MONSTERS
Directed and written by: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Whitney Able, Scoot McNairy
Gareth Edwards’ sci-fi feature debut should be applauded for doing some incredible things with an incredibly small budget of an estimated $15,000 dollars (for comparison’s sake, the first Paranormal Activity was made for around $11,000, and District 9 which was still considered “low budget” was made for around $30 million). Edwards shot on location throughout Mexico with virtually no crew, largely operating the camera himself, which gave the film a certain authenticity, which was nice, especially in the middle section of the film.
The film takes places six years after an alien invasion, which has created an “infected zone” covering most of Mexico and the southern border of the United States. Andrew (McNairy) is a photojournalist who is tasked with bringing back Samantha (Able), the daughter of a publisher, to the United States after a flare-up of violence between the creatures and the military. From there, the pair travels through Mexico, largely by foot, trying to make their way to a ferry that can get them to the states.
There are some political overtones in the film, and while the initial implications of them are handled deftly, as the were for the most part in District 9, through examinations of how people in Mexico are living, the corrupt business owners to the portrayal of the American military from the perspective of those living in Mexico, all work in informing the political message of the film. However, things get a little too on the nose as Andrew and Samantha traverse through the Mexican jungle and come upon a massive wall, a so called “7th wonder of the world”. There’s a giant wall put up by the American government in order to keep the aliens from entering the country…illegally. You see what I mean.
The intimate shooting style and largely improvised dialogue is a mixed bag; when it works it really captures Mexican life and culture the way that a film like District 9 gave audiences an inside look at South Africa. However, when it does work, which unfortunately is a lot of the time that Andrew and Samathana are engaged in “meaningful conversation”, it just falls into standard “mismatched strangers on a journey” fare, and everything becomes stilted and uncomfortable.
The monsters, when they show up, are a marvel to behold, and are like something out of a light up HP Lovecraft fever dream. They almost remind me of the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park or the creatures in The Abyss more than the “prawns” of District 9. However, up until maybe the last ten minutes of the film, we don’t really see the creatures clearly, only in glimpses, but they are incredibly convincing, and at once menacing and beautiful.
The ending is one of those that will really effect what you think of the movie. There is a bit of room for interpretation, but to me it just came off as trite and kind of burnished the whole experience of the film for me. I think that MONSTERS could have merited the comparisons to films like District 9 if more time was invested in putting the script together and having a clearer path for the characters to follow, rather than just letting the actors making up so much on their own. However, this is a solid sci-fi film, definitely worth the eight dollar iTunes rental or On Demand purchase and I hope the trend of more realistic science fiction taking place in the present or relative future continues.
3 out of 5
