Monster Vs. Aliens

DreamWorks Animation
Rated PG

Don’t you love it when a kid’s movie is clean enough for kids to enjoy and smart enough for adults to be entertained? It’s a delicate balance that doesn’t always occur. I’ll never forget taking some friends’ children to see the live-action Casper film and one of them gasping every time an expletive was uttered. I felt horrible for the movie selection, but it really wasn’t my fault—I’d been duped.

 Thankfully, the new animated movie Monsters Vs. Aliens doesn’t follow the trend of relying on adult language over witty dialogue. The story, which centers on a group of B-movie style monsters who are recruited by the government to fight an alien invasion, delivers plenty of clever moments and keeps the action going full-speed ahead. It’s similar in style to The Incredibles mixed with old-fashioned monsters and Independence Day.

The film features a fine cast of familiar voices, including those of Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Seth Rogan, Keifer Sutherland and Stephen Colbert—as the President of the United States.

Ginormica (or Susan), played by Witherspoon, is the heart of the movie, as the story follows her through her transformation and angst of being strange. There’s a teachable lesson hidden there for kids about embracing their uniqueness and not being intimidated by standing out. She’s soon forced to choose between going back to a superficially normal life or embracing her inner outcast.

If you’ve thought about seeing the film but hesitated, wondering if you’d be one of the only “big kids” in the audience, take a cue from Ginormica and embrace your inner outcast. You’ll be glad you did.

Monsters Vs. Aliens is rated “PG” mainly because of cartoon-action violence and fighting, with the usual loud noises, that could scare young children.