Monsters (2010)

Terry's Grade: B

I think Monsters falls into that category of movie that definitely worth watching if you're looking for something to do, but isn't necessarily worth going out of your way for. My main criticism of the movie is that, basically, nothing happens. But that's also one of the reasons I like it. Monsters is a movie that takes on an established genre from a new angle, and does it well. First, it belongs to the sci-fi genre of "giant, slithery, blinking aliens have come to Earth and they're killing our people and desolating our landscapes," but it's generally a quiet, kind of slow movie. Sure, there are scenes with machine guns blasting and cars getting tossed around, but they're put in as punctuation, not the main content. Also, it's a movie in the "we don't really get a good look at these aliens until the end of the movie" genre, but it avoids the overused handheld camera trope, and reminds us that there's a reason why we like movies that use good photographers. (Not coincidentally, I suspect, the main character is himself a photographer.)

Monsters is entirely Gareth Edwards' creation; he wrote, directed, filmed, and created the special effects himself. According to Wikipedia, the shooting crew was made up of just five people, plus the two main actors, and the total budget was a half a million dollars. Monsters definitely has some of the qualities of the new low-budget sci-fi: the aliens have fairly limited screen time and the plot is very character-oriented -- it's much more of a love story than an alien invasion story. What stands out is the fact that the special effects stand up extremely well when we finally get a good look at them; while the budget might have been a factor in the limited amount of screen time for the aliens (I imagine Mr. Edwards had his hands full), these are not low-budget effects. In a similar sort of cost-saving measure, the script only involves two main characters, and the actors who play them are adept and well-suited to their roles. Most of the supporting roles are well-played by what I assume are local Mexican actors or just locals. The only bad actors in the movie are a couple of voices on telephones.

While the photography and effects are excellent, and the acting is more than passable, the script isn't exactly great. This is the sort of movie that isn't really out to explain where the aliens came from, or why they kill (eat?) people, and that's fine. There are some great hints about some aspects of their behavior, but that's not really a focus of the movie. The focus is on the two characters, but even in that area not much is explained. They fall in love, but I'm not sure why: the photographer, played by Scott McNairy, is kind of a sweetheart jerk, and the girl, played by Whitney Able, is pretty much a non-entity. (Actually, I guess they're they're perfect for each other.) This is a journey movie; the two characters set out at the beginning and reach their destination in the end, with all sorts of obstacles which need to be overcome along the way. But there's no real climax; I never got the big battle or chase that I felt was coming. They reach their destination, and the movie just sort of ends.

TL;DR -- quiet, character-driven sci-fi shot on location in third-world Mexico; great photography and good visual effects; well-acted love-story; slow plot with no climax or resolution.