Review of Monsters: Dark Continent (2014) by Colin M — 22 May 2015

HOW did people dislike this movie? The acting was great. The special effects were great and absolutely not overused. The entire point of the Monsters films is interpersonal struggle in a fantastical setting, this isn't Starship Troopers. The plots interweave nicely between the reason the soldiers are there in the first place, and the dangerous world they've created. If anything, it demonstrates the futility of war itself. The directing was great, the cinematography was great, the tone was absolutely consistent, the character loss was real, I didn't feel it was cliche at all, and was very in keeping with the general theme of realistic characters that feel like a tiny, insignificant part of a much larger, mysterious world. If they had explained the monsters, they'd have lost their magic. There's a reason that you're never supposed to SEE the monster in a movie. Your imagination does so much better a job than any special effects. The "jihadis" notion is pathetic, there is all of ONE real firefight (in a very real context for those in the military, an IED roadside ambush) and the rest is hardly "war is hell" tripe that people seem to think it is. It's not perfect, but nothing is, and if you were a fan of the original, you should be able to see the magic in this film as well. (SPOILER) at the end, when the gigantic monster was ripping out of the ground, I was simultaneously empathizing with the characters and in awe of the sight in the background. The Monsters themselves are characterized as gentle, elephant like beings, so the reason for the war is even more of a mystery. A great plot builds intrigue, and this does absolute justice to the original.

8.5/10 easily. Anyone dogging this film just doesn't get the point.