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Released 3rd April 2009
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Animation guru DreamWorks is quickly becoming the universal ‘knight in shining armour’ to every desperate parent forced to sit through hours of (apparently educational) mind-numbing kids shows. Their latest film, Monsters vs. Aliens, has finished playing in the 2D sandpit and is ready to join the Big League, armed with flash 3D glasses.
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Monsters vs. Aliens, directed by Rob Letterman (Shark Tale) and Conrad Vernon (Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa), will crease-up audience members of all ages with its pick ‘n’ mix comedy approach. These DreamWorks monsters are more than fictitious slime-balls though; they are based on the most timeless monstrous creations, to entertain the adult audience. Each character is as infamous as Dr. Frankenstein and his experiment, particularly Dr. Cockroach Ph. D. when demonstrating his mad-scientist laugh; Insectosaurus (a city-destroyer) is let loose on Tokyo, when freed from the lab; B.O.B. oozed menacingly in pursuit of wide-eyed damsels; and the elusive Missing Link turns out to be a babe-chasing fish-ape. Voiced by the likes of Hugh Laurie (House), Will Arnett (Horton Hears a Who!) and Kiefer Sutherland (Mirrors), these characters couldn’t be anything but entertaining for the young and the old.
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The plot is nothing spectacular. It toys with romance and world-annihilation, but when there are thousands of bulbous-headed aliens marching in 3D across the cinema, who’s worried about the troubles of a love-torn and dispirited giant? The destruction of our home-planet, Earth, which usually generates mild hysteria and a smidgen of hatred, is decidedly absent. What’s missing is a drum-rolling fear, usually caused by thundering evil laughter, shrouded in ominous black clouds. Rainn Wilson’s (Juno) threatening Gallaxhar is more likely to trip over his own feet, than be menacing enough to make any small child shiver.
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For kids, Monsters vs. Aliens is all flashing alien ray-guns and gloop-related comedy supplied, mainly, by B.O.B, voiced by Seth Rogan (Knocked Up), who’s infectious laugh will resonate days after you’ve been to the cinema as the most memorable gelatinous character. Susan Murphy (Reese Witherspoon) is the opposite as she adds depth to this monster collision. Sending church steeples flying in a Bridezilla-style panic, Susan (soon to be named Ginormica), voiced by Reese Witherspoon (Four Christmases), has a touching King Kong fragility about her.
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So, is 3D film simply a hyped-up fad? Are kids going to whinge when they don’t get to wear the ultra-cool, thick-rimmed plastic glasses at the cinema? DreamWorks seems to be confident about Monsters vs. Aliens being its first animation movie, created in 3D, rather than edited in post-production. Ginormica and friends have laid out a very large shoe to fill, as Monsters vs. Aliens raises the bar for future animations and kids films.
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By Laura Taylor
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Synopsis
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Californian weather girl, Susan Murphy’s (Witherspoon) wedding day goes from a picture perfect My Big Fat Greek Wedding stereotype to an X-Files nightmare when she’s hit by a meteorite and grows to 49 feet 11 inches tall while trying to say her vows.
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The military storms in on her already obliterated wedding ceremony and secrets her away. She is renamed to fit her new physique Ginormica - before walking calmly into a government complex, the long-term home to unfathomable monsters. Residents include; a giant one-eyed blue blob named B.O.B (Rogan), insect-headed scientist Dr. Cockroach Ph. D. (Laurie), half fish, half ape The Missing Link (Arnet) and the wonderfully dim Insectosaurus.
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After being hidden away from the public eye and deep-fried in paranoid conspiracy, Section 7 finally releases this bizarre concoction of monsters when President Hathaway (Colbert) enlists them to eliminate an alien threat. The fate of the world is held in the hands of oozing and insane creatures - the chances of humanity surviving are looking slim.
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Film Facts
Official UK site: http://www.monstersvsaliensintl.com/intl/uk/
UK release date: 3rd April 2009
Director: Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon
Writers: Maya Forbes, Wallace Wolodarsky
Cast: Reese Witherspoon (’Susan Murphy’ / ‘Ginormica’ (voice)), Seth Rogan (’B.O.B.’ (voice)), Hugh Laurie (’Dr. Cockroach Ph.D.’ (voice)), Will Arnett (’The Missing Link’ (voice)), Kiefer Sutherland (’General W.R. Monger’ (voice)), Rainn Wilson (’Gallaxhar’ (voice)), Stephen Colbert (’President Hathaway’ (voice)).
UK Distributor: Paramount Pictures UK
Certificate: PG
Run-time: 93 mins
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Video on Real.com
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Trailer:
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TWO CLIPS:
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UK Premiere:
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Reese Witherspoon Interview:
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Kiefer Sutherland Interview:
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