Review of Monsters, open 11/12/10

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Review of Monsters, open 11/12/10

Monsters
Director: Gareth Edwards
With: Whitney Able, Scoot McNairy
One of the conventional ideas about science fiction is that if our planet were invaded by hostile extra-terrestrials, we would all band together to defeat the common enemy, and then sing “Kumbayah” forever.  Another idea is that this invasion would bring out the best and the worst in people, sometimes both.  Monsters is of the second persuasion.  The movie is also a fine example of what can be done with imagination and creativity, despite a budget that wouldn’t cover lunches on a big-time flick.
The idea is that, in a parallel version of our earth, aliens have landed and “infected” large swaths of the planet.  One such infected area lies overlapping Mexico and the American southwest.
Samantha (Able) is the daughter of a rich and powerful man who happens to be very near the infected zone.  She is engaged, and her dad wants her back in the States to get married.  Andrew (McNairy) is a world-weary journalist who works for one of daddy’s magazines, and he orders Andrew to make sure Samantha gets back safely.
Of course, we can see what’s coming.  The surprise in this movie is not the course of the plot, but the intelligent and emotionally satisfying way it reaches its end.  The leads, apparently a couple in real life, have chemistry and we believe that they could fall in love.
The special effects are of the $1.98 variety, but are handled with such finesse and skill that we really fear for the characters being killed by the squid-like creatures, each the size of a 5-story building.
In the course of the film, a spoiled brat grows up, a rogue screws up and nearly gets them killed. They meet people along the way who want to exploit them as they try to return home, as well as rough men who turn out to have the most courage and integrity.  Most of the smaller parts are performed by non-actors, working from suggestions rather than a script, and doing very well.  The obvious political message is subtle, but clear, as the US has built an enormous wall to keep out the “undesirables.”
All of this works much better than anyone could predict.  This is worth seeing.
B+