Monsters vs. Aliens
Movie, 2009, Originals
Monsters vs. Aliens is #18 of 51 in release order and #11 of 51 in chronological order in the DreamWorks Animation.
The story
When Susan Murphy is unwittingly clobbered by a meteor full of outer space gunk on her wedding day, she mysteriously grows to 49-feet-11-inches. The military jumps into action and captures Susan, secreting her away to a covert government compound. She is renamed Ginormica and placed in confinement with a ragtag group of Monsters...
Monsters vs. Aliens recap
On her wedding day, Susan Murphy is hit by a meteorite carrying quantonium and grows to nearly fifty feet tall. The government captures her, renames her Ginormica and locks her in a secret facility with other monsters: the brilliant Dr. Cockroach, the brainless blob B.O.B., the fish-ape Missing Link and the giant larva Insectosaurus. When the alien warlord Gallaxhar invades to recover the quantonium, General Monger persuades the President to let the monsters fight. They defeat Gallaxhar's robot in San Francisco, and Susan's fiance Derek dumps her because she is bigger than him. Gallaxhar then captures Susan and extracts the quantonium, shrinking her to normal size, so he can use it to make an army of clones of himself.
Monsters vs. Aliens ending explained
The monsters break into the mothership, and Susan, cornered by Gallaxhar, absorbs the quantonium again, growing to full size. The ship's self-destruct is triggered and the monsters escape just before it blows up, taking Gallaxhar and his clones with it. Susan embraces life as a monster and the team is sent off on their next mission.
Post-credits scenes
During the credits, the President accidentally presses the wrong red button and launches the nuclear missiles.
Where to watch Monsters vs. Aliens
Monsters vs. Aliens is streaming on Paramount+ and Peacock in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 6.4/10, Rotten Tomatoes 73%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, before How to Train Your Dragon.
- Chronological order: after Bee Movie, before Megamind.
What to watch before Monsters vs. Aliens
In release order, 10 DreamWorks Animation essentials come before Monsters vs. Aliens (2009), from Antz (1998) to Bee Movie (2007).
Cast
- Reese Witherspoon as Susan Murphy / Ginormica (voice)
- Seth Rogen as B.O.B. (voice)
- Hugh Laurie as Dr. Cockroach Ph.D. (voice)
- Rainn Wilson as Gallaxhar (voice)
- Will Arnett as The Missing Link (voice)
- Kiefer Sutherland as General W.R. Monger (voice)
- Paul Rudd as Derek Dietl (voice)
- Stephen Colbert as President Hathaway (voice)
- Julie White as Wendy Murphy (voice)
- Jeffrey Tambor as Carl Murphy (voice)
- Amy Poehler as Computer (voice)
- Ed Helms as News Reporter (voice)
Directed by Rob Letterman, Conrad Vernon.