Writer: Nur Safina Othman

Writer Ratings:
Overall:
Cast:
Plot:
Effects:
Cinematography:

Watch this if you liked: "Monsters Inc.", "Wall-E", "Titan A.E"

"Monsters Vs Aliens" has all the right elements to strike up a true animation flick fit for kids. It opens with Susan (Reese Witherspoon), a girl who's about to get married unexpectedly gets hit by a meteorite, which causes her grow nearly 50 feet in size. She's being captured, nicknamed as Ginormica and locked away by the government together with the other monsters; the brilliant Dr. Cockroach Ph.D (Hugh Laurie), The Missing Link (Will Arnett), the gelatinous B.O.B (Seth Rogen) and the 350-foot grub called Insectosaurus. Together they must save their country from the aliens who want to conquer the world.

The plot showed nothing new, where the main character must fight against all evil to save the world. However, the story was narrated in such a way that it made it all the more enjoyable. "Monsters Vs Aliens" has a great combination of visuals, funny monster character personalities and great animation. There's always something that will grab your attention.

The talented actress Reese Witherspoon ("Legally Blonde") lends her voice for the character of Susan/Ginormica. It's quite interesting to see Susan's transformation go from a normal human to a giant. We also get to see Susan's growth as a lady. In this one scene, she finally realises that she doesn't need to rely on a man for the sake of happiness. That's a good message to send to the audience especially for young girls out there. The other actors who lend their voice in "Monsters Vs Aliens" are Hugh Laurie (from the popular TV series "House"), Seth Rogen ("Knocked Up"), Will Arnett ("RV"), Paul Rudd ("Role Models") and Kiefer Sutherland (TV series "24").

Audience are recommended to watch "Monsters Vs Aliens" in 3-D version, if you don't mind paying a little extra for it. It's a great movie to watch not just for the kids, but for the adults as well.

Cinema Online, 20 May 2009