Monsters

4.5/10 Dropps
Genre: Drama, Horror, Romance, Art House & International, Science Fiction &
Fantasy
Rated: R
Running Time: 1 hr. 37 min.
In Theaters: Oct 29, 2010 Limited
Directed By: Gareth Edwards
Written By: Gareth Edwards

Seeing as it’s the season of all things horrifying, we here at The Dropp found it
appropriate to review something with some scare value. After reviewing the
upcoming releases for the Halloween season, we found it a little light on the fright
factor. Besides some sequels (Paranormal Activity 2) and more of the same old
money making slasher films (Saw 3D), this Halloween horror flick season was a little
lack-luster. With only one real original being released before Halloween, MONSTERS
got the review this week.

MONSTERS takes place in South America (Mexico) six years after the discovery
of possible alien life within our solar system. When a spacecraft carrying samples
crashes in Mexico, new life forms begin appear and a large amount of Mexico is
quarantined and labeled an “Infected Zone.” The story begins when an American
reporter, Andrew Kaulder (Scoot McNairy), is sent into the “Infected” area to track
down and bring home his bosses’ daughter, Samantha Wynden (Whitney Able).
When a complication with a fairy home arises, the pair is forced to trek though the
creature infested restricted area with the help of native guides.

One thing to make clear here is that MONSTERS is not an average “monster”
movie by any real standards. In fact, MONSTERS appears to be more of a travel
adventure film or story of boy meets girl, motivated by the idea of getting away
from the “creatures.” With a title like MONSTERS, one would expect a lot of action,
destruction, or at the very least… monsters.

Possibly one of the strangest decisions writer/ director Gareth Edwards made
was to name his film MONSTERS and focus a majority of his action on the human
element. Besides a few “creature” interactions (7 max), MONSTERS is relatively
focused on human interaction and relationships. Another pitfall with Edwards
film was his portrayal of his main characters. Generally, a film with two main
characters is sure to create a solid background, and create round, likeable
characters. Unfortunately, Edwards fumbles in his attempt to make either character
memorable, or worth investing any real time in. While Able, Samantha Wyndedn,
gives a strong performance, something about Endwards vision fails to connect with
the viewer.

One aspect worth recognition in Edwards MONSTERS is some relatively high quality
special effects. While we don’t get a whole lot of face time with his “creatures” what
we do see is pretty visually appealing. For what seems like a low budget horror flick,
Edwards is smart, and well timed with his “creature” appearances.

While MONSTERS is not a fall blockbuster my any means, it is an interesting take on
what is typically a run-of-the-mill genre. Edwards delivers some interesting ideas
at times, but may be a little ill advised in his overall deliverance. One advantage of
MONSTERS is that it is a fresh name in a season being overrun by sequels hopping to
cash in on quick horror flick dollar.

-Hunter Freiburg