The future of 3-D has finally arrived
Hollywood's overflowing cash registers rang even louder last weekend as the cartoon Monsters vs Aliens scared up the biggest opening of the year at the North American box office.
DreamWorks Animation SKG's first big 3-D film sold an estimated $58.2 million (Dh213m) in tickets across the United States and Canada during its first three days, the studio said.
This lighthearted take on those 1950s sci-fi chillers where grotesque creatures clashed to determine Earth's fate also set a record for a 3-D opening – $32.6m, or about 56 per cent of the gross. The balance came from traditional movie theatres.
If these numbers are anything to go by, it would be safe to say dark glasses indoors are now a required accessory for the growing number of animated 3-D films – Hollywood is ready to roll out 40 such films over the next three years in hopes that audiences will pay more per ticket than they do to watch movies featuring characters and objects popping out of movie screens. Directed by Rob Letterman (Shark Tale) and Conrad Vernon (Shrek 2), Monsters vs Aliens is a joke-filled, action-packed movie that should delight children without putting their parents to sleep.
The film may not break any new ground in 3-D or animation, though its skillful use of both technologies enlivens this story about a band of lovable freaks battling an alien robot that's trying to destroy the planet.
Since many theatres in the UAE still aren't equipped for 3-D – actually just the one at Dubai Festival City – some viewers will miss the duck-in-your-seat moments, such as a paddle ball heading straight at your face and the Golden Gate Bridge seeming to crumble in your lap.
Watching Monsters vs Aliens on a traditional screen would be like watching Manny Ramirez hit in a batting cage: You just don't get the full effect.
The movie centres on Susan (voiced by Reese Witherspoon), who turns into 50-foot-tall Ginormica when she's struck by a meteor as she's about to wed a pompous TV weatherman (Paul Rudd).
The scary giant is then tied down like Gulliver and sent to a secret government prison, where she's held along with other misshapen creatures: Insect-headed Dr Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), fish/ape hybrid Missing Link (Will Arnett), one-eyed blob B.O.B. (Seth Rogen) and a skyscraper-high bug called Insectosaurus, whose squeals don't merit a celebrity voice.
When an alien robot threatens the planet, the desperate US president (Stephen Colbert, finally in his rightful job) releases the monsters to repel the invader. Later, they must also fight the robot's creator, Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson), a four-eyed, squid-armed tyrant with an army of clones.
Along with alien-movie jokes about E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the filmmakers show their playful side with novelty oldies (Wooly Bully, The Purple People Eater) and an Al Gore reference to a "very convenient truth".
Even with dark glasses, Monsters vs Aliens will brighten your day.