Hey folks, Harry here with a look at one of the Fantastic Fest/SXSW flicks - a film called MONSTERS - and I've heard really strong word on this film. Here ya go...
Harry, don't know if you have anyone reviewing Monsters, but it is an surprising gem of a movie that deserves to be seen. I saw it last night at the Alamo premiere. I didn't know what to expect going in, but it was awesome in the truest sense of the word--inspiring awe. I could sum it up by calling it "Cloverfields" but that would be oversimplifying what is a complex and amazing movie. Set some years after a giant monster infestation in Central America, the US has sealed off it's border against an alien ecology that has established itself throughout an infected zone that has claimed half of Mexico. An unlikely pair of American ex-pats must make their way home through the jungle to the "safety" of the American border. But this is not a horror film--though it is very suspenseful and has some elements of horror. It is a deeply human movie set against a monstrous backdrop. It is richly textured with engaging and subtle performances by the two leads. The director, Gareth Edwards, worked with the main actors, Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able, to work up extensive backgrounds for the characters, and then much of the script was improvised (within parameters) in similar fashion to Waiting for Guffman or Best of Show; but not to comedic effect. They wanted to create a sense of realism, spontaneity and intimacy that I think they achieved in spades. This is a story driven movie, the monsters are not the focus. The characters are three dimensional and vividly realized, which makes you fall in love with them and care for them all the more. You truly fear for their survival. But that's not to say the monsters have no presence in the film. They were used to tremendous effect at key points of the narrative. They don't ever just jump out at you, they have a behavior and biology that drives them. The director has created a whole ecology for the beasts, which is a subtle and integral part of the story. He put a lot of thought into where they came from and how they would adapt to our own environment and what the ramifications for that would be. It's not all spelled out on screen, but the hints are there for the careful observer. The effects were really well done too. We were told the director did all the effects on his laptop; but you could never tell. It looks like a big studio picture that cost ten times the budget they had. Favorable comparisons to District 9 could be made. I predict big things for Gareth Edwards. He really pulled off a work of genius here. We were told the film does not have American distribution yet, though there is a deal to release it in the UK. I would be surprised if this film does not have a distributor by the end of the festival. The best giant monster movie I've seen in years (including Cloverfield) and one that AICN followers are sure to fall in love with.
