Monsters (2010)
Directed by Gareth Edwards
Starring Whitney Able, Scoot McNairy

Right off the bat, we need to get one thing perfectly clear. If there ever was a film that was miss-titled, this would be it. Yes, there are monsters in this film, but it is a very, very small part of this film. It is basically just the background for this simple drama. Which I wouldn’t have had as big of a problem with it had the film been called something like Finding Love…While Some Monsters Roaming Around. But when you call the film Monsters….I kind of expect some..I don’t know…maybe some monsters….maybe a LOT of monsters. The actual working title for the film was Far From Home, which I think fits a lot better. And for the other argument, yes…I get it that WE are the monsters. Still doesn’t change my previous thoughts.

But what is even worse, is that since the film is basically following these two characters who are trying to get home, they have to carry the film.  Or at least until a creature shows up.  And therein lies the problem. These two characters, played by Whitney Able and Scoot McNairy, and the story, just cannot hold up the movie. This has nothing to do with the two actors, who do a good job with what they had. It is just the lack of a good script, if there really was one. The story alludes to the fact that the character of Andrew as someone that we think at first is just a scumbag, until it’s revealed that he really is a nice guy. Oh…how touching. The character of Samantha is some rich guy’s daughter who is engaged to someone that she obviously doesn’t care too much about. Especially if she starts to fall for this guy she just met just a few hours before. So getting behind these characters or caring for them is something we just couldn’t get into.

As we follow them as they try to get to through the infected area in Mexico and the southern part of the US, they run into more and more trouble. Having to make their way in a more unscrupulous way, and a much more dangerous one as well, we get glimpses of these alien creatures that have been slowly spawning in the south. Like something from a Lovecraft story, these giant octopus-like creatures are pretty impressive. But again, nothing is really done with them, other to give the audience a little scare here or there.

Now, with all that being said, I do have to say that the film was extremely well shot and was very well produced. The creature effects are impressive, even in the darker scenes where we are not suppose to see that much. They gave us little glimpses here and there, which made those sequences pretty frightening. And when the monsters do show up, most of those scenes are effective in bringing terror to the viewer. Because we’re not really sure what these creatures are, or what they are there for, anything is up for grabs. The scene near the at the gas station, with the black sky being lit up with lightning flashes, giving us little quick shots of the monsters, it is a highly effective sequence.

The other amazing thing is the look of the film and how it was made. These two actors and a minimum of a crew were filming in different parts of these small countries, usually without permission, using the locals there for extras. With just a basic outline of what was supposed to be shot, the director lead these two through different scenes, all the while knowing in his head what was going to be added later in post production. Of course, this could explain why I thought the storyline was a bit weak. With a budget reported at around $800,000, this should show Hollywood that you don’t need $50 million dollars to make a movie. Just some talented people working on it. If you listen to the audio commentary, you’ll hear the director say how the sequence when our characters are on a boat ride, and they see an half-sunken jet fighter being taken down under water by some tentacles, which all was filmed in the director’s bathtub with a toy plane, is pretty freaking impressive. So in that aspect, the film is worth watching.

Which leads to another mark of talent. While the creatures effects were done well (though we really could have used more), all the other little parts that make this film seem much more expensive, was all done with CGI. Anytime we see a sign or banner about the infected zone was either a real sign with a new face put on it, or a completely CGI sign. The high towering fences used to keep the creatures out, airplanes and helicopters, all of that were CGI. So in that regards, I have to give Edwards some very high marks.

I would like to say that Monsters is worth watching, if only because of the creatures and how well the film was made. But the problem is that it is simply just too boring. It would definitely not be one that I would ever sit down to watch again. Or if I did, I would have my finger on the fast forward button through most of the movie. Which is a real shame, because I think with the right story, and some more monster action, this could have been a great film, and still get the drama and message that Edwards wanted to convey.