DVD Reviews

Monsters

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Whitney Able
• Details: US/93mins 12A

Coming hot on the heels of far inferior alien flick, Skyline, this remarkable film had a production budget of $15,000, which is incredible when you see how slick the final product is. Concentrating on character more than creature, it still doesn't skimp on the visuals, and newbie director Edwards has an assured, admirably cinematic approach to shooting his film. Given the amount of money that goes on some of the more ostentatious Hollywood efforts, the young director should now find himself very much in demand.
Set years after a NASA probe carrying alien DNA landed in Mexico, the film focuses on Scoot McNairy's photographer who must take his boss's daughter, (real life missus Whitney Able) home from Mexico through the "infected" zone. The US Military have long occupied the boarders alongside the zone, as both they and their Mexican counterparts struggle to deal with the giant creatures that have taken over half of the country. As the couple make their way across the dangerous terrain, they find themselves connecting on a level they previously never thought possible, while exploring a terrifying, but strangely invigorating world few have experienced.
When Robert Rodriguez made his debut with action flick El Mariachi for a reported $7,000, the film looked about as much as it cost. It goes to show how far technology has come when a filmmaker can do something on a similar financial scale and have there be little difference with most mainstream fare at your local multiplex. But Monsters is a lot more than just a blockbuster on a budget, it's extremely smart, very well acted by a cast improvising (with some found moments before shooting) and simultaneously innovative and pragmatic in a way that few mainstream productions ever are.
You're never quite sure where the film is going to go, and those who go to see it hoping for some gory Godzilla ravaging will be mostly disappointed. There's a very human story that is the focal point, and whatever is going on around that story, however well it works, is almost a subplot to these two characters realising what is going on between them. The easy, natural sparks between McNairy and Able certainly help, and both actors offer exemplary turns.
Monsters will be an invigorating experience for anyone with an interest in filmmaking. But other than that, it's intelligent, inventive cinema on an impressively (self) assembled scale.

Review by Mike Sheridan