Review of Monsters: Dark Continent (2014) by Sam N — 11 Jul 2015

Anyone claiming this movie is cliched or boring doesn't understand the deep subtext and simply AMAZING third act that transpires, and was likely judging the film's quality purely on the trailer footage or (worse yet) a barring grudge against independent horror and sci-fi films.

Monsters: Dark Continent takes a similar formula we see in contemporary "war in the Middle East" pictures such as Jarhead, American Sniper, and The Hurt Locker, and takes it for a new sci-fi spin as the aliens, simply known as monsters or "MTRs" from the first film contribute to the action alongside the ever-exciting tension of IEDs, civilian insurgents, and terrorist cells. While it's clear that the title is as allegorical as the first movie (i.e., the creatures are just animals, humanity is the real monsters), Monsters: Dark Continent is far less "on the nose" about it.

Compelling human drama is, once again, center stage here. There are some exceptional scenes involving the alien creatures- looking much different here, either due to their new desert habitat, or, far more likely, an increased effects budget- and the change is a welcome one! Blazing firefights, airstrikes, and the occasional IED explosion all feel right at home for an action movie set in the middle east (if memory serves, no one specific country is mentioned). However, the sight of these squid-like, crab-like alien creatures' corpses burning amidst oil fields and flat, featureless deserts is a haunting and poignant touch to the film's design.

The human drama is just as poignant. Middle-Eastern-set war films always have that paranoid, standoffish vibe to them- indeed, telling harmless civilians from the possible terrorists hiding among them is a center point to building tension throughout the film...but the third act is where the movie truly shines. With the protagonists' squad of soldiers whittled down to just two survivors, the moments of camaraderie followed by mind-bending shell-shocked paranoia are intense and immensely satisfying to see played out to the end. And, no spoilers, the final shots of the film, glorious footage all, leave this critic wanting a third installment in the Monsters franchise.