Film reviews
Men In Black 3
It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.
Bel Ami
The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.
The Dictator
A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.
The Woman In Black
Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.
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Monsters Vs. Aliens (Film)
Rating: PG
Running Time: 98
Country: USA
Director: Rob Letterman, Conrad Vernon
Cast: Seth Rogen, Kiefer Sutherland, Reese Witherspoon
Distributor: Paramount
Release Date: April 02, 2009
Film Worth: $15.00
FILMINK rates movies out of $20 - the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth“…surpasses the highest expectations…”
Sometimes the whole "coming at ya" effect of 3D films can be overwhelming. But with state-of-the-art technology, the latest DreamWorks computer-animated film deliberately draws you in instead of pushing you away. The first movie to be made in 3-D, as opposed to the extra dimension being tacked onto a 2-D version, Monsters Vs Aliens is pure fun.
It's about Susan Murphy (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) - an animated young woman who gets hit by a meteor on her wedding day and morphs into a giantess. She's then imprisoned in a super-secret government facility, where she's befriended by a handful of loveable monsters. Together, they will be called upon to save the world.
As DreamWorks' Shrek drew upon fairytale lore, Monsters Vs Aliens is a clever concoction from the sci-fi and monster movie canon. Done with a satiric yet affectionate nod to the B-Graders, the monster mash-up includes Seth Rogen's B.O.B (based on The Blob), Hugh Laurie's Dr Cockroach Ph.D. (The Fly) and Will Arnett's Missing Link (The Creature From The Black Lagoon). Meanwhile, Susan - or rather Ginormica - is plucked from of Attack Of The 50 Foot Woman - yet Ginormica amusingly stands at only forty-nine feet, eleven inches.
Witherspoon is splendid as Susan/Ginormica and the rest of the voice cast have a ball, especially Rainn Wilson as the evil alien Gallaxhar. Directed by Conrad Vernon (Shrek 2) and Rob Letterman (Shark Tale), the animation surpasses the highest expectations, yet the stunning visuals never overtake this rollicking good yarn, which has, as you might predict, a feel-good message. There's the worthy but usual "I'm okay, you're okay" stuff about acceptance, but Monsters Vs Aliens is also about female empowerment. Ginormica is a mighty female role model in more ways than one. She, and this film, are tremendous.
