Another alien invasion wreaks havoc on planet earth, this time south of the United States border in the horror film MONSTERS.The aliens have infected a large portion of Mexico, after a NASA probe collecting alien samples crashed in Central America. Many US residents are fleeing the area, including Samantha, the daughter of a wealthy United States media mogul. She’s escorted home by Andrew, a freelance photographer who is currently working for her father’s business. Andrew isn’t pleased that he’s been awarded the assignment.
Our third love story on this edition of “Now Playing” (in addition to TANGLED and LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS), doesn’t play as well as the first two.
Surprised? Yes, MONSTERS is more or less a generic love story played against the backdrop of a monster movie. When I say backdrop, I mean backdrop, as the monsters are more or less an afterthought. It’s really a shame, because writer-director Gareth Edwards understands how real horror works, establishing an atmosphere of terror, and allowing it’s menace to lurk slowly around the trees, in the seas or up in the clouds.
Unfortunately MONSTERS isn’t much of a monster mash as it is an awkward love story, and this is where Edwards seems out of his element. The interaction between the two leads, Whitney Able and Scoot McNairy, is at its best acceptable, and at its worst, grating. There’s little chemistry between the two. This isn’t as much a fault of the two actors, but rather the impromptu screenplay that left much of the interaction in the hands of Able and McNairy’s improvisational skills.
MONSTERS moments of horror are actually fairly well done, building suspense through exotic locales and glimpses of the creature, rather than going full bore with outlandish special effects and gore.
I only wish the film was as frightening as the romance.
Grade: C-
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