Monsters

I remember hearing about this movie when it came out. It was getting a lot of press for being a high concept movie about an area of Mexico where Alien lifeforms have popped up, but filmed on a very low budget. As such I figured that it was the kind of movie with a great idea but would probably be a badly executed and overly-long movie that sneaks in a few CGI monster shots for flavor. While this is mostly true, I actually really liked it.

For the most part the movie does relay on it's premise to make the story interesting while being almost completely about two character's just hanging out with each other as they travel through Northern Mexico. While it's a cool idea, it kind of brings the whole "This is a low budget high-concept movie" vibe up constantly. I don't know if its me, but it feels like the movie is really pleased with itself for coming up with a clever way to be about alien monsters, without having to show that many alien monsters. It is smart of them to do, but you go into the movie knowing that they are just going to be hinting at there being monsters around without ever showing them, making the movie kind of predictable. So though the movie is about these two character's getting to each other as they make their way through this dangerous territory, it's the actual dangerous territory that keeps you interested.

The story is about Samatha being in Mexico for some reason when some photographer dude is sent by her Father's company to help get her back to America. A NASA probe thing had discovered Alien life in the solar system, but wrecked over Mexico while trying to land, scattering lifeforms over half of the country. The first part of the movie establishes the atmosphere as we see them walk around Mexican villages and cities while talking about "the creatures." We see all kinds of "Warning" signs with gas masks on them and "Prohibited Area!" while having people talk about how dangerous the Infected Zone is because soon the monster's will be migrating this way. And the second part of the movie is them going into the infected zone, chilling out on boats or hiking through the forest, while only hearing the creatures from far away or seeing hints of them being in the river. Although this kind of plays into the pre-established idea that we aren't going to see the monster's that much, it works really well for the atmosphere of the movie.

 Though out of every conceivable name they could have called this movie, "Monsters" is admittedly pretty unoriginal

For one, we actually do get to see the monsters. At the very beginning, a little in the middle, and than a good deal at the end. So it's not like we go the movie without seeing them. It's pretty clear that they are real and the locations we visit alone show what a huge threat they can be. Which is pretty much what the heart of the movie is. It's realistic in telling us about these monstrous creatures that have been around for 6 years, but it doesn't just show us them outright. Their allusive nature makes them feel like real animals, and we spend the majority of the movie taking in the sights and sounds of the various beautiful locations affected by these things suddenly showing up.

And that's where the movie shines most. As a character study, we see these two people get to know each other as they depend on themselves to make it through this beautiful but dangerous area. And as a Sci-fi movie, the theme is more about the discovery and territory of a new animal species that's existence is ever present while being rarely scene. The movie is shot on real locations in Mexico, and despite it's low budget, does an amazing job of presenting a realistic atmosphere of disaster.

The movie also seems to benefit from other recent Sci-fi movies and their themes, specifically District 9 and Cloverfield. While Monster's has the Documentary "realistic" feel that Cloverfield had, without it actually being a Mockumentary, as it deals with the subject matter of monsters, it also shares the theme of District 9's "Alien's just showed up here and we are having trouble dealing with them" premise. The down and dirty realistic style helps make the movie feel like a good companion piece to either, although the two by themselves are quite different. It seem to promote these movies as a kind of new movement, and since I like all 3 of them, it makes me excited for whatever comes next.

Overall the movie does a good job of getting the most out of it's small budget and telling a compelling story. Though i went in looking to find problem in it thinking it was just another Paranormal Activity type deal, I can't really think of a reason to complain. The pacing is pretty slow, especialy in the first half where it takes a while to get started, but despite this usually being a big deal to me, I had no problem sitting through it. I doubt I'll watch it again anytime soon, but that doesn't make it bad. I've always dug sci-fi that felt realistic, and with movies like this and District 9, it's doesn't get more real.

Word.
7 out of 10