Monsters

Film 14 - (Saturday)

One of the films I was looking forward to seeing, I hadn't read much just kept catching enough of the Buzz this film was creating.

Well I didn't know that, it's classed as a UK film! No wonder it got a showing at Frightfest.

An alien invasion has cut off South American and the US, now an infected Zone is in place. A journalist agrees to escort an American girl back to the US, but they must cross the infected zone.

Cast: Whitney Able - Samantha Wynden, Scoot McNairy - Andrew Kaulder.

Written by Gareth Edwards

Soundtrack by Jon Hopkins

Directed by Gareth Edwards

What I liked? How different this turned out to be! The two cast members, the script (or lack of it - all improvised)

What I didn't like? Nothing.

Summary: First off, this isn't the film I was expecting. Not sure what I was expecting, but this wasn't it. I shouldn't really have liked it, most films which have thrown me a curve ball I've tended to hate! Usually after a 2nd viewing I can appreciate them, like Quantum of Solice or Dracula. However for the first time, the curve ball didn't beat me!

Maybe because it was so different, an intelligent film, built around a strong pair of actors, and a notion, not action, of constant threat from the aliens. Edwards shows his hand right at the start of the film, the aliens! So now what, I've seen the alien, but this works in his favour he doesn't need to ramp up the tension by keeping it hidden and having lots of "monster" scares. He just uses aftermath visuals to maintain the danger, I mean cargo ships tossed from the water into trees, buildings ripped apart. These images alone do enough to give the aliens a sense of great power and a constant threat to humans. So his plan worked, well for me it did.

Actually the director told us we all missed something right at the start of the film, I'm not telling but it's pretty clever in the end, so watch closely.

The two members of the cast are perfect, and the reason they work so well is they are an actual couple. And it did show, nothing was forced about the friendship, in the end this is a love story with the an alien side story!

For a first film, with no more than 2 crew, Edwards and a Sound man, plus the 2 actors it's an impressive film.

Overall an outstanding effort, (10/10)