Monsters vs. Aliens

was a pleasant diversion, a better than typical 3-D film (definitely catch it in 3-D if you can), and a movie any SF fan can enjoy for the many in-jokes and references.

Ultimately, though, it was empty calories, a lot of flash dressing up a story that was just too weak. Given how little writers cost compared to pretty much any other expense on a film, one might think Dreamworks would have invested in a little storytelling help, but it never seems to work that way.

I also found myself confused about which adult audience the film was targeting. The gags that were clearly there for adults spanned multiple decades, with the eighties claiming dominance, but that seems a bit off to me if the goal is to keep the parents amused while the kids enjoy the pretty show.

That said, kids aren't dumb--far from it--and so I expect they'll leave the theater after this one knowing they missed some jokes, not caring a lot about either those gags or the movie itself, and wondering when that new Pixar movie will be out. That's a shame, because with a stronger story and the same production investment, this could have been a great deal more.