Monsters vs. Aliens Critic Reviews

The movie is curiously unmemorable, partly because nearly all of its humor depends on your having seen something like it before, even if you haven't.Read the full review

Has bells and whistles, superb technical sophistication and dazzling visual effects, sound, fury and Reese Witherspoon. What it doesn't have is heart. Like so many vehicles that have popped out from the DreamWorks Animation snark tank, Monsters vs. Aliens is too clever by half.Read the full review

In fact "nice" is the adjective that seems to surface most in trying to pin down the film's most salient quality, which means that while the film is enjoyable enough, it is unlikely to become a classic for us, or a "Shrek" sort of franchise for DreamWorks.Read the full review

Dazzling colors, winning characters and energetic visual effects all work in concert, with the 3-D animation serving to intensify the experience.Read the full review

Monsters vs. Aliens suffers from the common 3D problems: dim lighting, poor focus in fast-paced action sequences, and too many distractions for the movie to grab the viewer.Read the full review

The richly multilayered picture tends to have a gently immersive effect, akin to a stroll through the world's most expensive diorama.Read the full review

The biggest battle in Monsters vs. Aliens is banality vs. originality, and banality carries the day.Read the full review

There is a nice mix of action with tender moments -- especially among the misfit monstersRead the full review

The movie works hard -- desperately hard -- to be all things to all audience segments. And the visible effort erodes the sense of gaiety, of unfettered fun.Read the full review