Writer: Lorraine DCosta

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Watch this if you liked: “District 9”, “Cloverfield”, “The Mist”

"Monsters" is a film that takes a long and bizarre way around to tell the story of a pretty standard romance. Mexico and Central America have been overrun by bestial aliens as an aftermath of a crashed NASA probe and the Octopi-like new alien forms are staking a claim to the territories.

There is too little discussion of anything related to the mistreatment and misconception towards "illegal aliens," who have been walled off south of the border behind an enormous fence. Most of the film however concerns more of the escape efforts by Andrew Kaulder (Scoot McNairy), a photojournalist on assignment in Mexico and Sam Wynden (Whitney Able), a tourist and the daughter of Andrew's boss, who has ordered his employee to drop everything and escort his little girl back home.

Sam and Andrew find their way through the infected zone, first by boat, then pickup and finally on foot. Meanwhile the bulk of the film's energy is devoted not to escaping tentacled monsters but on the central characters' budding romance.

"Monsters", the name itself suggests a more hopeful expectation towards the inexplicable creatures however audience who desires to see a lot of alien monsters action would be better off doing re-runs of "District 9" instead. Audience will only get minor glimpses of these so-called 'monsters' through grainy, greenish television screens or in the murky, flash-lit darkness on a moonless night. Oddly enough as it is, the effects make these 'unseen' monsters seem less intimidating as it surreal.

In a more retrospective view, "Monsters" writer cum director Gareth Edwards deserves some recognition as well concerning that the movie is recorded and edited by himself using store-bought software on a home computer. He even managed to enlist the locals as supporting characters. Though there might not be much of a plot, "Monsters" might just be the best micro-budget movie since "El Mariachi."

"Monsters" is the kind of film that could be passable as marketing nightmare, not only because of its misleading setup but because it disappoints and failing to reach in any direction it aims. But the movie does leave some lessons to be pondered upon: Life has its reasons. Motives are pretty universal and "Monsters" are in the eyes of the beholder.

Cinema Online, 19 January 2011