Monsters
4 out of 5
Like Val Lewton in the 1940s, Gareth Edwards could be accused of pulling a fast one. Lewton was influential in creating cheap b-movies with evocative titles that were actually intelligent character pieces. Likewise
Monsters is severely lacking in actual monster action and cannot be dismissed as a basic crowd pleaser. Instead a very real present day world that is dealing with unusual “creatures” merely forms the backdrop for a road movie as photo-journalist Andrew (Scoot McNairy) chaperones his boss’s daughter Sam (Whitney Able) through the Infected Zone of Mexico and back into the US. Actually, even the road movie is a cover for what boils down to a romance, a trick Hitchcock would frequently employ.
Lewton? Hitchcock? These are the fathers of modern genre cinema! Who the heck does this Gareth Edwards think he is? As a debut, Monsters is incredible. As Neill Blomkamp did with
District 9, Edwards brings special effects experience and a genuine talent for film-writing on a shoestring budget, but even so, that doesn’t account for his ambition.
Monsters has been compared to
District 9, but apart from the loose premise (alien discovery leads to uneasy human tolerance of new species), that film is very much classic comic book material. It’s also reminded people of
Cloverfield, but
Monsters isn’t hooked on a gimmick and doesn’t treat its characters as lively monster munch. Frank Darabont’s adaptation of Stephen King’s
The Mist stands as a finer example of using monsters as a backdrop for the human condition, however
Monsters is distinct for its optimism. While it lacks set-pieces and gore, the detritus of fights with the creatures litter the route and create a sombre atmosphere. If anything, the film it reminds me more of is
The Road. Again, I must stress the more optimistic tone though.
Edwards has used real locations (albeit with occasional CGI retouching) and the story benefits ten-fold from that authenticity especially as he has a style similar to Cinema Verite. Mexico looks war-torn and you would swear an emotional moment following a street party in a village while the community mourn their dead is absolutely real. Toward the end, they make their way through a destroyed empty town which looks incredible. McNairy and Able’s understated performances are perfectly judged, especially considering there isn’t a single set-piece that distracts your attention from them. Throughout this is their story and theirs alone.
It does have its moments though, particularly a nervy river scene where an obvious opportunity to mimic Jaws is sidestepped beautifully. For actual footage of the creatures, there are one or two fire-fights, but the money shot is wisely saved until the end. It’s magnificent and strangely beautiful, while also underlining the films only real problem. I think it’s a biggie:
Monsters would be a better film without the monsters at all. If this were a war-time drama the exact same couple with the same backgrounds could have a similar journey, meet similar people and it might be better, more affecting for it. You could argue it would be over-familiar, but the emotional link between the misunderstood creatures (they are only aggressive when attacked by military) and the couple is so clumsily handled it borders on embarrassing. Science Fiction is usually metaphorical, but it just doesn’t work when it has to be forced.
It feels like Gareth Edwards is a genuinely talented film-maker who perhaps started this project from an urge to use his own well practiced special effects in an authentic setting, but didn’t realise when his natural talent for writing drama sidelined his sci-fi premise and it became a crutch that needed forcing back in to be relevant. Still, as mistakes go, it’s a noble one!
Don’t expect a gritty
Jurassic Park thrill-ride, but go in with an open mind and there is much to admire.
Monsters is a masterful film that demonstrates a more effective, restrained use of CGI than any of its contemporaries, from
War of the Worlds to
Cloverfield, while having a grasp of cinematography and editing so confident it could rival a political thriller like
Syriana and lends the premise a “this could actually happen!” vibe. Ultimately it just isn’t exciting enough to support there being monsters at all and the heartfelt science fiction feels awkward. Still, hell of a debut and such a bold attempt at reshaping a genre, it could yet turn out to be a milestone. I look forward to seeing what Gareth Edward’s next project is because he’s capable of anything and could have a lot of mainstream directors running scared.
