To 3D or Not to 3D

Disclaimer: I did not see Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D. I, personally, do not enjoy seeing movies in 3D. Who likes wearing those red and green glasses for 90+ minutes? Who wants to spend an entire film watching objects bizarrely fly at them? It strikes me as jarring and unnatural. I realize that 3D technology has come a long way since the 3D movies that I used to watch at Busch Gardens. I need to give this new 3D a chance (if for no other reason than the fact that EVERY animated movie coming out this year is going to be made for 3D). But I am not yet ready to fork over the extra 2 bucks to see a movie in 3D, when I'd rather be stodgy and stuck in my ways. SO, my review may be missing something based on it's single dimensionality.

First, wow! What a cast! Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogan, Hugh Laurie, Paul Rudd, Will Arnett, Kiefer Sutherland, and Stephen Colbert. Among these are some of my favorite actors of all time. That point aside, pause for a minute and try to imagine all of these actors ever being in the same room with each other. I realize that in the world of animation the actors are most likely never to see each other until the premiere, but still, wow! Seth Rogan stole every scene that he was in, but Stephen Colbert stole the whole show.

Unfortunate that the male actors stole the show, when the story centers around the female lead and her realization that self-confidence, friends, and a sense of purpose are more important than a spot in the shadow of a powerful man. It was a surprising moral for a story named "Monsters vs. Aliens" that was seemingly targeting young boys [insert criticism for buying into gender cliches here].

All in all, it was cute, with some great performances, some great jokes, some originality, and definitely a movie that I would take my young daughter to see. It was not, however, a movie that I would buy and watch over and over again. I might just go on youtube.com and watch clips of Stephen Colbert as the President.