Despite its title, the number of alien creatures in Monsters is relatively low. The buzz emanating from this budget indie certainly isn’t on account of the film’s surprise scares or special effects.
The earth has been infected by specimens of another life form travelling back into orbit from a spacecraft that crashed over Mexico. When monsters start sprouting out of the water, a gigantic wall is erected in order to keep them out of the United States. Kaulder (McNairy), a photojournalist, is enlisted by his employer to escort his wounded daughter, Sam (Able), back to the U.S. They soon find however, that without money and without their passports, getting into the U.S. is a dangerous and often deadly pursuit.
Sound familiar? Preaching about the difficulties in crossing across the U.S. border may seem futile, but when monsters are added to the formula the message becomes oddly more relatable. Americans may not understand what it’s like to be on the other side of the border, but when the journey becomes one of survival, the audience inherently roots for the two leads to make it to safety. The imposing wall that spans the U.S. border reminds the audience who and what they are rooting for. It helps that one isn’t faced with a constant barrage of CGI monsters. Rather, the monsters permeate the film in the form of a constant suspense and dread as to what may happen if the characters are noticed sneaking across the infected zone. The realist approach to filmmaking and the use of what appear to be non-actors further contribute to the believability of the journey.
Where the film fails is in its attempt to explore the two lead characters. Kaulder, though well acted by McNairy, emerges as an unlikable jerk who doesn’t change much throughout the film. The same can’t be said of Sam, though its only because she has no character at all. She remains improbably attractive throughout the film and contributes nothing but a condescending concern and feminine sensitivity to her surroundings. To further make things worse, Able’s acting is distractingly bad. Thus, the romantic angle of the story largely fails on account of its two insufferable leads, though it does somehow redeem itself in the film’s final sequence. One walks away from the film haunted, not by ghost or monsters, but by the film’s successful attempt at empathy. Weakened, but not ruined by its leads, it emerges in the end as a powerful allegory that doesn’t stray too far from reality.
Monsters
Directed by: Gareth Andrews
