Flipping through On-Demand or Redbox straight-to-DVD science fiction movies, one doesn't often find quality. Monsters - written and directed by Gareth Edwards and starring Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able - is the real deal amongst cubic zirconia rip-offs.
Few had the opportunity to see Monsters on the big screen. With a budget reportedly less than $500,000, Monsters seemed destined to be awful no matter how intriguing its premise. After all is said and done, however, Monsters makes the grade, being one of the better science fiction films of 2010.
Monsters, A Simple Film With a Significant Message: Cast and Plot
Monsters' premise is simple. After finding evidence of life on another planet, NASA sends a probe to collect samples. Upon re-entering the Earth's orbit, the probe is damaged and crashes somewhere in Mexico.
Not long after the crash, large aliens appear and wreak havoc throughout northern Mexico. The U.S. builds a wall resembling China's ancient triumph to keep the unanticipated new breed of illegal immigrants out. Air strikes and gunfire prevent the octopus-spider-like alien population from spreading. An official "Infected Zone" is established, encompassing both uninhabited land and largely evacuated cities.
The film opens with a man holding an injured woman, screaming for help. Around him, U.S. soldiers flee from a giant alien as an incoming air strike lets its bombs fly.
The story transitions to a hospital south of the Infected Zone, where Andrew, a photographer, is sent to escort his boss' daughter, Samantha, back to the U.S. Andrew has no interest in the forced assignment. Samantha, too, seems hesitant to return home.
Still, the two begin their journey, traveling just outside the southern boundary of the Infected Zone. They make their way to a port where a ferry can take them back to the U.S. for a $5,000 fee. Circumstances cause Samantha and Andrew to miss their chance at safe passage by sea. To get home, their only remaining option is to travel by land straight through the Infected Zone and the aliens that inhabit it.
Monsters: Gareth Edwards' Minimalistic Exercise of Mass Movie Proportions
Everything about Monsters - from its low, quiet score to its single-digit cast to its modest special effects - denotes a utilitarian scheme that refuses to detract from the film's simplistic yet well-delivered themes. One such theme, personal and relationship strife both independently and between the film's real-life-couple co-stars, isn't cluttered by distracting and unnecessary cast or diluted by over-explanation. Andrew and Samantha offer in-depth character studies, showing that humans remain human even when all is alien around them.
The aliens themselves are viewed as monsters, though their aggression seems not to come without provocation. The creatures seem territorial at worst, misunderstood animals rather than bloodthirsty villains.
On the other hand, the military bombs them, indifferent to the simultaneous human casualties the explosions cause, so-called "acceptable losses." Once great cities are demolished and desolate. Their remains are set against the Mexican jungle in picturesque, cinematographic fashion. They are juxtaposed against Mayan ruins, civilizations undone by their own hands.
Monsters is Not the Typical Alien Invasion, Science Fiction Movie
Those looking for an interesting analysis of humanity in a future where aliens are no longer an unknown but an unhappy neighbor should give Monsters serious consideration. Those hoping for an Independence Day or Skyline sequel will be disappointed.
The one complaint with Monsters? Why do aliens often need to have tentacles or be spider-like in appearance? Are giant armadillos or three-toed sloths not scary enough?
Nevertheless, Monsters makes more out of its budget than most summer hits do, despite its unimaginative alien species. The film proves that good, substantive and meaningful science fiction need not include all the glitz and glamor of the modern-day, special effects extravaganzas that plague Hollywood. Monsters is a film with soul in an often soulless genre.
Jason Parent - Jason Parent earned his Bachelor's Degree in English in 2000 and his Juris Doctorate in 2006. He currently works as an attorney with a ...
