Breaking News, World News and Taiwan News.

Updated Friday, April 3, 2009 9:13 am TWN, By Ann Hornada, The Washington Post

Monsters vs. Aliens 怪獸大戰外星人

Or perhaps it's that even little ones appreciate a good yarn. And that's precisely what's missing from "Monsters vs. Aliens," which as it goes through its formulaic motions follows a plot rather than telling a story. As usual in a post-"Shrek" world, DreamWorks lards the proceedings with plenty of almost-naughty jokes, such as one distressing reference to "boobies" and one literally off-color line about the president (Stephen Colbert) raising the terror level to "Code Brown, because I need to check my pants."

The easily offended, then, might want to bring a hankie and smelling salts. But even viewers made of sterner stuff may find that, once "Monsters vs. Aliens" has concluded, they feel kind of empty inside. That's because, unlike the instant classics Pixar Animation Studios has become known for, "Monsters vs. Aliens" is about things, not characters. We loved "Finding Nemo" because we cared about Nemo. The genius of "WALL-E" lay not in special effects, but in the little robot's searching mechanical eyes. (As Jack Black aptly noted at the Academy Awards last month, every year he makes one DreamWorks cartoon, then bets his salary on Pixar at Oscar time. Sa-nap!)

Family films offer necessary diversions for parents desperate to get their kids out of the house, it's true, but the real money lies in families buying the DVDs, video games and menageries of merchandise tie-ins. It's difficult to imagine any kid feeling like she's just gotta have a 10-inch stuffed polyester version of Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), the Missing Link (Will Arnett) or Insectosaurus (no voice needed).

One exception – one genuine character in "Monsters vs. Aliens" – is B.O.B., a forgetful blue gelatinous blob that not only elicits the movie's few laughs, but earns each one. B.O.B. may be a composite from other movies (his short-term amnesia harks back to Dory in "Nemo"), but as voiced by Seth Rogen, he develops his own personality and sense of humor, especially when he falls hard for a green Jell-O mold. As for the rest of "Monsters vs. Aliens," it will likely recede into your own B.O.B.-like memory bank, dissolve quickly and disappear forever.

1|2

Share

Print

Email

Like so many vehicles that have popped out from the DreamWorks Animation snark tank, "Monsters vs. Aliens" is too clever by half. (Courtesy of DreamWorks Animation)

Enlarge Photo


Sponsors
▪	Find great real time deals on China Flights. Book flights to China or China domestic flights 24/7.
▪	Buy china wholesale products from reliable chinese wholesalers on DHgate.com!
▪	Save 70% for hotel in Shanghai and 6000 hotels, in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and all China.
▪	Get the best deals for Guangzhou Hotels or choose from more than 10,000 hotels in 499 Chinese cities.