Monsters vs. Aliens

[ Trailer ]

Rating: 2/4 (Average movie)

This week I saw the animated movie Monsters vs. Aliens, the sole reason to see it being that it was showing in Dolby 3D at certain theatres. This was the first time I was watching a movie in 3D (not just Dolby 3D, in any 3D). I had to wear the Dolby 3D glasses that are handed out at the theatre. These dark colored glasses have a red tinge in one eye and a green in the other. Without these glasses, the movie looks like the superposition of 2 images with a tiny shift.

3D screening technology is spreading and movie studios are pushing it to entice more moviegoers to theatres and to shell out more from them for tickets. So, how good is the 3D? Let me tell you, 3D is exciting for exactly 5 minutes! After that I was wishing I had seen the movie in normal 2D glory. The color richness is just not there, everything is dull, as if under cloud cover. Brightness is way lesser, thus straining the eyes. And the 3D effects are plain cheesy and useless. In an attempt to show off the 3D, the director tends to put in unnecessary scenes with characters and objects either racing towards or away from the viewer. The whole 3D menagerie is an utter waste, which ends up degrading the movie experience a lot. I know for a fact that I would have enjoyed the movie had I seen it in 2D.

That was the 3D, how is this movie? Do not be fooled by the title of this movie produced by Dreamworks. It neither has the funny monsters from Monsters, Inc. (the Pixar movie) nor the scary aliens from the Alien movie series. Instead, the monsters here are a blob (yes siree!) named B.O.B., a human-cockroach mad scientist named Dr. Cockroach, a fish-ape creature named The Missing Link (no, really!) and Insectosaurus, a skyscraper-tall mutated grub. A new monster who joins this gang is Ginormica (Reese Whitherspoon), a bride who grows into a giant on her wedding day. Once these silly monsters are introduced they are jobless and bored, so throw in a crazy alien. Despite his higher intellect and superior technology, the alien is enormously stupid. End with a fight between the monsters and (the one) alien for the sake of planet Earth.

I really wonder how this movie got bankrolled! The monsters are so goddamn one-dimensional characters, pulled from B-grade sci-fi movies of yesteryears. The idea is a nice one, but they just do not stand up to the clean 3D animated treatment. To be honest, the movie is somewhat funny. But, the jokes are all forgettable and childish, you are guaranteed not to remember a single thing after you walk out. This movie can be avoided.