What Do The Critics Say?

"This tale of a plus-plus-plus-sized lady taking on extraterrestrial enemies with the help of some equally oddball friends is an entertaining, funny and emotionally resonant adventure for audiences of all ages." Todd Gilchrist SI-FI WIRE "You'll probably take your kids, but you might have more fun seeing the movie without them. This animated story of earthly monsters squaring off against extraterrestrial beasties is funny and colorful." Sean Means SALT LAKE TRIBUNE "I liked it more than anything Pixar has made the last five years." Phil Villarreal ARIZONA DAILY STAR "Original. Clever. Brilliant. Insert your own adjective here. Monsters Vs. Aliens is flat out the funniest flick of the year. The 3-D effects are mind-boggling, the characters are kid-perfect, the humor slapsticky enough to tickle your kid’s ribs while you’re laughing off other body parts." Gary Wolcott TRI-CITY HERALD "The visuals are always the Main Event, but there's plenty to keep youngsters and their parents engrossed with broad visual comedy, sharply conceived satire and a simple story about the friendship between motley outcasts who inadvertently save the world." Louise Keller URBAN CINEFILE "Plenty of giggles and thrills to keep the kiddies happy while a clever script filled with nods to the alien invasion movies of the 1950s will keep their parents in stitches." Diva Velez THEDIVAREVIEW

It's funny and uses newfangled 3-D effects smartly, and if it feels a little thin at times it never drags, lags or preaches. The trick of it is, that "Monsters vs. Aliens" goes down far more like candy than like vitamins." Shawn Levy OREGONIAN "You don't need a child as an excuse to see Monsters vs.Aliens, a delightfully goofy sci-fi spoof with a strong voice cast and a consistently witty script." Marshall Fine HOLLYWOOD & FINE "Monsters Vs Aliens made me feel like a big kid again." Ben Lyons AT THE MOVIES "Jaunty, jokey, and absolutely bursting with visual energy, it is unquestionably a treat." Eric D. Snider ERICDSNIDER.COM "DreamWorks proves it can be a force in the animation genre with its highly entertaining effort here." Jeffrey Lyles GAZETTE "An animated funhouse that delivers on its title and ups its scary-comic impact if you see it in 3-D. There's enough merry mischief here to satisfy, even if you’re way past puberty." Peter Travers ROLLING STONE "Jumping yet another notch, this 3D animation is great technology in service of entertaining storytelling: the result is a jaw dropping fantasy in which the filmmakers have happily kept the novelties of 3D to a minimum." Andrew L Urban URBAN CINEFILE

New locations across Australia have been transformed to feature the exciting VMAX format offering customers a maximum impact, high quality movie experience. VMAX auditoriums feature stadium seating with a giant state of the art 20m silver screen capable of showing the latest in digital 3D film product as well as all the latest blockbusters. The seats have been exclusively designed to provide additional comfort through extra seat space, contoured high backs, tables and double the amount of leg room. For VMAX session times, films and locations in NSW/SA/WA/QLD click here

