SYNOPSIS: When California girl Susan Murphy is unwittingly clobbered by a meteor full of outer space gunk on her wedding day, she mysteriously grows to 49-feet-11-inches tall. The military jumps into action and Susan is captured and secreted away to a covert government compound. There, she is renamed Ginormica and placed in confinement with a ragtag group of Monsters: the brilliant but insect-headed Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D.; the macho half-ape, half-fish The Missing Link; the gelatinous and indestructible B.O.B.; and the 350-foot grub called Insectosaurus. Their confinement is cut short, however, when a mysterious alien robot lands on Earth and begins storming the country. In a moment of desperation, the President is persuaded to enlist the motley crew of Monsters to combat the Alien Robot and save the world from imminent destruction.

REVIEW: B.O.B.: What do people scream when they see you coming? Like "Look out! Here comes...?"
[leaves the question hanging]
Susan Murphy: Susan.
B.O.B.: [spookily] SUUUUSSAAANN!
[beat]
B.O.B.: Ooh, I just scared myself!

Yeah, this movie is scary . . . scary good! I had a tough time getting to the theater the night of the screening so I was admittedly not in a good mood. Well this movie turned my frown upside down. It was a lot of fun. It was very funny, very cute, very entertaining, and action packed. The animation was crisp and realistic. Unfortunately the screening I attended was not in 3D so I can’t tell you how good the 3D version is. There was someone present that did get a chance to see the 3D version and I heard him commenting that the 3D doesn’t add a whole lot to the movie. I figure its good enough just seeing it normal. It’s also one of those animated movies that is just as good for adults as it is for kids. There was a pretty good ratio of both in the screening and everybody was enjoying it. It has a good story and good humor for both groups. As far as the story goes, the title says it all . . . and you know the title will appeal to the kids. I mean what can be cooler than watching a movie that pits monsters against aliens, right? The storyline is actually pretty clever and not overly simplified. It also has bonus material in the form of well animated military action and high tech gadgetry both domestic and alien.

B.O.B.: [to an alien robot] Welcome! We are here to destroy you!
That is one of my personal favorite lines in the movie. This film has a choice cast including Seth Rogen who does the voice for B.O.B. , easily the most entertaining character. In general, every character is a character in this flick. They really give the movie flavor and its amazing how quickly and easily you grow attached to them all. Most especially with the star of the show, Susan, voiced by Reese Witherspoon. It was also amazing how her America’s sweetheart status and charm ooze through this animated character. It doesn’t even have to be physically her in order to make her character completely lovable. That’s Reese for you. Other honorable mentions are Hugh Laurie, the voice of Dr. Cockroach Ph.D., and Rainn Wilson, the voice of Gallaxhar, the alien. Both of these guys did a great job with their respective and very appropriate voices for their characters.

This movie, as with most Dreamworks animated pictures, has a very good selection of music that fits well and is used at just the right moments. There was a theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind moment that had me totally cracking up. This was quickly followed by an Axel F groove that you just got to see it to believe it. There was a nice touch of Planet Claire in the mix as well. As simple as this movie is, it really is well rounded. You could call it a light-hearted combination of Mars Attacks and The Incredibles, sort of. The direction of this film combined the efforts of a director from Shrek 2, Conrad Vernon, and a director from Shark Tale, Rob Letterman. Together they did a fine job with this work. It is at least as good as the other movies they’ve done. This is a good movie choice to take your kids and you will enjoy it too.