Just wanted to warn parents that the beginning of the movie, when Susan quickly grows enormous during her wedding can be scary for younger children, primarily because of the emotional distress the character displays during the process, and because she is then taken away from her family against her will. She's fine in the end, of course, and the later scenes of violence and threat to the entire earth didn't phase her at all, but my 6-year-old had nightmares for several nights about the separation from parents/abduction aspect.
Monsters vs. Aliens
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Homage to '50s alien flicks too intense for youngest kids.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 7 and Up
The good stuff
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Role models:
What to watch out for
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Violence & scariness:
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Sexy stuff:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Monsters vs. Aliens was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
Parents need to know that, like The Incredibles, this movie is too violent and intense for the youngest viewers. There's gunfire, explosions, widespread destruction, crowds panicking, and some deaths -- including one in which a good guy picks up a gun and accidentally shoots a bad guy, with no real consequences. Much of this is played for laughs, but it could be quite scary for young kids. One of the good guys is briefly presumed dead, which could also be upsetting. On the other hand, language is mild ("jerk," "stupid," etc.), and sexuality is mostly just flirting and discussing love/marriage, though there's one scene in which a couple is about to make out in a parked car. The movie is being released in both 2-D and 3-D versions; the 3-D one could be scarier for kids due to the finer line between fantasy and reality.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about the impact of using violence -- even animated fantasy violence -- to elicit laughs. Why is it funny to see a character get shot? Would it have been as funny if it was a human (or monster) getting shot instead of a generic alien clone? What are the consequences of violence in real life?
- Families can also discuss how Susan's character evolves in the movie. How does she change, both physically and emotionally? Is she a good role model for girls? Why or why not?
Have you seen it? Review It!
More on Monsters vs. Aliens
What’s the Story?
Susan Murphy (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) is about to marry one of Modesto, Calif.'s, biggest catches -- egotistical local weatherman Derek Dietl (Paul Rudd). But right before she walks down the aisle, a meteorite mysteriously endows her with intergalactic superpowers, and she suddenly shoots up to nearly 50 feet tall. The military immediately ensconces her in a secret prison; there, Susan (now known as "Ginormica") meets fellow internees BOB (Seth Rogen), a sentient blob-like mass; Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. (Hugh Laurie), a mad scientist who morphed into a roach; The Missing Link (Will Arnett), a half-man, half-fish show off; and a humongous grub called Insectosaurus. When an evil alien (Rainn Wilson) unleashes a destructive robot on San Francisco, the government releases the monsters to take down the massive threat to humanity.
Is It Any Good?
DreamWorks Animation often takes a backseat to the computer-animation masters at Pixar, but MONSTERS VS. ALIENS is practically Pixar worthy -- which is to say it's the kind of animated adventure that even child-free audiences can enjoy. Resurrecting the campy, old-school villains of '50s B movies as modern-day heroes is brilliant, even if the target audience won't get most of the references. Directors Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon should also be applauded for the 3-D action scenes that are thrilling enough for adults without being too intense for tweens.
The voice talent is stellar -- from sweet-sounding Witherspoon to Dr. House as Dr. Roach to friendly shlub Rogen as a brainless blob to Kiefer Sutherland channeling Dale Dye as General W.R. Monger (get it?). And more than a few moviegoers will hoot for joy at the casting of Stephen Colbert as a doltish president who's first seen trying to communicate with the alien robot by playing both the tune from Close Encounters and "Axel F" on keyboard. The president also keeps accidentally almost pushing a big red button that releases nuclear weapons ... which is identical to the one that releases a latte. It's gags like that one that make Monsters vs. Aliens a real blast.
Movie Details
Studio: DreamWorks Pictures, Directors: Rob Letterman, Conrad Vernon
Run time: 94 minutes
Theatrical release: 3/27/2009, DVD release: 9/29/2009
MPAA Rating: PG for sci-fi action, some crude humor and mild language
Run time: 94 minutes
Theatrical release: 3/27/2009, DVD release: 9/29/2009
MPAA Rating: PG for sci-fi action, some crude humor and mild language
Our Members Say
See all 113 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 4 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Monsters vs. Aliens
This is one of my family top favorite movie of all time. What are common sense talking about?? Too violent and intense?? Come on! This movie is like the The Incredibles, it's not too violent and intense for the whole family. My 34 and 6 years old brothers LOVE it and they were NOT scared at all. This movie is one of the best family movie ever, you havr to watch this with your family!
