After becoming gigantic in a hit-and-run with a meteorite, ordinary gal Susan (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) joins the ranks of the military's super-secret monster squad. When an alien attacks Earth, Susan and her cohorts, who include a brainy cockroach, a blob, the missing link and a huge grub, come to the rescue in this animated feature from Conrad Vernon and Rob Letterman. It's a brightly colored, tongue-in-cheek update of 1950s B-flicks, combining both supersized mutants and outer-space invaders. Younger kids may find the story a trifle confusing (and wordy), but there's a lot of silly jokes and the visuals are great fun. (I also tip my hat to the awesome sounds, especially the icky noise the army of squid-aliens makes.) The "monsters" are way more cute than fearsome, with the translucent, one-eyed blue blob (voiced by Seth Rogen) stealing the show. The film screens in 3-D in select theaters, and the eye-popping animation is probably worth the journey and the goofy glasses. Starts Fri., March 27.
