Review: Monsters
Monsters is a great film. It was an over-looked film in 2010 but it shouldn’t have been. It is a great example of an indie film and is a great new take on the “aliens on Earth” angle.
The basic story is that six years ago, N.A.S.A. sent a satellite into space to look for other intelligent life in the galaxy. It came back with giant octopus-like monsters who are normally gentle giants but when provoked are very dangerous. The film then returns to the present day with a journalist who is sent to South America to pick up his boss' daughter and bring her home. The only problem is that they have to go through Mexico, which is where the monsters are being kept. The narrative then winds out with great twists and turns. The characters really grew on me so I really cared about if they would make it through the infested zone.
When I first saw the trailers for this film, I thought it would be a horror film, but I was wrong. There is only one bit of the film I found scary. It’s quite near the end of the film and it’s when the two travellers encounter human life after nearly half-an-hour of loneliness with just the pair of them in the jungle.
My favourite bit of the film is really two bits that are connected. Just before the pair head off into the jungle, Andrew, the journalist, is taking pictures of some of the happy children of the village where they stayed the night. He then turns around to Samantha, the boss' daughter, and says “Do you know how much money I make from taking pictures of a happy child. Nothing. Do you want to know how much money I make from taking a picture of a kid killed by the monsters? $10,000, that’s how much.”
About an hour later in the film, they find a wrecked truck in the middle of the infested zone with a dead child a few metres away. Samantha is shocked as Andrew walks up to the child with his camera...and covers the body with his coat. This is one of the most emotional moments ever in film because there is no backing track, just the sounds of the jungle.
As I watched this in my sitting room my eyes started to water and I mentally added Monsters into my top ten films list, right beside 9 and Life of Brian.
*****
One of the greatest films I’ve ever seen and I’m really picky about my films.
Related Article: Flick Flak: Monsters
5 Comments – Post a comment
Tansi
Commented 58 months ago - 3rd August 2011 - 10:46am
Good review! It makes me want to actually watch this film. Keep up the good work! :)
Jeff the Fridge
Commented 58 months ago - 3rd August 2011 - 16:30pm
Can people comment below what films/games they want reviewed
neilramsden
Commented 58 months ago - 3rd August 2011 - 20:51pm
This really was a great film, one of my favourite of last year, and Gareth Edwards has to be a director to watch. Although he is doing a Godzilla reboot... :s
Pasternak
Commented 58 months ago - 4th August 2011 - 00:42am
I'm intrigued: What are your Top 10 films?
Neil, you should answer that as well!
neilramsden
Commented 58 months ago - 5th August 2011 - 12:39pm
I can't answer with a definitive list, I can list some of my favourite films in no particular order:
Alien/ Aliens
Seven
Pulp Fiction
28 Days Later
Indiana Jones
Jurassic Park
Pan's Labyrinth
Zombieland
The Thing
The Dark Knight
these are some of them! How about you sir?