Monsters & Aliens - Real-D 3D - Theatrical Review

"Monsters Vs. Aliens" is quite a big scale picture with a definitive amount of goofiness. It is also the first to be fully done in stereo 3D. Now many people are thinking that this new era of 3D might be a fad. But unlike the times before with cyan, this time it is doable. Now granted it is different than certain elements. Within standard theaters this kind of 3D, accomplished with Real D, can be integrated or added on with newer theater systems. However it is not the 3D of "Captain EO" or "Terminator 3-D". For some reason those worked on an oval perception structure which allowed the elements to float outside the screen. This current 3D is a much more practical use. However with the sense of scale in this picture [Monsters Vs. Aliens"] (which I asked the animators about after the screening), this 3D has the potential. It is this proponent of scale that really sets it apart from others in terms of film. The one sequence in "Superman Returns" which was absolutely great was the shuttle/plane disaster and the IMAX reflected that. The reason for that was the scale of it. It was the fact that Superman and the plane at times could be little specks against a massive canvas. That was not possible before. The destruction of the alien ship in "Monsters & Aliens" has this and more because the detail is so specific. I know one time in an earlier sequence where The President (wonderfully goofed on by Stephen Colbert) after he walks up a big staircase to address a giant robot to the tune of "Axel F" from "Beverly Hills Cop", there is a sense of vertigo when you look back over his shoulder. It is not so much depth of field as it is depth perception.Now I am getting away from the character work which Dreamworks has always been able to get right. Like "Shrek", the core group of misfits works well with one being the one you identify with. Here that character is Susan, a girl about to be married, who is hit by a meteor which turns her into Ginormica, a woman of infinite size and strength. She is voiced by Reese Witherspoon. Susan's fiance, after this whole thing is played through, does not want to stay with her because he lives in her shadow. She cannot let herself down and ends up saving the world with these other monsters. The sidekick characters include a big blob, a mad scientist ant and a missing link water creature plus one big monster hamster. The hamster is like Godzilla with a gentle destructive demeanor and a snot complex. Sometimes the extreme oddness of it becomes really funny especially in the end sequence. It is so out there...and, in that way, it is great. I am so glad and surprised that an idea that silly got all that way through production.Now granted I was told by one of the effects heads at the screening that the actual production cycle of this movie was really quick (2 1/2 years) and employed twice as many effects people as normal. But getting back to the voices, it plays very current mostly because of this closed production cycle. Seth Rogen brings just the right amount of goofiness to B.O.B., the blob without a brain. Will Arnett of SNL and the upcoming Fox animated series "Sit Down Shut Up" inhabits "The Missing Link" (who is sort of like "Swamp Thing") with a brusque sensitivity and machoness. Hugh Laurie plays the mad scientist "Dr. Cockroach" who is fairly sane but likes being crazy. Now, in the course of writing this review, it becomes clear what this film is: another retelling of "The Wizard Oz" with Dorothy (Susan), Scarecrow (B.O.B.), Cowardly Lion (The Missing Link) and to a lesser degree Dr. Cockroach (Tin Man). It is a classic story structure that is identifiable set again a large canvas which you can mess around with.The one aspect that hasn't been discussed because not as much time is spent there is how great the space elements in PDI Stereo 3D look. A full space adventure whenever it is done is going to look phenomenal. The requisite nostalgia references from "E.T." to "Close Encounters" to the song "Reminiscing" are all there. And the ending sequence, as referenced before, comes out as big as "ID4" did all those years ago. Plus the door is left open for more. The big epic 3D adventure continues to rise with Dreamworks. Whereas "Wall-E" came off with wonder and photo-realism especially in the first 40 minutes, "Monsters Vs. Aliens" tends to blast you off in a different way but with more the sensibility of a Warner cartoon: completely aware of itself but still coming at a mile a minute. Because of this sensibility and the 3D learning curve the animators were working on with a closed production schedule, I give "Monsters Vs. Aliens" a 4.