Monsters (2010)

Gareth Edward’s debut feature, Monsters, is a remarkable film. It is so for many reasons and the more you look into its origins and creation, the scale of the achievement only becomes more impressive. Filmed largely on the fly, with no script and only two real actors, and on a tiny budget with a crew of three, he was able to sculpt a fascinating and surprisingly affecting alien invasion movie that also works as a character study and timely parable on nature.

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The film is set in modern day America, but one in which alien life forms, carried on an asteroid, have crashed in Central America and taken root. The entire southern half of the country has subsequently become a quarantine zone, with no-one entirely certain about the nature of the creatures housed within. The story follows two characters who find themselves forced to attempt to make it across the Quarantine zone after becoming stranded on the wrong side of the continent. What impresses about the film is the way it tells the wider story about the invasion through the prism of these characters. Snippets of news reports and signposts (cleverly CG’d after the fact seamlessly) paint a picture of a fearful world and there are echoes of District 9 and even the recent War of the Worlds remake in the way larger global events are filtered through a smaller, human perspective. Utilising remarkable real life locations the film almost feels like a documentary, the handheld camera roaming the streets finding little moments of interest or information all around. Edwards has a fantastic eye for a striking image and his composition masks the films humble ambitions well.

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Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able play the lead couple and both do strong work. Both relatively unknown actors they bear the weight of the whole film and convince throughout. The story of two strangers getting to know each other as they suffer through an ordeal is a well worm one, but it is understated enough to not feel trite. In fact the main reason the film works so well is the strong character work, the alien invasion plot almost feels secondary and adds depth to a story that is interesting enough by itself. The film is slow, but not boring. It is interested in the quiet moments as much as action, and while there are some exciting sequences this isn’t an action film by any stretch of the imagination.

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Edwards largely leaves the aliens off screen, a brave move and one that generally works, though I wouldn’t have objected to a few more scenes dealing with them more directly. The creatures themselves are fascinating, true originals that feel like bizarre giant squid like dinosaurs as they meander around. There is a wonderful other worldly quality to them, and Edwards (who worked as a special effects artist) dedication shows just what you can accomplish in terms of big scale CGI with no budget and a lot of care and attention. There is one scene at the end which is breathtaking and oddly moving, a scene that feels like the culmination of the film and one that would have been easy to fumble.

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The soundtrack too is a key part of the film, subtly layering the emotion and tying some of the more disparate elements of the film together. Again it is remarkable how coherent the film is given the freedom and flexibility that was taken whilst it was being made, with a lot of the story only coming together in the editing. Overall Monsters is a refreshingly adult and human look at a subject often used for empty spectacle, as well as an amazing example of the potential for great cinema to arise from humble beginnings.