Monsters Vs Aliens

Monsters Vs Aliens

Starring (the voices of) Hugh Laurie, Seth Rogen and Will Arnett. Directed by Rob Letterman and Conran Vernon.

Thoughts Before

Do you remember the days when a CGI animation was a rare occasion? A treat that showed us how far computers had come and, thanks to the quality writers at Pixar, told contemporary and relatable stories - a welcome break from the 2D adaptations that Disney produced that were rarely set in 'our' world.

But now a plethora of them are being released; and in recent months we've had the dire Igor and the enjoyable Bolt. With the promise of two Pixar releases soon (Toy Story 3 and Up) and a cacophony of others we better settle down for months of primary-coloured bus stop ads and themed McDonalds toys across the year.

But Monsters Vs Aliens does look a bit of a treat. The voice talent on offer is splendid - highlights including Hugh Laurie (of House MD and Blackadder fame) and Will Arnett (the legendary Gob Bluth is Arrested Development).

The trailer too has some great lines that I hope are built on in the main feature. But any children's animation that has the hilariously insightful line...

'Once again UFOs have landed in America... the only country UFOs ever seem to land.'

... can't be bad, can it?

Thoughts Afterwards

Monsters Vs Aliens is the funniest animated feature I have ever seen, and if you read one sentence of this review then take that one.

It does, however, lack the charm of Wall-E and the story-telling prowess of Monsters Inc, but humour-wise it is absolutely top class. Every joke hits home, the visual gags are perceptively hilarious and the simply brilliant movie and music references are seamless and part of the fun.

"I may not have a brain, but I have an idea!" - Bob

I'd love to point out highlights but there are too many to list here. It truly gave the full scale of laughter too - a clever little line will encourage a slight guffaw and then an over-the-top musical reference will lead to a proper (and overly loud) popcorn-spluttering laughter.

Each character is likeable and well developed. I initially thought the blue blob character 'Bob' was the usual 'merchandise' character for children but he did come up with many of the best visual sketches. The Kiefer Sutherland voiced 'General' is a classic and hilarious authority figure too and I looked forward to any appearance he made.

"Boys, set the terror level to code brown, 'cause I need to change my pants!" - President

The gist of it is that this is the perfect daytime cinema treat. It is clever, surprisingly deep and as great for adults as it is for the kids. Not only will repeated views treat you to references you missed the first time but also the jokes are fresh and ageless.

The temptation to avoid the cinema in this new fangled 'sunny weather' is high, but if you get a chance to catch this gem whilst it's still on the big screen then you'll have a monstrously good time. Make sure you have a packet of tissues with you though - the tears of laughter will begin very early on and continue until the sketch after the credits roll.