Monday, March 30, 2009

MArooned Movie Review: Monsters Vs. Aliens

Tooks the kids to see "Monsters Vs. Aliens" yesterday. We had originally intended to catch the 3-D version, but a combination of dawdling kids and a rainy Sunday meant arriving at the theater just in time to see the "Sold Out" message displayed on the "Current Attractions" board.

Heavy sigh.

Wound up seeing the non-3-D show in a different theater a short time after. I'm glad we did - it was a cute movie, and both kids liked it. The first half-hour was a little slow, with the buildup for one of the characters taking (IMHO) a little long for a kids' movie; however once it got going it just never stopped. Don't expect things to make sense or for there to be any continuity; it's an animated kids' movie.

I'll let the target audience speak for itself. BabyGirl G. actually sat still for the entire movie. This is the first time she's ever made it through an entire movie in the theater without either falling asleep or getting bored and pitching a fit. As the closing credits started to roll, The Boy turned to me and said, "Daddy, how long until we can get the DVD?".

Yeah. $30 well-spent.

I give "Monsters vs. Aliens" a hearty B+ on the ol' MArooned report card. It's a kid favorite, with just enough pop-culture references to keep mom & dad from falling asleep. The monsters are funny, silly, and otherwise entertaining; there's no gore or scary scenes to speak of. And good triumphs over evil. What more could you want?

That is all.

9 comments:

Brad_in_MA said...

Jay,

Great minds think alike. I too took My Progeny to see Monsters vs. Aliens . . . but I was able to get into the 3-d version. I'm a tight-wad at heart, so I resented being soaked an extra $4 or $5 per ticket for the damned 3-d glasses. I'd agree w/ your B+ rating, good, but not great. I also watched the trailers (not sure why they're called trailers when they're at the f*cking beginning, but that's another topic for discussion) and am looking forward to seeing Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.

Jay G said...

Brad,

We might even pony up the cash to go see this one again - in 3-D - in a couple weeks when the crowds subside.

I was equally reluctant to pony up the extra cash (it was $3 at Loew's, FWIW), but Mrs. G. made a good point - the kids have never seen a 3-D movie before.

Actually, seeing it in 3-D the second time isn't a bad idea at all - I wonder if Chunky's will be getting in the 3-D version???

Brad_in_MA said...

Jay,

Not a bad plan to see the movie again when the crowds subside. And the kiddies can keep the 3D glasses as a souvenier.

When you go to The Land of the Four-Foot Tall Rat in June, be sure to catch "A Bug's Life 3-D". IIRC, the show is located in Animal Kingdon. Your urchins will love it. Mine did.

Also, check your email . . . .

Heath J said...

Monsters VS Aliens, not Aliens vs Predator....

Heh.

I read the initial post title and my brain went: "He took his kids to see WHAT?"

Glad it was fun for the kids!

Sabra said...

Actually, I'm really glad to hear there's a non-3D version of this. The last time I tried to see a 3-D movie, I had to leave after about five minutes with a splitting headache. (It was James Cameron's Titanic documentary in 3-D.) I think the technology has changed again since then, but I don't want to risk having to make the kids leave early, or worse getting them sick too.

BillH said...

Oldest daughter "got revenge" on my Sweetie ahile back, for all the similar movies they had to watch when they were little... took my wife to a Madonna concert. ;-)

Old NFO said...

I've heard there was NO plot... Just the thing to keep kids entranced :-)

RW said...

Had my fantasy baseball draft last night which included 11 right-wing guys guzzling beer & pizza and the topic of movies came up and the opinion was unanimous: animated movies are by far the best & we're all going to take our kids to see Monsters vs. Aliens.

Brad, as a fellow tight-wad, I always go to weekend matinees. Saves a few bucks.

Also, is it now a nationwide norm that the movie starts about 30 minutes after its advertised time, thanks to trailers & on-screen ads?

scotaku said...

Took my brood to see the 3-D version, their first foray into the world of set-pieces for an effect (memories of SCTV and John Candy thrusting a pen towards the camera). It was cute, though, when my smaller one tried to grab something... her smile was in 3-D, too. I agree with your rating, JayG: B+ here, too.