Monsters vs. Aliens
When you think of the most influential directors in movie history, who comes to mind? Martin Scorcese? Quentin Tarantino? Steven Spielberg? All these answers would be correct, but nearly everybody forgets two of the brightest filmmakers in modern cinema: Conrad Vernon and Rob Letterman. For those who for some reason don’t know this legendary duo, they’re responsible for creating the masterpiece of animation known as Monsters vs Aliens. Vernon and Letterman spun a film so memorable and so mesmerizing that it became life-changing for audience members around the globe.
In case you have not had the privilege of watching the film, Monsters vs Aliens is a 2009 animated classic about a woman torn apart by her new life, facing the inner struggle of her outer appearance, only to come to accept herself for who she is with the help of the friends she meets along the way. All of this is accompanied by an all-star cast featuring the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Kiefer Sutherland, Rainn Wilson, Stephen Colbert, and Paul Rudd. Susan Murphy, played by Witherspoon, undergoes many significant changes over the course of the movie, both physically and mentally.
When we are first introduced to her, she’s a young, impressionable girl preparing to get married to her boyfriend Derek. That all changes when she is hit by an asteroid full of quantonium and grows to be an extremely strong 50-foot tall giant. This changes her life, as she is taken by the government and put into prison with her fellow monster inmates. First, we meet Dr. Cockroach, a remarkably brilliant scientist who attempted to give himself the resilience and abilities of a cockroach, but unfortunately had the side effect of his head transforming itself into that of a giant cockroach. Then we meet possibly one of the most powerful beings in all of entertainment. Benzoate Ostylezene Bicarbonate, also known as B.O.B., is an indestructible blue gelatin mass, capable of changing his size and shape with little to no effort. He can devour and digest any subject he wants, making him more powerful than any other being on the planet. Then comes The Missing Link, a womanizing fish man who was frozen in ice for 20,000 years who escaped captivity and terrorized his old beach. And finally, we come across the giant bug monster Insectosaurus, the pet of the group and best friend to The Missing Link, who is 7 times as big as Ginormica. The team is able to come together as they face their struggles inside the prison and help make each other better.
Their lives are all changed when a giant alien robot comes to take back the quantonium from Susan. The President tries to make peace with the alien, giving him the Vulcan salute and playing him Axel F, the main theme from Beverly Hills Cop, on the keyboard. Just when it seems like he is going to make peace with the robot, it smashes the keyboard, giving the viewers insight into the truth of imperialism and colonization. The scene between the robot and the President parallels examples of people taking over lands throughout history and makes the audience rethink their values and if their country has actually been in the right throughout history.
Since they can’t make peace, the monsters are forced to come into the city and defeat the alien. In one of the most thrilling action sequences of the century, the monsters come together and show the teamwork and group strength that they’ve built in prison to fight the robot. Of course, being their first time in the field, they have no clue what they are doing and have their fair share of mistakes, but in the end, they come out on top.
After the battle, Susan is able to take some time to go and see her family and introduce them to her new friends. She and the rest of the monsters are shunned and treat the team like garbage. Susan finally sees Derek again and he shows his true colors. He gets mad at Susan for getting hit by the asteroid and ruining their marriage. The monsters realize that no matter what they do, they will be judged for the rest of their lives for something that they can’t fix. As long as they live, they will be stared at, mocked, and hated for something that they didn’t choose. This message has stayed relevant for years, showing the emotional power that the film has. After all of this, the monsters have a coming-together moment, realizing they don’t need anybody’s approval but their own to be worth anything, an empowering message that nearly everybody can relate to in one way or another.
Just when things are starting to turn around for the better, a sneak attack by the aliens gets Ginormica captured and the quantonium taken out of her. But even worse than that, in one of the most heartbreaking movie scenes of all time, Insectosaurus is killed by the ruthless aliens.
Knowing that Susan is not safe in the captivity of the enemy, they infiltrate the alien ship and disguise themselves as other aliens, risking their lives for their friend. This is where everything the movie has been building towards all comes together. The monsters help Susan realize that she doesn’t need her old life, the quantonium, or anything to be special, only herself. She knows that she is no longer Susan, but accepts that she will always be the one and only Ginormica.
With this realization, the team gains more chemistry than they ever had before, and defeats the aliens with ease. After they destroy the ship, the team is in dire need of an escape vessel from the ship. And just when it seems like they won’t make it off, none other than Insectosaurus flies in with his newly sprouted butterfly wings to save our heroes from their inevitable doom. The heroes come back to receive the appreciation they always deserved, capping off a nearly perfect film.
The movie was met with near unanimous praise from both critics and audiences, receiving many accolades including one of the most prestigious nominations a film can get: a Kids’ Choice Award. Whether it be the cast, the thrilling action scenes, the perfect comedic writing and timing, the memorable characters that reference old monster flicks, or the thought-provoking and inspiring messages about humanity, it all fits together like a puzzle to make an amazing picture. One that will be remembered and referenced by movie experts for years to come. We are truly blessed to have lived in the time to be able to see the mind-blowing marvel of a film that is Monsters vs Aliens.