Monsters (2010) Dir: Gareth Edwards
Instagram post:
This 2010 sci-fi horror, written and directed by Gareth Edwards, has been sat on my watchlist for the longest time, but until now, I had not ventured to watch it. It has rather middling reviews, but it looked like it could be interesting, particularly if it felt like Edwards' other films. At the very least, I was hoping for some good camerawork.
Unfortunately, it would've been much easier to enjoy this film if looked good, but, thanks to the film's low, half a millioj dollar budget, it looked very mediocre. This was due to the film's heavy reliance on substandard CGI. It was unfortunate. The fact that it wasn't just the 'monsters' that were computer generated, but all the military vehicles and small objects that could've been props too, didn't help its case.
On a more positive note, I could definitely really see the director's great vision for cinematography already coming through at this relatively early stage of his career. A lot of the film plays out like a documentary, thanks to the handheld camerawork and naturalistic dialogue. It felt like the natural predecessor to the Alex Garland film; 'Civil War'.
The narrative started out weakly, but picked up in quality as it progressed into the middle portion of the film. Edwards is often good at showing some of the quiet, emotional moments that characters have, and that was much the case here. The film meandered a little bit, here and there, but ultimately, I found the story a lot more compelling than I expected.
Both Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able who were partners in real life during filming, had some well-acted scenes, but, perhaps ironically, seemed to lack a significant level of chemistry. It felt a little forced, if anything. However, their individual acting felt far stronger, particularly during some of their more pensive scenes.
Overall, I can't help but feel that if this film had a good budget, it would be so much better, or, at least, significantly easier to watch. That said, with the budget taken into account, I'd say Edwards did well with this project. It was certainly an interesting idea, to say the least. I actually wouldn't mind another Edwards from this universe - I realise that there is a sequel, but it does not seem to have good reviews at all, and does not retain the same director.
Comments