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I rate this title on for age 14 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Perfect For All kids Ages Everywhere
I Love it It's Awesome and It's the Bomb.
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
More for parents than kids
Not for younger viewers. Too much of a sense of menace and danger, even in most of the milder scenes. I got a kick out of it, but my son asked to turn it off (loudly).
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I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
review
its great kids movie and even family movie
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I rate this title off for age 5 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Lots O' Violance And Scarriness
Its pretty scary...
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
very funny movie !!! :D
it's a very funny movie , i loved it. my fave of the characters is the blue guy ,i don't remember his name right now. it has a lots of gunfire and 2 aliens get shot , but in a very funny way :) so kids of age 6 and up can watch it.
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I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
First of all, I'm not the kind of person who downrates a movie for being "inappropriate"
I believe that as long as it's not too gory, it's okay for kids. However, I just don't see the appeal this movie has. I feel it could very well be one of the most overrated Dreamworks films ever. It's funny in some areas, but most of the humor is predictable. It's like dreamworks focused more on the humor than the actual story and what we got was just okay. Suzan was underdeveloped and the other characters aren't all that likeable. In fact, this felt more like a "shove every pop culture reference possible in our faces" kind of deal. I truly feel that had Dreamworks worked a better story around it all, it would have been great, but for what it is, it's okay and nothing more.
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I rate this title iffy for age 6 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
funny and action filled movie. great for evryone
awesome! anyone who is allowed to see it will love it. there is explosions and gunfire, and the president shoots a alien robot. a alien is shot by accident. monsters fight against a robot attacking a bridge. there is some mild language (eat lead, jerk) they use teamwork alot in this movie. There is also some rude humor.
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I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
- My highlights are:
great family movie...funny and easy to watch
Our family really enjoyed this movie. It was age-appropriate for each child on a different level and Dad and I also had some laughs. It's easy to watch, we liked the subtle references to other space/alien movies and I appreciated the lessons about teamwork and accepting your differences (even if they are significant). This will definitely be a classic in our dvd collection.
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I rate this title on for age 4 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Fun movie with a Sci-Fi twist
I really liked this movie. The main character was very devoted to her family, friends and to the man she (did) love. All the monsters treated each other with respect and helped each other out. The ending could be intense for younger/sensitive kids but they tried not to go over the top.
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I rate this title iffy for age 6 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
NOT SOOOO GREAT
This movie was not soooo great. But that's just because it wasnt my type of movie but younger kids like say age 6 and up will love the humor and animated vilonce (which is pritty much age appropreat)
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Laughed my head off! Some scary scenes for kids 6- But is very good!
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
For any age but need parent to comfort
It did not have a message to it nor was it educational but it was fun to watch and I think everyone, any age, will enjoy it. Although I said it was for ages 6+ I think any age can watch it as long as children under 6 has a parent with them to comfort them through it. It's funny but some scenes may scare young children as the fight scene scared my sister who is 6 going on 7.
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Great Girl Hero
The look of the monsters and aliens might be too scary for younger kids (under seven) or those with active imaginations, but my usually sensitive girls weren't turned off at all. We liked the way Susan/Ginormica gains confidence and starts to trust in her own abilities, with or without the aid of glowing green stuff from space! There were plenty of references to the classics of sci-fi, which made Papa happy. The depiction of friendship was great, and the message is clear that her parents love her no matter what, and she doesn't need a man to achieve her dreams - true friends are more than enough.
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
7 year old son loved it, went to see it twice. the fight scene was a little intense, but not too scary.
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My highlights are:
Monsters vs. Aliens awesome for 10-12 year olds
I loved it so, much. I thought it wasa hillarious, funny, and very entertainining. I loved the part when The missing link sayss"Insectisourus your a...butterfly". I thught that was so, funny.I laughed so hard during the movie I almost fell out of my seat.
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Ratings at a Glance
| 52% | of parents say it's too violent |
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