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Movie Review: Monsters

Monsters (2010)

Director: Gareth Edwards

A space probe carrying samples of extraterrestrial life crashes in Mexico. Soon, half the country is teeming with huge new lifeforms and becomes known as the Infected Zone. Six years later, photojournalist Andrew Kaulder is in Mexico trying to get a good shot of one of the monsters. He's called upon to escort his boss's daughter Sam, who is travelling in the area,  safely back home before the monsters' migration season begins and travel is restricted. Of course something goes wrong, they miss the last boat to the States and are forced to travel through the infected zone. The movie follows Sam and Kaulder on their journey through the Mexican wilderness as they try to get back home.

Despite the title, this is not a typical sci-fi monster movie. The focus is not on the 'invasion' and people panicking as most monster movies are. The aliens have become a fact of life, something people see on the news everyday. The film is more of a travelogue than anything. It really focuses on Sam and Kaulder's characters, their experiences as they travel through the infected zone and their budding relationship. The threat from the monsters lurks mostly in the background.

This movie has a bit of everything: action, drama, romance, social commentary and gorgeous imagery of the Mexican and Central American countryside. The cinematography and effects were exceptional. From crowded ports to jungles to Aztec ruins, everything was very visually attractive. Special effects were blended in seamlessly to showcase the destruction caused by the monsters.

*Mild spoilers*

My favorite part of the movie came when Sam and Kaulder (and the audience) finally come face-to-face with the monsters. Throughout the movie you see news footage of them and evidence of their devastating run-ins with people, but it's not until this point that you really get a good look at them and it's quite amazing. The sense of awe from the characters as they behold the gigantic, tentacled, bio-luminescent creatures is palpable; a most impressive job by the actors since the monsters are entirely CGI. The decision to keep the monsters hidden for most of the movie really pays off when they are finally revealed.

*End of mild spoilers*

The movie did have a few weaknesses. I found the relationship between Sam and Kaulder a little hard to believe at the beginning.  Between the circumstances and the speed at which it was introduced, it felt a little forced. As the movie progressed it did become more believable. The narrative was also slow at times and some scenes went on longer than they should have.

Overall I liked Monsters. It's not something I have an urge to watch repeatedly, but it was enjoyable and was unlike any other sci-fi movie I've seen (the frequent comparisons to District 9 are tenuous at best).

Hearing the director speak about the movie after the screening made me appreciate it more than the actual viewing did. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not, but I was really impressed when I heard about the guerrilla-style of filming that was used. Gareth Edwards was not only the director, but was also the screenwriter, cinematographer and special effects artist. Most of the dialogue in the movie was improvised and besides the two leads the cast was made up of locals who agreed to be in the movie while the filming was taking place. It sounded like a very risky way to make a movie, but through luck, skill or perseverance (probably all three) it turned out very well.

Rating:

Monsters will be released in theatres in the USA on October 29th, in Canada on November 5th, and in the UK on November 12th.