Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space (NR, 2009)

In MONSTERS VS. ALIENS: MUTANT PUMPKINS FROM OUTER SPACE, those pesky space dwellers are back with a new evil plot for taking down the human race. It’s Halloween, and unsuspecting trick-or-treaters are out en force in Modesto, Calif., unaware that they’re surrounded by mutant pumpkins whose sights are set on their sugary loot, which causes them to grow. Once again it’s up to Susan (voiced by Reese Witherspoon), BOB (Seth Rogen), The Missing Link (Will Arnett), and Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie) to save the humans from the aliens’ wrath and restore order to the town.

There’s no doubt that this holiday special is intended to capitalize on the success of its full-length predecessor rather than stand out on its own merit, as the lackluster content isn’t likely to wow any but the youngest viewers. The story is one-dimensional, the characters’ actions are predictable, and the outcome is hardly a shocker. For most of the show, the plot seems to build toward an exciting climax that never materializes, leaving older viewers (who may have loved the original movie) wondering what the point was.

That’s not to say the special is totally devoid of entertainment value. With the exception of classics like It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, holiday specials typically don’t boast great staying power anyway, and Mutant Pumpkins is just more of the same. And at least younger kids for whom the original movie was a tad too intense can tune in to this Halloween tale without parents worrying much about its very mild content.