The buzz for this movie is that it is pretty great. Based on the trailers alone, I’m not sure where the claims of originality come from, but I haven’t seen the movie yet. To me, the trailers so far promise a film that is part Cloverfield, part District 9, and part 28 Days/Weeks Later.
Regardless, personally, I am really looking forward to this film. So, since it was added to the list I made today in preparation for this year’s Halloween Moviefest, which just so happened to coincide with a newer trailer a week or so ago, I thought it was high time to include a trailer here on the site.
Rich
I just saw the movie “Monsters” via On Demand advance screening and I have to say it was a huge disappointment, to say the least. You have been warned: this movie cost $15,000, and unfortunately it shows. Don’t get me wrong; I am not criticizing this simply because it is low-budget; I am aware it’s an indepedent film. I am saying it was just not that well done. There are some interesting ideas in the film and the two lead actors try very hard to add to the realism of the story (one of the film’s highlights), but the fact is it’s a plodding, slow-paced film. It’s pretty boring, by any standard. The dialogue is stilted in most parts, and the sense of tension was never really built up nor lead to anything very dramatic. The title is misleading because the creatures play a very small role in the film (what little CGI the film has does look fairly decent, to give the director some credit…) But basically, the title is a misnomer. Why call it “Monsters” if it barely has anything to do with the creatures? sadly, it’s basically a gimmick to get people to go see the film. The original preview was very misleading and basically showed all the “action” (virtually non-existent)in the film. Bear in mind I am not looking simply for mindless action, but even as a character study, the film falls short. I give the director credit for embarking on this project virtually solo, but the film lacks editing and cinematic punctuation to make it effective. The best thing to do before watching this film is have very, very low expectations of it. If you don’t mind watching a film that drags on for 90 minutes with some modestly-interesting characters, “Monsters” will hold your attention for a while(and probably make you antsy waiting & begging for something–ANYTHING–to happen). But if you’re looking for a “District 9” or “Cloverfield”, steer clear of this film because it’s simply a small film about two people traveling back to the US who fall in love. Not the worst of ideas, just poorly executed. Despite it’s obviously low-budget, it still could have been much more taut, exciting & interesting.