Product Description

When California girl 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 tall. Alerted to the threat of this new monster, the military jumps into action and Susan is captured and secreted away to a covert government compound. There, she is renamed Ginormica and placed in confinement with a ragtag group of other monsters: the brilliant but insect-headed Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D.; the macho half-ape, half-fish The Missing Link; the gelatinous and indestructible B.O.B.; and the 350-foot grub called Insectosaurus. Their confinement is cut short, however, when a mysterious alien robot lands on Earth and begins storming the country. In a moment of desperation, The President is persuaded by General W.R. Monger to enlist the motley crew of Monsters to combat the Alien Robot and save the world from imminent destruction.


There's really nothing with which to compare this 1080p, 3D, 2.35:1-framed transfer from DreamWorks, but it nevertheless impresses a great deal in terms of not only the generally seamless 3D presentation, but in the usual array of criteria such as detail and color reproduction as analyzed while in 3D playback mode. As to the basics first, fine detail holds up incredibly well -- looking as good as the 2D version, in fact -- throughout. Many early outdoor scenes feature some short but wavy grass that never looks clumpy and, in several scenes, practically each blade may be counted on the screen. A gazebo as seen in chapter three nicely showcases excellent wood textures, a faded paint job, and various scratches and chips in the white paint. Freckles are distinct on Susan's skin, and wrinkles on an older character show good realism and add plenty of fine texture to an aging face. Viewers will be able to see individual strands of fur on Insectosaurus' body, and they're even more impressive in several close-up shots as each strand seems to move to and fro in the 3D realm. Colors, too, are excellent; whether the rusty orange color of the Golden Gate Bridge or B.O.B.'s bright blue gelatinous body, all hues both bright and dark sparkle throughout, even through the lenses of the 3D glasses. The movie features several dark scenes, too, and black levels hold up very well, never masking any crucial or background detail in the image.

As described at length above, the 3D sensation is nearly flawless, save for several instances of "ghosting," noted at the 18:30 mark as W.R. Monger flies around the compound on his jet pack; on the alien robot at 37:55; on a floating spoon at 47:38; and in several other shots throughout. Again, it cannot be stressed enough that such instances are the exception rather than the rule; the vast majority of the image is as smooth and distortion-free as one can imagine. Though the original 2D release of Monsters vs. Aliens was not available in anaglyph 3D, the companion short film, B.O.B.'s Big Break was; comparing the two one after another, there's simply no doubt as to how vastly superior full HD 3D Blu-ray is next to anaglyph, even with the few hiccups incurred through the course of the film and, to a lesser extent, B.O.B.'s Big Break. It's really like a transition from watching a worn VHS tape to a top-rated Blu-ray disc. For those that are curious, the bitrate during 3D playback hovers around the 17-20 Mbps range, and the picture is encoded using the standard MPEG-4 codec. Also, please note that all screenshots are taken directly from the 2D version of the film that's found on this 3D disc. Pictures 16-20 are camera stills of the 3D HDTV screen during 3D playback.


Unfortunately, this particular edition of Monsters vs. Aliens arrives on Blu-ray with a collection of lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks; gone is the superb lossless mix that accompanied the standard 2D release. Disappointing? Yes. The end of the world? No. Time to push the panic button? Far from it. Certainly, every Blu-ray release at this point in time should include a lossless soundtrack, even if it is a re-release that's a brand-exclusive and promotional tie-in that's not for individual retail sale. Granted, as the first 3D Blu-ray release, all the focus is on the picture quality, and rightfully so. Still, the soundtrack is a vital component to any movie-watching experience, and it's likely that many early adopters of the 3D technology are home theater enthusiasts with a demand for and with a set-up that's capable of playing high definition soundtracks. This will certainly need to be addressed in the near future -- and hopefully corrected when Monsters vs. Aliens finally earns a wide release as a 3D Blu-ray title -- or the format will continue to struggle as it attempts to emerge from its infancy. As it is, this is still a capable Dolby Digital soundtrack. It's certainly clear as a whistle and delivers some distinct surround information and a fair bit of environmental ambience, but it lacks the pristine clarity of the lossless mix, and even more notably absent is a heftier and more pronounced low end. It's not a deal breaker -- at least not considering everything else at this point in time -- but it was certainly nothing short of a shocking disappointment to see nothing but a string of Dolby Digital offerings inside the disc's menu selection screen.

3D Blu-ray DVD Movies Disc - Monsters vs. Aliens 3D Features

Video
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Audio

Subtitles

Discs
50GB Blu-ray Disc
 

Package Content

3D Blu-ray DVD Movies Disc(50GB) - Monsters vs. Aliens 3D x 1