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MONSTERS VS. ALIENSMovie Reviews
Animated tale of a California girl who grows to be 49 feet 11 inches tall and joins a motley crew of monsters called into action to save the world from alien destruction. Cast:Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Seth Rogen, Will Arnett, Kiefer Sutherland, Stephen ColbertDirector:Conrad Vernon, Rob LettermanRelease Date:March 27, 2009DVD Release:September 29, 2009From:DreamworksRating:PGLength:1 hr 34 minIn 3D
Monsters vs. Aliens played to good reviews. • Peter Travers wrote in Rolling Stone, "...there's enough merry mischief here to satisfy, even if you're way past puberty." • And Julie E. Washington wrote in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, "Young children will like the cutesy creatures and exuberant action. Older viewers will find some laughs but are more likely to be bored by the simplistic plot." More Reviews Below...
Monsters vs. Aliens Positive Reviews (43 Reviews, reviews below)
Richard Corliss, Time: VERY GOOD "...the DreamWorkers can be satisfied with having produced another crowd-pleasing, expert-babysitting vaudeville turn. What's not to like? Who's not to laugh?"(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,134 words, 03/27/09
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "No one is spared the film's constant ingratiating gobbling and repurposing of humor, attitudes, and pop cultural references better appreciated in their original forms..."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 665 words, 03/27/09
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...maintains a high energy throughout, although the explosive climax feels bombastic and repetitive. Far more effective is the way this motley crew comes together."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 607 words, 03/26/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: VERY GOOD(cg) "...witty dialogue enhances the lively story... a mix of sweetness and light satire... a playful fantasy augmented by spirited action and a delightfully cheeky attitude."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 370 words, 03/27/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (11 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...cheerfully converts the two major sources of cinematic terror -- invaders from outer space and inhuman, ungodly terrestrial creatures -- into wacky, goofy, familiar figures."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 727 words, 03/27/09
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: MODERATE(cg) "...faster than a science experiment going awry, the movie falls apart... the idea is better than the actual stitched-together creation."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 416 words, 03/27/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "I didn't find the movie rich with humor, unless frenetic action is funny... I suppose kids will like it, especially those below the age of reason. Their parents may not be as amused..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 849 words, 03/26/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "The clean lines of the film's 1950s retro look work well with the uncluttered, straightforward tale, and the filmmakers' nod to that era's B-movies is a nice one."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 931 words, 03/27/09
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: POOR(cg) "I'm really fed up with DreamWorks Animation's lack of ambition, always aiming for the bottom line and the lowest common denominator."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 612 words, 03/27/09
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: WEAK(cg) "Pilfering everything from 'Mothra' to 'Attack of the 50 Foot Woman' to 'Men in Black' and 'Monsters, Inc.' the script piles on the mayhem and forgets the funny."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 573 words, 03/27/09
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "Shooting a chaotic action scene in an extra dimension definitely adds to the clutter, but does zilch to subtract from the tedium."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 772 words, 03/27/09
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "...has bells and whistles, whiz and bang, sound and fury. It even has Reese Witherspoon. What it doesn't have is heart. Or soul. Or much of a story."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 871 words, 03/27/09
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "The cast is starry, the cribbing is unabashed and the 3-D animation runs from nifty to yowzah (it's worth the extra cost, if you have a choice)."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 685 words, 03/27/09
Dale Roe, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Sweet and funny -- not crass -- and blissfully free of the pop-culture references that too often overwhelm DreamWorks titles, the writing here is clever and satirical..."(See all of Dale Roe's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 759 words, 03/27/09
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "There are knowing asides, references and in-jokes every few minutes... The movie is reasonably entertaining, though it helps to be 6 years old."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 702 words, 03/27/09
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...moves from one big, wild-action set piece to the next (a battle on the Golden Gate Bridge, a face-off on Gallaxhar's spaceship)... if you're wearing those 3-D glasses, get ready to duck."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 442 words, 03/27/09
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a perfectly acceptable family movie... the script has the expected mixture of things going boom, gross-out slapstick for the kids, and arch pop-culture cross-referencing for Mom and Dad."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 839 words, 03/27/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...adheres to Dreamwork's time-tested formula of packing in pop culture references until the screen stretches at the seams."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 545 words, 03/27/09
