Monsters

Writer/Dir: Gareth Edwards - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Whitney Abel, Scoot McNairy
UK, 2010

Seen: November 12, 2010 at Scotiabank

Reason to see: Science Fiction films = yes

I found Monsters to be a very interesting take on a science fiction/alien type film, and one that I don’t really remember seeing before, at least not recently. The film is centred on the human drama elements in a world that have endured the aftermath of a biological/alien-ness and it’s very, very centred on human nature, from the reactionary to the revolutionary. Working with and through opinions , ideas, assumptions, conceptions, what people do, what people won’t do, why do people do things, and the like, these are the questions it poses and explores.

In a lot of ways I felt it was very open and ambiguous in terms of some aspects of the films, but in other respects it’s extremely clear, to the point where I think it could bee seen as a message movie. I appreciated the openness that there was in the film, although there were some things that felt like inconsistencies, they felt like human inconsistencies a bit as we are all changing and learning each day of our lives. The ideas were refreshing and kept me engaged, making me think, which is a good thing for a science fiction film. I really enjoyed the performances of the lead actors, they were both very good and again just not quite what I would have expected.

I think it’s important to know it’s drama and idea-centric going in, that it’s not like “RAWR! Monsters! Aiee!!”, which can of course be fun too,and there are some elements of that here but it's really a film much more about living-through and the aftermath-of. What the effects of such has on people, what they do, and how it effects the world in general.It’s been a while since we’ve seen a gentler touch in science fiction, and I for one, like it. Give us something to think about and we will think about it! I really enjoyed the ideas that were presented, the disaster-level scale of things and the fact that it is examining human nature and if you like drama and idea based science fiction, I’d say definitely give Monsters a go.

Shannon's Overall View:
I enjoyed it
I'll buy it
I'd recommend it as fans of drama-based science fiction

13 minutes of preshow including at least 3 commercials and 3 previews: Incendies, Drive Angry and Scream 4

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© Shannon Ridler, 2010