How do you know what the target audience for a movie is? One indicator is the subject matter. Another interesting way to tell is by the previews that precede a movie. When I went to see Monsters vs. Aliens, they ran an ad for the DVD release of Bedtime Stories. They also had a preview for UP, Disney-Pixar’s latest, Imagine That, Eddie Murphy’s up-coming film, and Astro Boy, a re-make of a popular Japanese comic. So, based on this, you would think that Monsters vs. Aliens was a children’s film, but after seeing it, I’m not so sure.
Monsters vs. Aliens is a spoof of the many Horror and Sci-Fi films of the 50’s, 60”s and 70’s. There were references to The Day The Earth Stood Still, The Blob, Attack Of The Fifty Foot Woman, The Fly, and many, many, more. Since anyone under the age of 12 would have never heard of these films, it made we wonder who this movie was written for.
I enjoyed Monster vs. Aliens. As a movie buff I got a lot of the jokes and references. But I couldn’t help wondering how a child would receive it, was there enough in there for them? Parts of the movie were quite scary. Even a child could feel the rejection, loneliness, and despair Susan felt. Or, the terror she displayed when the robot went after her and destroyed parts of San Francisco. I remember how effective the evil Queen in Snow White was when I was a little girl. I don’t know how I would have reacted to an evil alien War Lord with five eyes, especially after he kept cloning himself like a scene out of I Robot, or one of the Star Wars, films.
I went to an evening showing of this film and the audience was mostly adults. The only reason I knew there was a child in the theatre because I heard her laugh after BOB did something funny, but that was a good three-quarters into the film. Up until that point I didn’t know she was there. If I were a parent, I would do a little more research before taking my child to this film. But as an adult, the voice-over work is good, the characters are fun, and I enjoyed the movie references. For me, it would make a great afternoon.
Rating: Bargain Matinee Or, go on a school night to avoid the kids
About Me
- Melanie Wilson
- My Reviewer's Philosophy: I believe that every film has its audience. One man’s Citizen Kane is another man’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre. My purpose is to help you spend your entertainment dollars wisely. A bad review never kept me from going to a film I wanted to see, but a good review will sometimes get me to a film I never considered. As a movie lover I want you to go to the movies. When more people go to the movies, the more movies get made. But, I also believe that if you enjoy the films you see, you naturally will be inclined to go more often. So join me in supporting our film industry by going to a movie today. Hopefully I can steer you towards a good one. See you at the movies. Melanie Wilson
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