The state of science fiction, as I
complained about in my review of Knowing,
is abysmal. Hollywood keeps
churning out crap they hope seems smart or cool, while failing miserably
because they keep forgetting that the best science fiction happens when it
actually is smart and cool.
The subtext is usually built in, and the more overt you get, either
through hyperbole or through techno-babble, the less effective science fiction
really is. Monsters vs. Aliens is a science fiction film first, and a children’s film second.
It’s weird, because even the theaters are treating it that way,
and theaters are usually clueless.
Running the trailer for Star Trek
ahead of this film is pure marketing genius! There’s also the fact that the
movie updates almost every 50’s genre-film cliché in the book, if that isn’t
enough for you. The characters are
all sci-fi standards, including the Blob, the Mad Scientist, the Creature
Frozen in Ice and Time, and of course, the 50-foot woman. Even a kaiju-like creature has a part
to play in this, and it’s about alien invasion! Sure, it’s animated, but that only
seems to have helped.
The story itself is about a young woman
named Susan (Reese Witherspoon) who is nailed by a radioactive asteroid from
outer space that causes her to grow by leaps and bounds. She is locked up in a government
facility where she meets the other monsters. When a giant alien robot attacks, the monsters are the best
hope we have against it. Pretty
simple, and no one spends too much time explaining to the President (Stephen
Colbert) what galaxy anyone has come from, how all the flying saucers work, or
where in the heck The Missing Link fits in on the evolutionary timeline. Remember, this is supposed to be a kid’s
movie, so the filmmakers don’t dwell on anything that might put the kiddies to
sleep. Then again, those things
are also the same culprits that drive normal folks away from science fiction in
the first place, so it really is a win-win for the audience.
What it also does is free up more time
for both action and humor. The
folks at Dreamworks haven’t
forgotten that adults are also in the audience, but instead of thinly-veiled
double entendre, the jokes for us are about Star
Trek, Close Encounters of the Third
Kind, and Beverly Hills Cop. They also poke fun at relationships,
and marriage, but Monsters vs. Aliens
never gets preachy. There’s too
much fun to be had!
The monsters are the best part of the
film. Hugh Laurie drops the
American accent he affects on House as
the crazy Dr. Cockroach, Seth Rogan loses a few brain cells for the mindless
(but hysterical) B.O.B. the Blob, and Keifer
Sutherland embodies every cranky Patton rip-off necessary as General Warren
Monger. They comedy bombs drop quick
and often, and sometimes in the middle of action, so keep your ears open. The action portion of this film is
ultimately very satisfying, refusing to slow down without leaving any of the
plot holes so often seen in its “adult” counterparts.
Contemporary directors who are looking to
make a sci-fi film should take notes on this movie. The number of updated throwbacks is huge, and they are all used wisely.
No one leaves the theater feeling unsatisfied because we don’t know how the engines on the spacecraft worked or what
precise type of radiation causes a grub to grow to the size of the Golden Gate
Bridge. Not only are these
elements left unexplained, but they do not matter to
the story. If you’re
looking for an allegory in the film, you’ll find plenty about accepting
differences and bonding with friends, like most children’s films, but like a
good science fiction film, Monsters vs. Aliens doesn’t beat you over the head
with its message.
Final
Verdict (out of 5):
