsters vs. Aliens is a great family movie, but everyone else should proceed with caution. Mature viewers may find themselves distracted by each actor's claim-to-fame television show or movie.