Monsters

Magnolia Films

Cinema Release

Six years ago NASA discovered the possibility of alien life within our solar system. A probe was launched to collect samples, but crashed upon re-entry over Central America. Soon after, new life form began to appear and half of Mexico was quarantined as an INFECTED ZONE. Today, the American and Mexican military still struggle to contain “the creatures”…… Our story begins when a US journalist agrees to escort a shaken tourist through the infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the US border.

Monsters is an independent science fiction film which has been clearly made on a low budget but is nevertheless quite successful. It is an enigmatic film with a lot of mood and suspense rather than direct horror. There is a strong emphasis on the human elements of the story, the photojournalist and the rich girl and the Mexican’s trying to survive until monster attack. It is a strange film in that it is hard to identify what exactly the movie is trying to express, the ending is certainly a WTF moment. It is possible that it is trying to depict the monsters as peaceful and only attacking in response to American aggression, but it is hard to be sure. Certainly the model of American aggression is also suggested by the huge wall that the US have built to protect it from Mexico (shades of Israel and Palestine) and the fact that America is constantly bombing Mexico in an attempt to stop the monsters growing. The constant under current of American imperialism vs the alien menace is shown throughout the film and could be interpreted on many levels. At times this post 9/11 theme of pro or anti America gets a bit irritating there has been so many films with this motif that in the end I am a bit over it. At the same time if you overlook any suggested polemic and enjoy it as a solid sci fi suspense movie it certainly works.

Shot with just a five person crew and a cast of two, Gareth Edwards’ team travelled through Guatemala, Belize and Mexico, finding and utilizing their locations and supporting actors as they went, Edwards’ has certainly created an impressive indie film which uses every cent of its low budget to good effect.

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