Voices by: Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Kiefer Sutherland, Stephen Colbert, Rainn Wilson, Paul Rudd
Director: Rob Letterman (Shark Tale), Conrad Vernon (Shrek 2)
Running Time: 1 hr 34 min
Release Date: March 27, 2009
Budget: Estimated $165 million
Critics’ Thumbs Up: 63%
“Pure, light entertainment.” Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian
“…clunky and wildly unimaginative…” Lou Lumenick, New York Post
Like the brainless blob named B.O.B., one of the titular monsters, the animated Monsters vs. Aliens doesn’t have much substance in the plot department. The title is self-explanatory as a group of not-so-scary monsters including a winsome 50-foot giant (Witherspoon), the debonair Dr. Cockroach (Laurie), a macho fish-ape creature (Arnett) and dumb blue blob (Rogen) are released from their hidden government location to battle the invading alien attack. Its insignificant battle and girl power lesson don’t compare to the superior Toy Story and Wall-E’s complexity, adventurousness and heart, but there’s plenty of funny lines delivered by perfectly cast comedic actors (like “political pundit” Colbert as the President).
