Not only did Gareth Edwards Direct the movie, write the script and take the role of Director of Photography, he also did all the visual effects for Monsters himself. The result, a guerrilla shot sci-fi drama is a stunning debut. Personally, I loved it, virtually every minute of it. The perfect blend of beautiful camera work and personable drama with suspenseful tension and sci-fi Americanisms, I heard good things about Monsters and they were all true.

The film was shot on a relatively small digital camera with a skeleton crew and only two casted actors. Travelling through Central America the team worked with locals and locations they stumbled across during the journey. “Everyone in the film, apart from the main two actors, were people we met along the way. “ Thus a movie was made in much the same vein as the script... An almost-road movie about a couple of young Americans on their way home.

The plot is virtually just a vehicle for the project. The opening is a typical narrative tool, explaining to us that 6 years previously a NASA probe returning to earth with alien life form samples crashed into Central America. Henceforth new life forms appear and half of Mexico becomes quarantined as the “infected zone”. The American military still battle to contain the “creatures” and this is where our story begins. Whitney Able plays Samantha Wynden, daughter of a media tycoon who has her arm injured in a creature attack on a Mexican city. Scoop McNairy (In Search of a Midnight Kiss) plays Andrew Kaulder, a photo journalist who works for Sam’s father who’s been asked to escort her on her way home to America. Forced together by fate, the pair start off a tentative but amicable relationship in the opening scenes of the movie. Andrew is charming and has a cheeky sense of humour, yet takes his work very seriously, while Sam is a wistful beauty who seems trapped into an imminently doomed marriage back in America and clearly doesn’t like her role as daddy’s little girl. The ensuing development of a closer relationship is predictable but also very subtle, there is no romance, only unspoken understanding of the underlay of emotion.

The hand held cinematography and Edwards use of lenses and adapters that gave him a “beautiful depth of field” permeate the film throughout. Beautiful close ups, amazing post produced long shots and the constant hazy out of focus feel to the backgrounds all just ooze with a stylistic flair that is simply breathtaking. The single-handedly made after effects that Edwards added in the edit are all great, while sometimes a little B-movie, but considering the budget and timescale he had, these are more than commendable. The amount of control Edwards had in the creative process shows his outstanding abilities and vision, I only hope that his subsequent works turn out so polished. The storyline of the movie smacks of metaphorical commentary on modern American socio-political issues. As the movies mains stare in wonder on the giant anti-creature (CGI) wall that Sam dubs “the 7th wonder”, Andrew makes a comment on the way in which the American made wall is locking them in, (not the creatures out). 

Monsters should be watched, and watched in context. This is how movies could and should be made. Low budget, a large amount of creative control handed to the visionary and great use of evolving modern technology. For me, Monsters had nearly just the right amount of everything. It didn’t need Hollywood, but it is still a great American production. My only gripe is the visual effects don’t add up to how amazing the rest of the film is, but when put into context, Edwards really pulled off his goals. “I had the right balance. The whole process wasn’t, ‘Can I make a film full of amazing special effects.’ My goal was to make a good film, and part of how we achieved that was with visual effects.”

Monsters isn’t going to make into into box office big time, but it certainly has great cult movie capacity. What I think is great about it is that there is also elements that will appeal to the movie going masses. Let’s hope word of mouth catches on where big advertising budgets have possibly failed. Take my word for it and go and watch Monsters while it still lasts as a new release, just don’t expect a big bad blockbuster budget and you will be richly rewarded.

9/10