Review of Monsters (2010) by Laurence F — 19 Apr 2012

Don't kid yourselves, this movie doesn't live up to any sort of idea about what it should be. It's impressive, low-budget cinematography and high-end special effects can't mask its incoherent plot and terrible editing. There's simply not enough context for what is going on. Why are they in Mexico (or "San José, Central America" where-ever the hell that is) in the first place? Why can't they catch a plane back? Why doesn't the rich father spring for more than a single photographer to escort his daughter back to the US? How are there Mayan temples within sight of the US boarder? How is it possible that the only people who understand why its called the "infected zone" live inside the infected zone? If these creatures like the water so much, why don't they swim outside of the infected zone? Why are America and Mexico the only two countries that seem to have any kind of response to these creatures? Why couldn't the writer(s) of the film come up with a better name than "creatures" for the aliens if they have supposedly been on earth for three years at the start of the film? Why are the two main characters immediately whisked away in opposite directions in the end?

Scene after scene builds suspense only to have no pay-off. Even the romance that we spend entirely too much time on doesn't pay off. The attempt to cross breed a suspense movie with a sci-fi movie with a romance movie with a travel film has produced a still-born and I wish I had my two hours back.