Julie E. Washington, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: GOOD(cg) "Young children will like the cutesy creatures and exuberant action. Older viewers will find some laughs but are more likely to be bored by the simplistic plot."(See all of Julie E. Washington's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 387 words, 03/27/09
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a charming film about friendship, adventure, the bonding of misfits, the empowerment of a meek woman and the silliness of a lot of horror and sci-fi films."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 620 words, 03/27/09
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...brilliant in all technical regards, with a Golden Gate Bridge destruction and Death Star-style finale guaranteed to make 3-D viewers duck. However, the screenplay doesn't live up to the spectacle."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 548 words, 03/26/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: EXCELLENT(cg) "The action scenes are downright thrilling, the storytelling is brisk and witty, the homages to alien and monster movies funny and affectionate."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 506 words, 03/27/09
Carla Meyer, Sacramento Bee: VERY GOOD(cg) "...pleasing without being especially hilarious... But a lack of zingers is forgivable in a movie of such visual accomplishment."(See all of Carla Meyer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 526 words, 03/27/09
Michael Sragow, Baltimore Sun: WEAK(cg) "...it's mostly just a giddy, gaudy shambles... Even the 3-D wears out its welcome... the use of it so unimaginative that by the end it has the snap of a worn rubber band."(See all of Michael Sragow's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 463 words, 03/27/09
Tom Meek, Boston Phoenix: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...this movie's payoff, like that of 'The Incredibles,' comes in the everyday dilemmas of its protagonist, and in that regard, Susan is a universal force to reckon with."(See all of Tom Meek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 168 words, 03/26/09
Bob Mondello, NPR All Things Considered: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...it's mostly an excuse to hop from one depth-perception exercise to the next. And once you've seen a couple, they're not really reason enough to keep watching."(See all of Bob Mondello's reviews...)(Listen to the full review...) 185 seconds, 03/26/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...cheerfully converts the two major sources of cinematic terror -- invaders from outer space and inhuman, ungodly terrestrial creatures -- into wacky, goofy, familiar figures."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 727 words, 03/27/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: MODERATE "...a visual feast and a narrative famine... The biggest battle in 'Monsters vs. Aliens' is banality vs. originality, and banality carries the day."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 539 words, 03/27/09
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: MODERATE "You are wowed, and wows last no longer than the striking of a match. If this movie matters, therefore, it is not for its own sake but because it prepares the way."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,210 words, 03/30/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "The clean lines of the film's 1950s retro look work well with the uncluttered, straightforward tale, and the filmmakers' nod to that era's B-movies is a nice one."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 931 words, 03/27/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Todd McCarthy, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "...this why-didn't-anyone-think-of-this-before dust-up involving one-of-a-kind mutants and space invaders boasts sufficient jokes and eye-popping action..."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,090 words, 03/23/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "The clean lines of the film's 1950s retro look work well with the uncluttered, straightforward tale, and the filmmakers' nod to that era's B-movies is a nice one."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 931 words, 03/27/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...cheerfully converts the two major sources of cinematic terror -- invaders from outer space and inhuman, ungodly terrestrial creatures -- into wacky, goofy, familiar figures."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 727 words, 03/27/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: MODERATE "...a visual feast and a narrative famine... The biggest battle in 'Monsters vs. Aliens' is banality vs. originality, and banality carries the day."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 539 words, 03/27/09
16.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Monsters vs. Aliens's reviews are separated by an average 16.9 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Monsters vs. Aliens (43 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Monsters vs. Aliens's reviews cover 88.2% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 24,543 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 571 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 14.1 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Monsters vs. Aliens's reviews on average broke 14.1 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Monsters vs. Aliens's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Monsters vs. Aliens (43 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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