REVIEW: 'Monsters vs. Aliens'

FILM FREAK:  2 buckets MOVIE GEEK: 2 and a half buckets   FILM FREAK'S REVIEW: Susan, an unsuspecting bride to be, gets hit by a radioactive meteor on her wedding day. As a result, she grows to an astonishing 50 feet and her hair turns white. Her status from that point on is no longer human but "monster." The military takes action and immediately locks her up in a covert facility. Susan meets the others in captivity, including Dr. Cockroach (former human genius), a half ape half fish (the missing link), a gelatinous blob formed by accident and a 350-foot grub. When the earth is attacked by an alien with his monstrous robots and clone army, the president is forced to release the monsters, who are deemed the earth's only hope. My 6- and 7-year-old daughters did enjoy watching this. I thought, visually, it was quite breathtaking. But I didn't really like the story. For some reason Reese Witherspoon's voicing of Susan didn't really stand out, leading me to believe anyone could have played the part. However, I thought Seth Rogen was quite funny as BOB the Blob. It's not that the story was bad, but I just didn't get into it. BOB the Blob was the only interesting character. If you have kids, take them. However, as an adult, I don't think you will like it. 2 buckets   MOVIE GEEK'S REVIEW: It's no secret, I'm a Pixar guy. In the past I really haven't cared for Dreamworks animation. That is starting to change since last year's fantastic "Kung Fu Panda." I really loved that film. While not Pixar quality, it was the first animated film from Dreamworks that didn't make me cringe. Add "Monsters vs. Aliens" to the list of solid quality Dreamworks films. The quality of the animation is fantastic and everything really pops (especially if you go see this on the huge IMAX screen). The story is halfway engaging and the jokes are halfway intelligent. Obviously the best part is Seth Rogen's BOB the blob. His voice-work is fantastic and takes the film up a few notches in my book.  It's not a great film by any stretch of the imagination, nor does it quite reach Pixar quality levels, but it certainly is good enough to entertain children and adults alike. Go see the battle happen in 3D if you get the chance. 2 and a half buckets.