The Inside Story "Humans of Earth, my quest has lead me to your planet. Give it to me now! You should, in no way, take any of this personally. It's just business. Gallaxhar out." For centuries, tales of monsters, creatures and otherworldly beings have delighted, entertained, terrified, and very much intrigued people of every culture throughout the world. The works of literary masters passed down through the ages eventually made their way to Hollywood and so was born the 'creature feature' and, eventually, the science-fiction flick. Films such as "It Came from Outer Space"; "When Worlds Collide"; "Creature from the Black Lagoon"; "Forbidden Planet"; "The Blob"; "The Day of the Triffids"; "Planet of the Apes"; "Marooned"; "Barbarella" and "2001: A Space Odyssey" quickly spring to mind. In many a sci-fi movie or television series of the 1950s and ‘60s the genesis of the tale often began with the interception of a strange signal beamed from a planet in another galaxy, usually underscored by the requisite spooky organ music. Aliens would then arrive, and either wallop or teach Earth’s inhabitants a thing or two about getting along in the universe. The tale of "Monsters vs Aliens" however, originates from a few very earthbound sources: behind the walls of the Glendale, California campus of DreamWorks Animation with CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg and two veteran feature film directors named Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon. Letterman had just finished helming the DreamWorks Animation hit "Shark Tale" when he scheduled a meeting with Jeffrey Katzenberg to discuss his next project. "He asked me to take a look at a project that was in development about monsters," Letterman recalls. Conrad Vernon was ten thousand kilometres away: "I was in Cannes for "Shrek 2", and I was looking over an early draft of the project. I saw that it had an element of a 1950s 'B' movie, which I had never before seen in animation." For Letterman, teaming up with fellow monster movie lover Vernon had great promise: "Conrad’s really great, a talented storyboard artist and director and a voice talent as well." Vernon, who provides the voice for the Gingerbread Man in 'Shrek', was also comfortable about sharing the "Monsters vs Aliens" director’s chair. "We were in constant contact, pitching ideas about scenes and characters to each other. Our goal all along was to create a cohesive and entertaining film, and we did that by keeping each other in the loop." Far, far away, in the alternate universe of the live-action world, producer Lisa Stewart ("Almost Famous" & "Jerry Maguire), took a meeting, and her life took an unexpected turn. Stewart had just wrapped production on a film and was looking forward to a break when she got the call to meet with Katzenberg and tour the studio’s Glendale animation campus. It was on that tour that Stewart’s fate was sealed. "I saw this really great iconic image of Susan. She was sitting on the roof of a gas station. It was such an evocative image." With two co-producers on board it was time to find the voice cast. The choice of the actors lending their voices to the cast was anything but spontaneous. Filmmakers put together their wish lists of names and some initial calls were made. The lead role of Susan Murphy went to Reese Witherspoon, who played Melanie Smooter in "Sweet Home Alabama". When the two directors met with her, Letterman told her they "really wanted to make the female lead the hero character to balance out the dudes in the film." Witherspoon's eyes immediately lit up. Reese connected to the story and character of Susan," Vernon states. "She e-mailed Jeffrey later that day and said she wanted to come onboard!" "I like that she is a regular girl who learns to value herself," says Witherspoon. Hugh Laurie O.B.E. was cast as most brilliant scientist in the world: Dr Cockroach Ph.D. "I was sold as soon as I walked in through the door. I didn’t tell them that, of course. I hemmed and hawed and stroked my chin and I tried to play hard to get, but I was in for a ride from the word, Go." Letterman revealed: "We were fans of his prior to "House". So it was very fortunate to have him on the movie." "Once he got in the booth, he did not disappoint," Vernon said. Comic chameleon Will Arnett was selected to fill the flippers of 'The Missing Link'. He says: "What I love about The Missing Link is his willingness to jump into any situation without really reading the inherent dangers of that situation. He doesn’t put a whole lot of thought into it. I identify with that impulsiveness, I think." B.O.B. (short for benzoate-ostylezene-bicarbonate) is voiced by Seth Rogen. "We needed somebody who came across as a slacker who was also very endearing," says Letterman, "and Seth Rogen was perfect for that." Rainn Wilson is the voice of megalomaniac, Gallaxhar. "I love what they can do in animation, because usually, the stakes are very high. I love it when life and death just flips into something really silly." Cinemagoers are in for a real treat. Especially those who see it in: InTru™ 3D. And what is InTru™ 3D? As the television industry continues to catch up to movies with technological innovation (larger flat screens, HD & Blu-Ray), it’s now time for movies to take a larger step forward. And according to Jeffrey Katzenberg, 3D is the way to do just that. "Monsters vs Aliens" represents a first for the studio: the first film totally authored in the 3D format (and not just any 3D format), but InTru™ 3D. InTru™ 3D combines DreamWorks Animation’s state of the art, proprietary authoring tools with the latest Intel technology, allowing artists to