The creatures are unleashed when a multi-eyed intergalactic squid (voiced by an underwhelming Wilson) plans to enslave the human race. Even the US President (voiced by a lackluster Stephen Colbert) is helpless to stop the impending danger.
The jokes, as expected, come fast and furious, with about a 50-50 funny ratio. The action was not too far behind, but it still contained a surprising amount of downtime in a film with a title such as this.
There are a few incredibly staged 3-D set pieces, one involving a tangle on the Golden Gate Bridge that packs most of the film's money shots. But there are even more scenes that call into question the merit for the extra bucks forked over for the funky glasses.
While most of the kids will get neither the films or jokes referenced (unless your 3-year-old just loves him some House of Wax or can’t get enough Dr. Strangelove), they should be happily satiated by all the shiny set pieces and engaging monsters. And that is about all that is offered, which is still leaps and bounds from the studio's other animated fare, such as Shark Tale and Bee Movie.
And while the writing has not reached the timeless levels of its competitors at Pixar, it's markedly improved over the endless, random barrage of Family Guy-style winks to whatever is popular at the moment. (The film does occasionally dip its toes in that pond, with an already-dated Dance Dance Revolution segment and a Beverly Hills Cop musical interlude that serves little purpose but to throw parents a bone.)
It's not the Monster mush one might expect from the studio's past spotty track record, but without its talented cast, this alien invasion would have not been nearly as friendly.
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