‘Monsters vs. Aliens’

Talk about a monster hit.

The makers of "Monsters vs. Aliens" are so sure of its success that they set up the sequel before the first movie ends.

No brag, just fact.

That's because this computer-animated romp -- the first of DreamWorks Animation's new all-3-D, all-the-time policy -- is machine-tooled to provide something-for-everyone fun.

For the kids, there's the brand of goofy slapstick that made last summer's "Kung Fu Panda" a success -- and, for the grown-ups, a barrage of spoofy references recalling everything from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" to "The Attack of the 50 Foot Woman."

All of which makes "Monsters vs. Aliens" a definite kick, if not exactly an instant classic.

The movie opens in modest Modesto, Calif. (hometown of "Star Wars" guru George Lucas and the setting for his 1973 breakout hit "American Graffiti"), where Susan Murphy (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) has just agreed to marry the resident TV weather guy, dim-bulb Derek Dietl (voiced by Paul Rudd).

It's tough to imagine anything could possibly be bigger than Derek's ego, but that something shows up on Susan and Derek's wedding day: a meteor that crash-lands just outside the church, emitting strange space rays that transform the lovely bride into Bridezilla.

Or, more precisely, into Ginormica, an Amazing Colossal Woman who can leap tall buildings -- or stomp them -- with equal ease.

No wonder a standout is whisked off to a secret compound where gung-ho Gen. W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland) has stashed other monster captives.

There's a mad scientist (Hugh Laurie) who's succeeded in capturing the cockroach's impossible-to-kill invulnerability -- by becoming a cockroach himself. The Missing Link (Will Arnett) may be half-man and half-ape, but inside, he's all macho party animal.

And while Santa Claus' belly may shake like a bowl of jelly, bouncy B.O.B. (Seth Rogen) does that all over. He can't help it; he's a blob of mutant blue goo who says anything that pops into his empty, shape-shifting head. No wonder the 350-foot Insectosaurus never says anything; with B.O.B., Link and Dr. Cockroach around, he (it?) would never get a word in edgewise.

Susan understandably feels a bit out of place among her fellow monsters, but at 49-foot-11, she's still adjusting to livin' large.

At least until Earth comes under attack from a rampaging alien force -- and the overwhelmed U.S. president (voiced by Stephen Colbert) sends in Gen. Monger's five-member monster crew to lead the defense.

It's a battle that leads from the Golden Gate Bridge to a distant realm commanded by crazed, quadra-eyed Gallaxhar (voiced by "The Office's" Rainn Wilson), who's understandably peeved when the pesky monsters try to save a planet that, under normal circumstances, would prefer to lock them up and forget their existence.

But we'll leave such philosophical musing for the introspective likes of "X-Men."

In the "Monsters vs. Aliens" universe, there's not much room for anything but action-packed laughs.

Directors Rob Letterman ("Shark Tale") and Conrad Vernon ("Shrek 2") can't do much about the movie's slow start, during which we get to know Susan and Derek -- and hope for something, anything, to stop their impending misalliance.

Once we know what that something is, "Monsters vs. Aliens" blasts off, zooming through an eye-popping array of slapstick sequences that seem even more eye-popping in 3-D.

With five credited screenwriters (including veterans of TV's "The Simpsons," "King of the Hill" and "The Larry Sanders Show"), it's hardly surprising that "Monsters vs. Aliens" often plays like an animated sitcom, with an emphasis on rapid-fire jokes rather than character development.

No matter how rapid-fire the jokes, however, "Monsters vs. Aliens" provides plenty of time to ponder the amazingly detailed computer animation, from the silky strands of Susan's bouncin'-and-behavin' platinum hair to the tiny bubbles inside B.O.B.'s gelatinous mass.

The all-star vocal ensemble also delivers with gleeful zeal, from Laurie's cerebral yet maniacal authority to Rogen's uproariously literal brainlessness. And even in animated form, Witherspoon proves an endearing heroine, especially when Susan discovers her inner incredible woman, even (and especially) though she's not exactly shrinking.

Despite its attributes, however, "Monsters vs. Aliens" never lets you forget you're watching a movie.

Some animated features -- from "Dumbo" to "Wall-E," from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" to "Waltz With Bashir" -- create such a compelling world that, once you're inside it, you don't notice the clever script or stunning animation because you're far too caught up in the characters to care about mere technicalities.

That never happens in "Monsters vs. Aliens."

Even so, enough entertaining things happen to guarantee that you'll be more than ready for a return trip when the inevitable sequel lands in theaters.

Contact movie critic Carol Cling at ccling@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272.