tell a more compelling story and give filmgoers a more exciting, immersive 3D movie experience. As well, the CEO of DreamWorks Animation reasons the current, next-gen InTru™ 3D offers such clarity, beauty and precision that the old imperfections of the format: ghosting, motion blur and eye strain, all vanish. Through the use of digital equipment, these separate left and right-eye images (which the brain then marries into a three-dimensional image) can be made to sync perfectly. And the result, as Katzenberg puts it, is "that the storyteller can actually bring the audience into the movie, making it a completely immersive experience. We have made audiences believe that what they were looking at: a classic, 2D experience, is, in fact, three-dimensional. It’s not. Now, we can actually deliver that third dimension. And it just creates a spectacular opportunity to make the emotions of storytelling even better. So now, "Monsters vs Aliens" will stand as the premiere feature conceived and authored in 3D, using these new state of the art digital tools." Now, moviegoers eyes are free to look anywhere within the scene: focusing behind the main character into a background, say, on a piece of wallpaper that fascinates. As a result, filmmakers have to be ever cognizant of drawing the eye where they want it directed within the scene, using such things as lighting, sound or composition to focus attention where they wish. Unfortunately the brain is unable to process that much information that quickly. So, to convey pacing the makers had to find other tools to get the same emotional responses that these 2D techniques would elicit. To ensure these and other tools were used to their greatest advantage, the team brought in Phil Captain 3D McNally (that's his legal name), to serve as stereoscopic supervisor and conduct classes for those involved in developing "Monsters vs Aliens". He explained: "Think of a traditional 2D movie, and the largest dimension is probably the width or the diagonal width across the screen. But once we go into 3D, the largest dimension we can work with is actually in the depth of the shot. And so, it really opens up the possibility, not just across the screen, but now in the depth of the space as well. And so that’s something that’s new to the filmmakers: to be able to use that space as part of the new composition language that we’re trying to developed." Director Conrad Vernon ("Shrek 2") remembers the 3D 101 classes this way: "He put us in a theater and showed us 3D images until our brains hurt, and he’d sit there and dial the levels. It was like one of those torture sessions. But along the way, we started understanding how to compose in 3D. We are composing X and Y all the time. But now, we could compose in Z, in this way, behind the screen and in front of the screen. It’s been an amazing experience, and Phil knows this stuff better than anybody on the planet. He should really be a general." Authoring a picture in 3D from beginning to end, allowed the filmmakers greater latitude. A joined at the hip sort of relationship was forged between "Captain 3D" and head of layout, Damon O’Beirne. "Damon literally sat next door. We saw each other every day and we were always in dailies together looking at the scenes. So we were always there together, working out all of the possibilities," McNally ("Kung Fu Panda" & "Meet the Robinsons") recalls. Those possibilities fascinated and enabled Letterman. "That," he says, "was one of the things that attracted me to the project, was just pushing it as far as we possibly could. And the funny thing is, we were already pushing the visual effects before we started down the road of 3D, so the 3D made it even bigger." As not every theatre is equipped with digital 3D capability yet, 2D prints were also created. But the 2D prints were made after the 3D was completed. "We made sure we were telling our story first in 3D. And then, when we did the 2D cut, what we changed were such things as pacing: for example, 3D shots need to go longer because the human brain cannot absorb all of that information as quickly as in 2D. So what works in 3D may not have the same energy and pace in 2D," Letterman explained. "Monsters vs Aliens" proved to be a project of firsts for every member of the cast and crew: whether they knew it or not. But whatever the technical developments the film can boast, it is the content: the story and the characters, that most kept with them after the film had wrapped. "I think this is a great movie for people to see. I know my kids are gonna love it," Oscar ® winning actress Reese Witherspoon ("Walk The Line") offered. "I can’t wait 'til they get to see it. It’s got great stuff boys like, action and adventure, but it’s also got this great message for girls, about really finding your true self, what you really value about yourself. It’s also fun and funny: it’s something for everyone, I think." Director Conrad Vernon believes, the fun is in the pudding, so to speak: "Honestly, the fun is watching the film come together. That's it. I love watching what the crew is doing." "The great fun is all these crazy people getting in a room coming up with insane ideas that you could only do in an animated film," says Letterman ("Shark Tale"). "We have a great team of people: animation is very collaborative. We have a lot of people on the film who create amazing pieces of art or great story ideas. And all of us, together, we constantly shape it, and finally we have a movie, and this one is fun and exciting." If you can, see it on the new VMAX screens which have just opened in selected Greater Union/Birch Carroll & Coyle multiplexes. Synopsis

