Review of Monsters (2010) by In Your D — 23 Oct 2012

Travels to the Edge meets War of the Worlds. An involving, uplifting and occasionally gripping adventure story set in a near future alternate universe, where an alien infection has touched down on earth and created a continent-wide "quarantine zone" separating the United States from Mexico. Aggressive and mysterious lifeforms begin appearing soon after, and the armed forces of both countries find themselves engaged in a desperate and possibly mislead campaign to contain the creatures. But they cannot patrol the entire zone, and civilian life near the quarantine eaks out a strained modern existence amid constant chaos.

But this is only partly a war movie, and the alien-invasion biopic aspect really serves to frame the thoughtful relationship drama. A company photographer, Andrew (Scoot McNairy) is diverted from his assignment south of the border to escort the daughter of his boss, Sam (Whitney Able) back stateside before a concerted military push breaks out in the area. This doesn't go well, and they quickly find themselves broke and bargaining for transportation using their only remaining personal belongings. Having missed the last ferry out, an "on the road" type movie commences as the two strangers make their way north through the "Infected Zone" by any means necessary, facing all of the expected dangers that entails.

Monsters is best approached with an open mind. This is a very attractively photographed movie, a travelogue to a post-invasion countryside fused with a story about bonding through survival. There are some great suspenseful scenes sprinkled throughout, and also some sequences of compelling wonder. Say what you will about the silliness of the premise, there is a pleasing layer of intellectualism in the dialogue and the unfolding of events. This is aided by the innate immersion of gorgeous on-site locations and a competent attention to detail. The acting by the two leads is very believable (they are married in real life) and I found them easily likable. They both have this cool calmness about everything that comes from growing up in suburbia, a demeanor that gradually changes and grows into a sort of alert exhaustion as the two are forced to deal with some desperate situations. Their little conversations feel real and spontaneous, and I appreciated watching them gain a better understanding of themselves and their world throughout the movie. This culminates in an emotionally charged ending that is both frightening and heartbreaking, a climactic bombardment of character arc and CGI puppetry.

Writer and Director Gareth Edwards put together this pet project and its special effects from a modest budget, and as a piece of moody aesthetic art it is quite an evocative piece of in-the-moment atmospherics. I did feel some elements were excessive, for instance one could make a drinking game from the amount of times that damn "DANGER: INFECTED ZONE" billboard pops up in the movie. Even the actors looked annoyed with it. Some of the stock footage playing in the background on televisions also became a little redundant. Of course, this might have been intentional, a reflection of the Sam and Andrew's frustration at the lack of information and control over their surroundings. Aside from the towering alien menaces the film briefly alludes to, the creatures on the ground are only briefly witnessed, and like the very best boogeymen there is more to them than meets the eye. You can interpret their existence in the movie in a few different ways, and the story is clever in its deceptiveness as to the origins of these "monsters". Several subtle "clues" and a dramatic encounter toward the end of the movie will certainly change the audience's perception of them as villains.

Monsters doesn't have all the answers to the questions it raises, but gives you enough information to manifest your own conclusions. What really matters is our investment in the two heroes. Don't go in expecting District 9. This is a slow boiler, and a clever thinker. The undeserved R rating robbed it of a wider audience; Monsters could easily fit into a PG-13 context. I can see how some of the thematic allusions to immigration reform and U.S. imperialism might turn people away. But as a low-budget sci-fi it ranks near the top with above-average special effects, a character drama wrapped inside a survival story, and eye-popping cinematography that roots the events firmly in the here-and-now.

And hey, if wishy-washing pseudo-intellectual pulp isn't your thing, at least Whitney Able is pleasing on the eyes. She has the uncanny ability, lacking in many members of her species, to draw almost all attention directly to her face, and what a face. For a relatively untrained actress to express so much emotion with simple gestures is astounding. The soundtrack is also moody and non-intrusive, helping muster feelings of hope among ruin, and bubbling uncertainly beneath the surface during later scenes of apocalyptic destruction.