6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 3.7 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
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. Alerted to the threat of this new monster, the military jumps into action and Susan is captured and secreted away to a covert government compound. There, she is renamed Ginormica and placed in confinement with a ragtag group of other 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, The President is persuaded by General W.R. Monger to enlist the motley crew of Monsters to combat the Alien Robot and save the world from imminent destruction.
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Kiefer SutherlandFamily | 100% |
Animation | 86% |
Adventure | 86% |
Comedy | 55% |
Action | 30% |
Sci-Fi | 23% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
German: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Korean: Dolby Digital 5.1
Chinese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin (Traditional)
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Blu-ray 3D
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
It's fitting that DreamWorks' Monsters vs. Aliens is the first 3D Blu-ray out of the gate; its March 2009 theatrical release ushered in a new era of sorts, the movie the first ever feature to be generated in stereoscopic 3D from the start rather than filmed or, as the case may be in the digital realm, rendered in a traditional 2D landscape and only after the fact tweaked for 3D viewing. It's with much excitement that this disc is finally here, and while the 1080p 3D HD presentation is excellent, the overall package does suffer from a few shortcomings that are likely to only help in swaying many away from 3D for the time being, chief among them the simple lack of availability of this -- or any -- title on the market for a reasonable price. Negatives aside but certainly to be discussed further down in the review, Monsters vs. Aliens delivers an intense and altogether fun 3D viewing experience; considering that this is the first disc on the market and was enjoyed on a first-generation 3D-enabled television set (more info on Panasonic's wonderful 50" 3D HDTV plasma display here), the future looks very bright for 3D Blu-ray considering how good this video presentation proves to be, and on the very first try at that.
Studies show that two of every three monsters enjoy the eye-popping visuals of the 'Monsters vs. Aliens' 3D Blu-ray presentation.
There's really nothing with which to compare this 1080p, 3D, 2.35:1-framed transfer from
DreamWorks, but it nevertheless impresses a great deal in terms of not only the generally
seamless 3D presentation, but in the usual array of criteria such as detail and color reproduction
as analyzed while in 3D playback
mode. As to the basics first, fine detail holds up incredibly well -- looking as good as the
2D version, in fact -- throughout. Many early outdoor scenes feature some short but wavy grass
that
never looks clumpy and, in several scenes, practically each blade may be counted on the
screen. A gazebo as seen in chapter three nicely showcases excellent wood textures, a faded
paint job,
and various scratches and chips in the white paint. Freckles are distinct on Susan's skin,
and wrinkles on an older character show good realism and add plenty of fine texture to an aging
face. Viewers will be able to see individual strands of fur on Insectosaurus' body, and they're
even more impressive in several close-up shots as each strand seems to move to and fro in the
3D realm.
Colors, too, are excellent; whether the rusty orange color of the Golden Gate Bridge or B.O.B.'s
bright blue gelatinous body, all hues both bright and dark sparkle throughout, even through the
lenses of the 3D
glasses. The movie features several dark scenes, too, and black levels hold up very well, never
masking any crucial or background detail in the image.
As described at length above, the 3D
sensation is nearly flawless, save for several instances of "ghosting," noted at the 18:30 mark as
W.R. Monger flies around the compound on his jet pack; on the alien robot at 37:55; on a
floating spoon at 47:38; and in several other shots throughout. Again, it cannot be stressed
enough that such instances are the exception rather than the rule; the vast majority of the
image is as smooth and distortion-free as one can imagine. Though the original 2D release of
Monsters vs. Aliens was not available in anaglyph 3D, the companion short film,
B.O.B.'s Big Break was; comparing the two one after another, there's simply no doubt as
to
how vastly superior full HD 3D Blu-ray is next to anaglyph, even with the few hiccups incurred
through the course of
the film and, to a lesser extent, B.O.B.'s Big Break. It's really like a transition from
watching a worn VHS tape to a top-rated Blu-ray disc. For those
that are curious, the bitrate during 3D playback hovers around the 17-20 Mbps range, and the
picture is encoded
using the standard MPEG-4 codec. Also, please note that all screenshots are taken directly from
the 2D version of the film that's found on this 3D disc. Pictures 16-20 are camera stills of the 3D
HDTV
screen during 3D playback.
