This is a rare film: a non-Pixar animated film that isn’t irritating and avoids scatological jokes. While this still doesn’t compare to the brilliance of almost all of the Pixar films, its still better than 90% of the kids movies dumped into the culture every year.

Susan (Reese Witherspoon) is a meek bride-to-be who lives in the shadow of her narcissistic fiancee Derek (Paul Rudd). Susan is struck by a meteor on her wedding day. The radiation transforms her into a giant, later she is . Due to her monstrous size, she is captured by the government and renamed Ginormica. The government imprisons with other monsters: an amorphous blob named B.O.B. (Seth Rogen), a smart giant cockroach/scientist named Dr. Cockroach Ph. D. (Hugh Laurie) and a brutish monster known as The Missing Link (Will Arnett). A brood of aliens attack Earth and Ginormica and her new monster pals are enlisted to fight off the exterrestrial threat.

The plot for the film is predictable and a bit slow. On the upside, the script does have some bright spots in its characte work. This film is saved by its personality and light charm, that and it's a kid’s movie that’s actually safe for the kids. It is light on agenda and avoids crudity. Someone somewhere must have made a mistake.

While it is not a must-see, its also not a must-avoid-at-all-costs.



Related Reviews:
Animated movies
Kung-Fu Panda (2008)
Chicken Little (2005)


Other Critic’s Reviews:
Decent Films Guide
Roger Ebert

Labels: animated, Hugh Laurie, Keifer Sutherland, Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Stephen Colbert, Will Arnett

"Brutal" is probably the best word for this film. This is not a flick for the light of heart. It is a harsh, violent look at the horrors visited upon P.O.W.s under the control of the Japanese military during World War II. This is also a brilliant look at worldviews in conflict. The bankrupt Japanese belief in honor and ancestry against the Christian view of redemption and forgiveness.

The performances by Keifer Sutherland, Mark Strong and Robert Carlyle are impressive. The script by Brian Godawa threatens to succumb to it's own somber tones but pulls through in the end. This is a depressing film, probably one of the more depressing ones I've ever seen. If you can handle rough content presented in stark terms then this is a film you should consider. Just don't plan on being too upbeat when you're through with it.


Related Reviews:
Prisoner of war movies
The Great Raid (2005)
Rescue Dawn (2006)


Other Critic's Reviews:
PopMatters
Reel Film Reviews

Labels: Brian Godawa, film, Keifer Sutherland, Mark Strong, movie review, Robert Carlyle

Screenwriter: Alexandre Aja (Switchblade Romance) and Grégory Levasseur (P2)
Director: Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes)
Actors: Keifer Sutherland (The Lost Boys), Paula Patton (Deja Vu), Cameron Boyce, Erica Gluck, and Amy Smart (Just Friends)

Labels: Alexandre Aja, film, Keifer Sutherland, movie trailer