When California girl Susan Murphy is unwittingly clobbered by a meteor full of outer space gunk on her wedding day, she mysteriously grows to 49 feet 11 inches tall. The military jumps into action and Susan is captured and put into a secret government compound. There, she is renamed Ginormica and held along with a ragtag group of Monsters: the brilliant but insect-headed Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D.; the macho half-ape, half-fish, The Missing Link; the gelatinous and indestructible B.O. B.; and the 350 foot grub called Insectosaurus. Their confinement is cut short, however, when a mysterious alien robot lands on Earth and begins storming the country. In a moment of desperation, President Hathaway is persuaded to enlist the Monsters to combat the alien robot and save the world from imminent destruction. But more is to come. The evil Gallaxhar is no fool. He sets his hideous plan in motion.

The Verdict "Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks Animation are to be congratulated on their new and highly innovative InTru™ 3D feature "Monsters vs Aliens". I was fortunate enough to see this on the new VMAX screen at the Greater Union Megaplex Marion where cinema's 1 & 30 (the two largest cinemas) have recently been renovated. The two fully refurbished cinemas, which now seat 350, are indeed, impressive. No, make that awesome. Both were stripped bare and completely rebuilt. These purpose built cinemas now boast massive state of the art silver screens, first-class luxurious seating (with huge legroom), excellent décor and, wait for it, (because there's more), the best in stadium sound systems. Greater Union together with Birch Carroll & Coyle timed the opening of their new VMAX cinemas to coincide with the release of "Monsters vs Aliens" in the new format: eye-catching InTru™ 3D. "Monsters vs Aliens" is, to say the least, a thoroughly satisfying experience. The animation is colorful and crisp. The characters will endear themselves to kids and adults alike. The voice cast is, first-class. The story-line is both fun filled and funny. Kids and adults will more than enjoy themselves. One big plus is the fact that the InTru™ 3D is used for maximum effect rather than as a gimmick. InTru™ 3D, really does enhance the experience of "Monsters vs Aliens". If I have one complaint (albiet it rather small bitch), please Dreamworks, don't downgrade the film by adding a voice that destroys the ambience and continuum. In "Sharks" it was Channel 9 TV personality Tracy Jane Grimshaws voice. Now it is Network 7 Sunrise presenter David Koch ruining the moment in "Monsters vs Aliens". In both cases their voices really do grate and annoy. Very Recommended. SOLID 4 STARS." Who Plays Who?

Reese Witherspoon Seth Rogen Hugh Laurie Will Arnett Kiefer Sutherland Rainn Wilson Stephen Colbert Paul Rudd Julie White Jeffrey Tambor Amy Poehler Ed Helms Renée Zellweger John Krasinski

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Susan/Ginormica B.O.B. Dr Cockroach Ph.D. The Missing Link General W.R. Monger Gallaxhar President Hathaway Derek Dietl Wendy Murphy Carl Murphy Computer News Reporter Katie Cuthbert

The Production Team

Directors Screenplay Story Producer Original Music Film Editors

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Rob Letterman & Conrad Vernon Maya Forbes/Wallace Wolodarsky Rob Letterman/Jonathan Aibel/Glenn Berger Rob Letterman & Conrad Vernon Lisa Stewart Henry Jackman Joyce Arrastia & Eric Dapkewicz

Run Time 94 minutes minutes Rated PG [AUST] Copyright ©2009 - Paramount Pictures & Dreamworks Animation - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected ©1999-2009 The Movie Pages & impact Internet Services All Rights Reserved