The Greatest Trick

Those who think the original version of The Blob (starring “Steven” McQueen with its hilarious title song “Beware of the Blob”) is a neglected classic are in for a treat with Monsters vs Aliens. It takes a love of 1950s sci-fi B-movie lore to fully appreciate its cast of colourful and bizarre characters. Each one is a nod to said 50s B-movies, including blue brainless blob B.O.B. (The Blob), a mad scientist fused with a cockroach appropriately called Dr Cockroach (The Fly), an aquatic reptilian monster called The Missing Link (The Creature from the Black Lagoon), a vast half dinosaur half insect called Insectosaurus (presumably a homage to monsters like Mothra in the Godzilla films) and finally Ginormica, a forty nine foot twelve inch woman (Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman). Incidentally her height is apparently thus because of copyright issues with fifty foot women.

Ginormica is the latest addition to a secret government facility where these monsters are housed by General WR Monger to hide them from the outside world. In her former life Ginormica was called Susan, until on her wedding day a meteor containing strange energy crashed next to her causing her to mutate into a giant at the altar. Understandably Susan is rather miffed at all this, and wants to return to her normal size so she can get back to her drippy, selfish fiancé Derek. She gets the chance to do so when the government call on her and the other monsters to repel an alien invasion by the amusingly egotistical four-eyed Gallaxhar.

Directors Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon ensure the animation is almost up to Pixar standards, and the vocal cast – including Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogan, Hugh Laurie, and Kiefer Sutherland – all contribute highly amusing performances. Stephen Colbert’s hilariously inept President Hathaway is also worthy of a special mention since he steals every scene he is in. From the hilarious first contact with the aliens (when the famous Close Encounters five tones don’t work, Hathaway launches into Harold Faltermeyer’s Axel F), to the Dr Strangelove inspired war room scene where the huge red button launching all nuclear warheads is directly next to an identical huge red button that makes him a cup of coffee, Colbert’s inspired lunacy ensures the adults are laughing as much as the children.

The flaw amid the fun – and its quite a serious one – is the plot. Although there are some suitably hilarious and deranged set pieces (particularly one involving a giant robot on the Golden Gate Bridge), the script is predictable and fails to grip the way a Pixar feature does. Its messages about discovering who you really are, doing things for yourself, female empowerment, friendship and so forth are not as poignantly explored as they could have been in more skilled (Pixar) hands.

That said, Monsters vs Aliens is still a fun and entertaining slice of nonsense for all the family, and well worth a look.

Simon Dillon, April 2009.

As someone who has absolutely no interest in football whatsoever, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed The Damned United; the true (or true-ish) story of legendary football manager Brian Clough. It’s not really about football per se, but more a character study that doesn’t ignore Clough’s obsessive personality yet still generates sympathy for him in his long standing feud against Don Revie, the manager of Leeds.

Football matches are wisely kept offscreen most of the time, with director Tom Hooper instead opting to show Clough nervously awaiting the outcome. The 1970s atmosphere is richly conveyed through clichéd but effective means (sideburns, parker jackets etc), and Peter Morgan’s flashback structured screenplay goes some way to showing in an understated way how much football matters in Britain (though I remain unconvinced).

As Clough, Michael Sheen once again excels. After a terrific run of mimic performances (Tony Blair and David Frost are among those in his back catalogue), one wonders if he will ever succeed as well playing a fictional character. The supporting cast are also good – particularly Colm Meaney’s Revie, Jim Broadbent as Derby County Chairman Sam Longson and best of all the excellent Timothy Spall as Clough’s assistant manager Peter Taylor. The relationship between Clough and Taylor is the film’s main focus and an interesting study in how one person can need another to succeed (as Clough’s disastrous management attempt without Taylor to back him up ultimately proves).

Admittedly, this is a slight tale, and feels more like a two act than three act film. Another minus for some Christian audiences will be the swearing (the F word is given a thorough workout). That said, The Damned United does enough for the unconverted (or uninterested) to keep them watching. In fact, a complete ignorance of the facts is probably a bonus as it adds a degree of suspense to the story, although even I knew that Leeds had – and still have – a reputation for dirty tactics on the pitch. I have no idea how much of this is fabrication, but despite protests from Clough’s family who did not approve of the film (or David Peace’s book on which it was based), it does still have redemptive elements that paint Clough as an arrogant, flawed but brilliant man.

Simon Dillon, April 2009.