Monsters
(2010)
Directed
by Gareth Edwards
Starring
Whitney Able & Scoot McNairy
Years
after a NASA probe crashes back down to earth, an alien virus that came with
has made itself at home. From the point of impact in northern Mexico, the
foreign entity has spawned new fauna, fungi, and wildlife. Andrew Kaulder is a
photo journalist looking for a career making pic in the area living with infection.
He reluctantly takes a job from a media mogul to escort his daughter, Samantha Wynden,
home to her fiancé. When they both lose their passports and money, the pair are
forced to take the long way back to America. Their journey shows them what life
is like now that the aliens are longtime residents, and it shows them what life
is like with each other.
The
brain child of visual effects artist turned director Gareth Edwards, Monster is a road movie that’s all about
the journey. More than anything else the film deals with two people on an
incredible journey of personal discovery. They’re still fleeing from giant
tentacle beasts, but it’s not entirely focused on that aspect. Andrew and
Samantha actually grow as characters over the course of the film. They find out
what they really want from life, even if it’s a little too late for them to
achieve it. This is astonishingly refreshing; a creature feature that develops
its characters and not its creatures.
There
is also some beautiful cinematography in this movie. Sights, colors, and a
visual continuity I didn’t know people could do with handheld digital cameras. The
shots themselves are rarely steady, but the film never devolves into shaky cam.
Instead, Monsters has a visual
aesthetic that’s a bit guerrilla-indie-filmmaker and a bit of a reflection of the
main characters' state of being.
Gareth
Edwards doesn’t use a lot of visual effects in Monsters. Any alien activity is shown through CGI which runs the
gamut of decent to middling. Some of the affected landscapes, like
bioluminescent mushrooms, look great. The creatures themselves, however, are a
step above those seen in a SyFy movie of the week.
What
works in the effects favor id that the alien are shown mostly in shadow and
never entirely revealed. The sets look fantastic and incredibly detailed. There
are areas of alien infection, lush jungles, desolate highways, and towns torn
apart by conflict. All look of these look gritty and splendid.
The
two actors that carry the entire movie are Whitney Able and Scoot McNairy. As
Samantha and Andrew respectively, these two show a surprising amount of vulnerability
and growth. Able skillfully conveys Samantha’s need for something meaningful in
her life. McNairy unveils the decent guy underneath Andrew’s douchebag veneer. Most
of the supporting roles were filled by non-actors who lived where Edwards was
shooting, so it’s hard to judge their acting abilities. That being said they
did a fine job and added a sense of reality to the whole film.
Monsters
is a delightful surprise and a great debut for Gareth Edwards. It’s thoughtful,
engaging, and scary when it needs to be. Do yourself a favor and seek this out
immediately.
9 out of 10
