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Monday, April 6, 2009

Monsters vs Aliens

Picture courtesy of www.yourmoviestuff.com
Goolphipp Award: 3

Audience: Come one, come all
Monsters vs Aliens is like a wholesome sandwich – providing a good fill for all. This movie has minimal adult jokes, and as in most animated movies, the adult jokes are sure to fly over the little ones’ heads.

Phipps: A mom asked why this movie was rated PG, and I honestly couldn’t tell her. Goolsby and I thought through the entire movie – looking for anything that might be a problem – and couldn’t find one thing. The only thing I can think of to call out is the violence, but it’s along the lines of The Incredibles.

Where’s the Humor: Animated standards
The good mix of characters lends itself to a rounded mix of comedy. The giantess who forgets she is a giant and the brainless blob known as B.O.B keep the laughs steady.

Goolsby: The one-liners are funny as they come, but only a few seems to stick as you walk out the doors. Enjoyable in the theater, but sadly not as memorable in the parking lot. Of course B.O.B was bound to be funny, but the best part was the idealized “Leave It To Beaver” portrayal of the San Joaquin Valley (the real “Valley” of California). Since when did Modesto get white picket fences? That kept me laughing for days… Modesto… ha.

Phipps: Being a native of Fresno County, well, I did appreciate the airtime. I laughed so loud. I think the other audience members probably thought, “I didn’t think it was that funny.” But, I agree with Goolsby, the comedy was standard. But I didn’t find it so original that I would write home about it. In fact, the only thing I’m going to tell my friends is that it featured Fresno and Modesto.

Storyline: Rejects save the day
Girl-next-door becomes monster. Meets monsters. Fights aliens. Monsters make great friends.

Phipps: It does sound inventive, but it didn’t “rock my sox.” I did like the themes of friendship…and accepting the weird. I couldn’t help but wonder if this movie was written by grown-up kids that were bullied. Looks like the “Monsters” won in life, after all.

Delivery: Animated delights

Goolsby: Kudos to all the actors and animators. I appreciated the detailed animation, it never looked cheesy or too cartoonish. Since we saw it in 3-D the effects were well placed and kept in pace with the flow – there were no fancy effects for effects sake. The actors seemed to have a good flow between each other, which can sometimes be hard to do on an animated film.

Phipps: This movie had the look and feel of a Pixar - almost. I know that Dreamworks has been trying to break in on the Pixar monopoly…and is close, but still misses the boat. That being said, I did love the 3-D. Like Goolsby, I liked that the 3-D wasn’t code for cheeseball. As far as the vocal acting, I don’t really have any complaints. Kiefer Sutherland as the crazy general was delightful and strangely believable. Kudos to Seth Rogan for using his distinctive pipes; it’s always a pleasure, B.O.B.

Phipps overall: 2.5
I realized as I was writing this up, that it wasn’t a movie to write home about. I won’t buy this movie later for my kids…well, maybe if it’s five bucks. It had all the right pieces, but I think it was missing the “IT” factor, whatever that is for animated movies. Maybe Dreamworks should send in a spy to discover if Pixar movies are laced with some kind of subliminal message that makes everyone love their movies more. Wow, that sounds harsh, but the bottom line for this movie is, “close, but no cigar.”

Goolsby overall: 3.5
Funny and good. Not much else to say. 3-D was nice though.

Goolphipp rating: 3 (Worth 11 Bucks)

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