It may be that I am a kid trapped in the body of an adult, or it may be that 3D movies are just plain fun. Whatever it is, I smiled for the first ten minutes of “Monsters vs. Aliensâ€Â out of what I determined was child-like excitement.

After donning my Buddy Holly style glasses, as the big screen instructed, I sat back in my not-so-reclinable reclining seat and waited for my first eye full of astonishing 3D animation.

I have to say I was impressed. I have dabbled in the 3D films shown at parks like Disneyland and Legoland, but I had never seen a full-length feature. The intensity of the 3D effects was greater at the beginning of the movie but overall it kept me visually enveloped throughout the show.

The theater was crowded when we arrived so my mother and I had to sit apart from my brother and my son. As a mother, I felt inclined to look back and check-up on my son, but as person who does not like to miss anything, I had a hard time looking away from the screen.

Similar to other DreamWorks and Pixar animated films, the movie was peppered with clever adult humor. Aside from the humor, I think “Monsters vs. Aliensâ€Â had an educational aspect to it.

A young woman’s wedding, traditionally a major milestone of life, is ruined when she is struck by a meteor that alters her DNA and transforms her into a giant version of herself. Susan Murphy (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) is renamed “Ginormicaâ€Â by the government and becomes the fifth monster in their secret lockdown facility.

Ginormica’s fellow inmates include Bicarbonate Ostylezene Benzoate (Bob), a gelatinous blob birthed in a kitchen mishap, Link, the missing link to the biological association of humans and the creatures of the sea, Dr. Cockroach, a roach/man who used to be an amazing mad scientist and “Insectosaurus,â€Â a massively oversized grub.

The monsters are outcasts. They are locked up because the government fears the world cannot handle the truth of their existence. Then, an alien threatens the world and the monsters are offered freedom in exchange for protecting earth and defeating the alien.

The film “Monsters vs. Aliensâ€Â is a family movie with good morals and values. It teaches respect for each other and for our differences because we are all useful in some way.

I agree with the critics, “Monsters vs. Aliensâ€Â is a must see in 3D!