Unfortunately, this particular edition of Monsters vs. Aliens arrives on Blu-ray with a collection of lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks; gone is the superb lossless mix that accompanied the standard 2D release. Disappointing? Yes. The end of the world? No. Time to push the panic button? Far from it. Certainly, every Blu-ray release at this point in time should include a lossless soundtrack, even if it is a re-release that's a brand-exclusive and promotional tie-in that's not for individual retail sale. Granted, as the first 3D Blu-ray release, all the focus is on the picture quality, and rightfully so. Still, the soundtrack is a vital component to any movie-watching experience, and it's likely that many early adopters of the 3D technology are home theater enthusiasts with a demand for and with a set-up that's capable of playing high definition soundtracks. This will certainly need to be addressed in the near future -- and hopefully corrected when Monsters vs. Aliens finally earns a wide release as a 3D Blu-ray title -- or the format will continue to struggle as it attempts to emerge from its infancy. As it is, this is still a capable Dolby Digital soundtrack. It's certainly clear as a whistle and delivers some distinct surround information and a fair bit of environmental ambience, but it lacks the pristine clarity of the lossless mix, and even more notably absent is a heftier and more pronounced low end. It's not a deal breaker -- at least not considering everything else at this point in time -- but it was certainly nothing short of a shocking disappointment to see nothing but a string of Dolby Digital offerings inside the disc's menu selection screen.
Despite a relatively short runtime and the absence of lossless soundtracks, this 3D Blu-ray release of Monsters vs. Aliens doesn't include most of the special features found on the 2D release. The only extras present on the disc include the short film B.O.B.'s Big Break (1080p, 3D, 13:21) and 1080p 3D trailers for How to Train your Dragon (2:23) and Shrek 4 (1:13). Oddly enough -- and perhaps it's a result of the more spacious 1.78:1 framing as opposed to the feature's 2.35:1 presentation -- the 3D effect in B.O.B.'s Big Break seems slightly more natural and deep than that seen in feature film. Take, for instance, shots of floating confetti, birthday party "blowouts" that seem to shoot out of the screen, or any other number of moments from the short; there seems a moderately greater sense of depth and a more obvious "wow" factor than in similar scenes found throughout the film proper. Whether due to the framing, an improved 3D process, or some other variable(s), it just seems a slightly better all-around experience, but that's not to diminish how strong the movie itself looks in 3D.
This Monsters vs. Aliens 3D release will be remembered as the first full-length, 3D HD
Blu-ray movie out there, but it's unfortunately not available for sale to the general public, at least
not at a reasonable price. DreamWorks has delivered a capable, good-looking, nearly impeccable
3D experience out of the gate, but the goodness stops with the visual presentation. Hampered
by the absence of a lossless soundtrack and coming up well short of the original release in terms
of extra content, the disc itself is, frankly, something of a disappointment outside of the 3D
presentation, which
in all honesty, is the major selling point here.
Hopefully the off-the-shelf retail version -- whenever that may become available -- will offer a
more robust Blu-ray presentation. Currently, the only way for 3D early adopters that purchased
Panasonic's 3D HDTV and 3D Blu-ray player to own Monsters vs. Aliens is to purchase
Samsung's $350 bundle that also includes two pair of 3D glasses that only work with their
branded gear. Is Monsters vs. Aliens worth almost as much as the 3D Blu-ray player?
Maybe for
the super-wealthy, but for the average consumer, the answer is "no." Would it be worth $20 or
even, maybe, a
premium of about $30 as-is, with no lossless soundtrack and few extras? Probably, even for
those that already own the 2D Blu-ray. On that note, there simply needs to be more 3D content
made available now to push the format. It makes no sense for the gear to be out there -- and
it's been over a month already -- with no movies available for off-the-shelf sale at a reasonable
price. At the beginning of the format's life, it's one thing to have a title or two as manufacturer
or retailer exclusives provided there is something else out there to watch, but the
absence of
more -- yea any -- titles is a major hindrance to the promotion and
adoption of the technology.
There is currently nothing but rumor and speculation as to when
more 3D Blu-ray titles will be available for sale in the U.S., and most official overseas
announcements are still
coming in the form of bundled packages with electronics
manufacturers. The rumored titles -- Coraline, Ice Age: Dawn of the
Dinosaurs, and Cloudy With a Chance of
Meatballs -- are all animated movies and with relatively short runtimes geared towards
children, and how the studios handle
the audio and special features on these titles, available at retail or not, will prove just as
interesting as any pending firm release dates and
price
structures. It will also be interesting to see how longer movies -- Avatar
and its 166-minute theatrical version runtime comes to mind -- not only look and sound in 3D,
but
how the studios will implement special features; they'll likely have to be included on a separate
disc, if at
all. Nevertheless, Monsters vs. Aliens -- warts and all -- proves a winner where it counts
the most as the very first Blu-ray 3D title on the market; once the studios begin releasing titles
on a regular basis and manufacturer exclusives become a thing of the past, there's no doubt as to
the viability of 3D Blu-ray; it's off to a solid start -- minus the lack of titles -- and can only
improve in the coming
months.
2009
2009
2009
2009
2009
Abominable Fandango Cash
2009
2009
2016
2011
2009
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2004
2020
2016
2019
2013
2005
2006
2009
2008
2018
2002
2009
2017
2008
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Signature Edition
1999