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Movie Overview
Director
• Conrad Vernon
• Rob Letterman
MPAA Rating
PG - for sci-fi action, some crude humor and mild language.
Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)

REVIEWS
NEWS
INTERVIEWS
OTHER
OFCS Rating: 55% Rotten
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"For me, the other characters in 'Monsters Vs. Aliens' fail to measure up to B.O.B.-- who's voiced to amusing perfection by Seth Rogen."  ReelTalk Movie Reviews  Betty Jo Tucker

2.5/5
"a clear example of sensational style over underbaked substance"  Filmcritic.com  Bill Gibron

B+
"A cracking animated comedy that takes wonderful care of its characters and pace, presenting a brisk, frequently hilarious romp that rarely pauses to reflect. The simplicity is refreshing."  BrianOrndorf.com  Brian Orndorf

B-
"Evidence that 3D animation is here to stay, Monsters vs. Aliens is a blast of eye-popping color and goofy characters that tips the scales a tad too far into violent realms to validate its purpose."  ColeSmithey.com  Cole Smithey

3/5
"It's too bad the new 3D glasses can't fix sloppy writing."  eFilmCritic.com  Dan Lybarger

2/5
"A terrific idea with the heart sucked out."  eFilmCritic.com  David Cornelius

2.5/4
"A wispy-thin but suitably quick-witted homage to the science-fiction genre, Monsters vs. Aliens is not up to par with the best of Pixar and Disney, but it is a step in the right direction."  DustinPutman.com  Dustin Putman

B
"Jaunty, jokey, and absolutely bursting with visual energy, it is unquestionably a treat. If it had a more substantial story, it could be a classic."  EricDSnider.com  Eric D. Snider

B-
"As often happens, the best parts are the smallest -- throwaway moments shine (I particularly enjoyed the self-doubting self-destruct mechanism on the alien ship) while the big set pieces are quickly forgotten."  AMCtv.com  Eugene Novikov

2.5/4
"Monsters vs. Aliens still packs a sufficient amount of jolting jocularity that is sure to satisfy the entertaining mindsets of youngsters and oldsters alike...a zesty escapist treat"  Movie Eye  Frank Ochieng

C+
"The standards for this genre are much higher than they used to be, and unhappily this movie, though amiable enough, just doesn't scale the heights."  One Guy's Opinion  Frank Swietek

3/5
"A 3D animated family film that allows us to cheer for a female superhero and her companions."  Spirituality and Practice  Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

"Monsters vs. Aliens is really Gays vs. The Church"  The L Magazine  Henry Stewart

2.5/4
"Sure, the film is sweet and harmless but, take away the 3D, and all you're left with is a generic kids' movie."  ReelViews  James Berardinelli

2.5/4
"a brightly colored mash-up of pop-culture gags that speeds at you so fast and furiously that it feels like a rush even if you can't remember much about it the next day"  Q Network Film Desk  James Kendrick

"Kids and their parents will thrill at the sheer loud spectacle and inventiveness of it all . . ."  Sci-Fi Movie Page  James O'Ehley

3/5
"Monsters vs. Aliens has amazing 3D, solid gags, wacky concepts and great animation; I just wish that at some point along the way someone had been as passionate about the story as they were about the spectacle."  Redbox  James Rocchi

5/10
"...for kids Monsters vs. Aliens has a lot of color and action, and it's not too scary. Fair enough. As long as you're a kid."  DVDTown.com  John J. Puccio

2.5/5
"moiazei me mikser poy o kathenas petakse mesa tin idea toy me ligo seloteip gia na kollisei"  Movies for the Masses  Joseph Proimakis

3/5
"This movie was comfortably middle of the road. While Dreamworks has frankly annoyed me to the point of almost-boycott, they can't forever turn out such drivel, right? Monsters Vs Aliens is not poo at all, it's not bad. It's not going to set the world o"  Cinerina  Karina Montgomery

2/6
"MvA is mostly a brainless parade of half-baked gags, punctuated by the occasional fourth-wall-breaking effect. Only those who desire a paddleball to the kisser or a face full of Mothra snot need apply."  Time Out New York  Keith Uhlich

B
"...sparkling animation...a slam dunk staging of a monstrous battle at the Golden Gate Bridge and Seth Rogan's charming vocal interpretation of B.O.B. make this one fun if not fantastic."  Reeling Reviews  Laura Clifford

5/10
"The jokes are good; the animation is fine; the 3-D is awesome. But still the film fails to make a monster or an alien as powerful a character as the little clownfish Marlin from FINDING NEMO."  rec.arts.movies.reviews  Mark R. Leeper

"[I]sn't trying to be deep: that's just an unintended side effect (and one the audience can safely ignore, if it wants to) when you riff on just about every monster movie ever made and do it this cleverly..."  Flick Filosopher  MaryAnn Johanson

3.5/4
"The ongoing advances in animation make it easier for filmmakers to create worlds we can get lost in, which is exactly what happens here."  Aisle Seat  Mike McGranaghan

B+
"An expert blend of silly fun, action that is mostly more exciting than scary, a few clever barbs, and some sheer bravura visuals."  Beliefnet  Nell Minow

2/4
"A lightweight saga about not being a doormat to egomaniacal men and embracing your, um, inner superpowered 50-foot-tall monster?"  Slant Magazine  Nick Schager

3/5
"What begins as a promising homage to classic sci-fi silliness turns into the unwanted answer to the unasked question "What would a Joe Dante film be like without Joe Dante directing it?""  eFilmCritic.com  Peter Sobczynski

4/5
"With a sharply funny script, vivid characters and eye-popping imagery, this is a raucously enjoyable animated film"  Shadows on the Wall  Rich Cline

3/5
"Monsters Vs. Aliens is a fine rainy-Sunday diversion, but if you want real monster and alien fun, hit up Netflix and rent some of the classics that inspired it."  eFilmCritic.com  Rob Gonsalves

B+
"It also contains a (very big) surprise: a female hero, the sort which hardly ever appears in movies like this."  Mania.com  Rob Vaux

B
"Shallow, lighthearted, funny romp, but aimed more at juveniles and adults than young children."  Laramie Movie Scope  Robert Roten

B
"...fun, funny, and a genuine for-all-ages animation."  Reeling Reviews  Robin Clifford

3/5
"A loud, rushed, choppy, silly, colorful Nintendo game of a movie. And it could have been DreamWorks' version of "The Incredibles.""  Cinematical  Scott Weinberg

"This uber-high-concept piece of computer-generated animation is so good-natured that you want to like it, but it is not nearly so all-fired exciting and funny as it intends to be. Fortunately...you will be rewarded with enough great moments and old-movie"  Cinefantastique  Steve Biodrowski

C
"Has one character that really matters - Ginormica - and no relationships to speak of … As a tale of female empowerment and male comeuppance, Monsters might have been provocative, like, 50 years ago."  Decent Films Guide  Steven D. Greydanus

8/10
"Visually awesome and eye-popping, particularly if you catch it in IMAX 3_D."  SSG Syndicate  Susan Granger

5/10
"Given that the film was sold as the biggest kind of spectacle, it's disappointing though not surprising that it's so barbarically typical."  Antagony & Ecstasy  Tim Brayton

1.5/4
"On the bright side, it's short."  Film Freak Central  Walter Chaw

2.5/4
"A film that relies more on gimmicks than on plotting."  Oscar Guy  Wesley Lovell
OFCS Rating: 55% Rotten
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