NoirFan

There weren't very many of those. There was a brief, lame American Idol joke, but this was countered by a sly Inconvenient Truth quip. Don't worry, this isn't another Shrek, by any means. I was referring more to science fiction film references - there are mad scientist gags, E.T. and Close Encounters jokes, and an absolutely brilliant send-up of the cliche. The voice work is excellent as well, in particular Keifer Sutherland. For sci-fi/animation fans, this will be a real treat.

Note: the spoiler tags above don't cover an actual plot spoiler, but the joke will be funnier if you're not expecting it.

Giles

did you see it in 3D Noir, you don't denote this in your 'What are You Watching this Week' thread.

NoirFan

No, unfortunately it was a 2-D press screening.

Giles

oh...

fumanstan

I plan on seeing this today. Is there a difference between IMAX 3D and the regular 3D?

mdc3000

^As far as the actual 3D goes? Not really - but IMAX will obviously be HUGE in comparison.

RyoHazuki

I saw it last night and was pretty underwhelmed. It felt like a Nickelodeon tv special or something. The animation was pretty, the humor was good (not great) but it just felt really light on everything else. The characters were paper thin and the story was as well. It was one of those movies that felt like a long version of the trailer.

Kal-El

Just came back from a "double feature" of this and HiC. We saw this in IMAX-3D and it is beautiful. Not as good as Kung-Fu Panda, but still funny. My wife and I laughed at several parts. There's some subtle adult humor that kids are gonna miss. I'm surprised they're marketing this as a Rogen/Rudd vehicle when Reese Witherspoon is the star of the show.

Loved the musical cue switch when they showed the "E.T. Go home" missile.

Easy Blu-Ray purchase when it comes out.

tylergfoster

I don't think they're really advertising the movie as a vehicle for anyone, just the thread title says Rogen/Rudd. Animated movies, even post-Shrek, are still generally advertised at kids, and kids don't care who do the voices.

I thought it was pretty mediocre. Looks stunning (a really eye-popping experience), good action/direction, a handful of funny jokes, and Reese Witherspoon makes for a cool action hero for girls to enjoy, but it wasn't as good as I had hoped it was gonna be.

And I felt really weird watching it in IMAX 3D, although I watched it on a half-assed, movie-theater IMAX screen that they have nearby. This is going to sound nutso, but I felt like my brain was trying to fly out of the top of my open head or something (whatever sensation it was inspiring in me, the sensation went upwards...it was really uncomfortable). Every once in awhile I just had to take the glasses off for a little while and rub my head. Next time, I'll either go the distance and see it on the real IMAX screen in Seattle, which is farther and more expensive, or I'll just see it in regular DLP 3D.

Favorite joke, such a throwaway:

asianxcore

Agree with you there.

It was definitely enjoyable and the cast was solid but I just felt that movie was lacking something.

I did enjoy almost all of B.O.B's jokes though. Also Insectasaurus was pretty awesome

Patman

I thought it was okay, mainly aimed at kids, but parents/adults won't find much more beyond what's on the screen. The monsters grow on you, as I didn't take to them instantly, but as the movie wore on, their quirks and humor worked on a superficial level.

I did see the 3D version, and it was fine in 3D.

I give it 2.5 stars, or a grade of C+.

Moleman1138

BOB and Insectosaurus stole the show. I honestly didn't like the 3D. It's too distracting. It felt too much like KF-Panda.

Outsider joins secluded group of 4-5

Po joins Monkey, Crane, Viper, Tiger, Mantis
Ginormica joins Insecto, Dr. Cockroach, Bob, Missing Link

fumanstan

Ended up going with the IMAX 3D showing for kicks. I really enjoyed it and i'm surprised so many people found it mediocre. First, I thought the 3D was pretty cool and far better then when I watched Coraline in 3D. I'm not sure if it was because of the IMAX screen or the effects were just done better, but during Coraline it made my head hurt like droidguy but I didn't have a problem with this one.

But anyway, I enjoyed the humor throughout the movie as I like the silly random stuff from the monsters. Not as drop dead funny as Kung Fu Panda, and not as touching as any Pixar movie, but still really good in my opinion. I didn't realize the whole movie was about Susan given the marketing of the film, but Reese did a great job. The parts with her family and Derek were kind of dumb, but the rest of the movie and voice acting really made up for it, especially Rogen as BOB and Will Arnett as the Missing Link. Colbert's President was kind of lame though.

Random things i loved -

NoirFan

A dumb joke, but I laughed:

tylergfoster

mdc3000

I thought it was just alright. Great visuals, excellent cast and a good setup...but then it just turns into nothing but boring action sequences filled with cliched jokes that sort of limps to the finish. The characters aren't given enough to do - which is a damn shame with all the talent involved... we could have used a lot more Colbert, would have liked to see more of the Monsters interacting with people in the real world etc. but we keep getting to these flashy, 'whiz bang' action bits, that looked cool in 3D but did nothing for me otherwise.

My favourite part was easily when the president made first contact with the casio.

Draven

I enjoyed it (BOB steals the show) and my kids liked it as well, so it was a good outing there.

And I actually clapped my hands and guffawed when

Loc Nar

Saw it yesterday. I agree with those who were underwhelmed. I did not find much funny about it and actually checked my watch once. Very few folks in the audience laughed at anything. My seven year old and his friend, however, enjoyed it. From my perspective, the monster inspirations were great and you could see that there were a lot of good ideas tossed around, but it never really gelled to me. Example - starting the movie off with a disability joke seemed odd.

SkipKassidy

This movie needed The Monster Squad to come in at the end and send the monsters into limbo. Then the audience would have been WTF?!

Giles

loved the little Red Dwarf mention at the beginning. I generally thought it was okay, not great. Technical comments, I saw this in IMAX (Digital) and I hardly noticed any surround sound (and I was sitting in the prime seat) - was the mix 'more' aggressive in standard theatres?

CertifiedTHX

Certainly an enjoyable flick, but average overall. Funniest element was Stephen Colbert's President-- his introduction was when things really picked up-- followed by The Missing Link. B.O.B. had his moments.

Good pop culture references--


and a nicely done sequence highly reminiscent of


Scale of 1 to 10, I give it a 5, maybe a 6. Not bad, but not great.

--THX

hasslein

I thought it was full of tired jokes, and the action sequences in Bolt were much better.

Giles

^ nah, I don't agree.

Troy Stiffler

It was alright. The kid (4yr old) got tired of the 3D glasses around half way through and I couldn't get her to put them back on. She said that they kept falling off her face. The fact that she sat there without her glasses on bothered me and probably took away from the movie. In the end, I don't think it really bothered her. But it bothered me that she wasn't wearing them.

Kung Fu Panda was really an amazing movie and has me spoiled. 'Monsters' is enjoyable. But it's not going to be one of the greats. I'd put it on par with Over the Hedge.

Giles

'Over the Hedge' though had an all together better voice casting/talent then 'MvA'