BEFORE: This one looks like it might be pretty good - a high-end CGI Dreamworks film with an A-level voice cast.
THE PLOT: When a meteorite from outer space hits a young woman and turns her into a giant, she is taken to a secret government compound where she meets a ragtag group of monsters.
AFTER: Although this might be perceived as a movie for kids, there's plenty to entertain the adults as well - a blend of action, sci-fi and comedy.
This is something of an homage to classic monster-movies from the 1950's - each one of the heroes is a spoof/spin on a famous cinema monster - Ginormica is straight out of "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman", B.O.B is a riff on "The Blob", Dr. Cockroach has got to be a reference to "The Fly", the Missing Link is a knock-off of "The Creature From the Black Lagoon", and Insectosaurus is like Mothra (I think...)
And there are plenty of other inside-jokes and references for the adults in the audience - sure, you expect nods to "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "E.T.", but there are also nods to "The Wizard of Oz", "The Great Escape" and "Beverly Hills Cop".
My sole complaint might be that the plot is somewhat simplistic - monsters band together, alien arrives to take over world, monsters fight aliens. Hey, at least I can't complain about the movie not living up to its title. I guess they kept it kind of simple so the kids wouldn't get lost - and at least there weren't a lot of noisy gags that went nowhere, like in "Space Jam".
But there's just no faulting the voice casting - starting with Reese Witherspoon as Ginormica, Seth Rogen as B.O.B. (his voice just sounds blobby, despite recent weight loss...), Hugh Laurie as Dr. Cockroach, Kiefer Sutherland as Gen. W.R. Monger, and Rainn Wilson as Gallaxhar (just as evil as Dwight from "The Office"), plus Paul Rudd, Jeffrey Tambor, and Stephen Colbert as the President (a reference to his comedic presidential campaign in 2008?)
RATING: 7 out of 10 jet-packs
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