Thursday, May 14, 2009

Monsters vs Aliens

Monster vs Aliens(2009): Directed by Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon. Screenplay by Maya Forbes, Wallace Wolodarsky, Rob Letterman , Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger. Voice Actors: Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Conrad Vernon, Rainn Wilson, Stephen Colbert, Kiefer Sutherland , Paul Rudd et al . DreamWorks Animation and Paramount Pictures.

I once heard a film student once say if you want to take the joy out of film viewing do a critical review/analysis of the movie. Consider the pathos and the ethos of the film. What is the deeper meaning in the light candle or the fallen Coke can in the road. What is Rosebud?

At least at the end of Citizen Kane the viewer knows what Rosebud is. Maybe a reviewer's greatest error is to think too highly of himself and film when the first and foremost of a film is to entertain. And that is all it needs to do.

Here we come to Monsters vs Aliens. One of the first animation film done in 3D. The plot is simple enough get a number of film horror and sci-fi icons and let them fight it each other. And in this movie one sees the parodies of the top most iconic film characters from horror and science fiction with the exception of the top three. So its the 50 ft Woman, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Blob and Mothra versus the Alien, his robots and his clones.

And it does provide a fun romp with these characters providing several laughs and snickers along the way.

Role-reversals and parodies through out the film is entertaining. And The parodies do not end there. There is of course the US President and a strangely familiar General from Stanley Kubrik's film: Dr Strangelove - he even looks like George C. Scott! Gen. 'Buck' Turgidson as a cartoon.

For me Shrek and The Incredibles seem more funnier than this one but it still is an interesting watch and more fittingly watch 3D. And even there horror fans will recognize a homage/parody from one of the best known 3D Horror films Vincent Price's House of Wax.

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