I was suckered. Suckered by the trailer that made no secret that this was a giant monster movie. It wasn't. What it was was a tale of two people that fall in love while trying to get back home to the U.S. Now it wasn't a bad tale. The two characters were likable enough and their interactions with the residents of Mexico were interesting at times. Their journey was interrupted a bit by conflict but NOT monsters. Science fiction is more often than not an allegory anyway but if your going to sell your movie as a monster movie then you have to eventually tell that tale and your social commentary needs to play a secondary role to big monster action. Do you think people attending a romantic comedy would appreciate the movie actually being about giant monsters?
As it is the monsters appear for about 10 minutes and when they do they are shrouded in dark grainy or distant shots that hide their quality. And yes the movie was made for a shoestring budget which explains this.
Look this movie is about the current immigration policy of the U.S. and it is frankly heavy-handed. When the two alien monsters "embrace" it's pretty clear that the makers of this movie are trying to relay that illegal immigrants are just like the people of the U.S. and that Americans are the real monsters for denying others the ability to cross the border. Of course this message came complete with the obligatory kick in the crotch about suburban Americans being blind to the plight of others which is an overreaching assumption and a lazy oversimplification. You're much better off watching a documentary critical of immigration policy if you're looking to reaffirm your stance on that position than you are watching this movie. Monster movie nerds like me are just going to go away mad for paying $10 and not seeing giant monsters no matter what it is you want to get off your chest.
Review by TheLazyReviewerBlockedParent2024-02-19T10:20:55Z
Film 79 (Goal: 300) of 2024
Monsters is the directorial debut of Gareth Edwards - who would go on to do Rogue One, Godzilla (the 1st in the new Monsterverse) and recently The Creator. The film is a slow burn revolving around two characters, who are attempting to make their way from Mexico back to the U.S. border. The simple premise is altered in that the world they live in is different to our own. A probe was launched to collect samples of alien life, but crashed upon re-entry over Central America. Soon after, new life forms began to appear and half of Mexico was quarantined as an infected zone.
While the film opens with a brief action scene, the action in this film is few and far between. If anything, it's almost a love story, set against the background of an alien infested world. I'd even argue, the morale is love can occur no matter the circumstances. But because of this, this film is as I said a slow burn and that may be off-putting for some.
It's amazing what Gareth Edwards has done with a budget reportedly less than a million dollars. It's almost as if, when talented filmmakers are limited, they squeeze the most potential out of everything - and you get a better film because of it. But for a miniscule budget, the film looks impeccable. Gareth Edwards was also the visual director on this, and he's done an amazing job.
Many people may be turned off by Monsters because it can be an extremely slow journey. But just for the achievement alone of making this, for such a small budget, it deserves a viewing from any film lover.