FORGOTTEN FILM: MONSTERS (2010)

Forgotten Films: Monsters (2010)

This is the 51st in my series of Forgotten Obscure or Neglected Films

This is one of the best SF Horror related films of the last few years! Period! It is a very small budget film (IMDB estimates it at $800,000) and it packs a great impact.

At the beginning of the film, it has been six years since a NASA probe has brought back something from out there. Now portions of the US and Mexico are occupied by the monsters. Disaffected journalist/photographer Andrew Kaulder (Scoot McNairy) is in Mexico and has been instructed to insure that his publisher’s daughter Samantha Wynden (Whitney Able). The best way to accomplish this to get her on the ferry. He pays big money to do this but, unfortunately, he hooks up with a local and finds the next morning that her ticket and passport have been stolen from him. The only way home now is to follow a path through the Infected Zone.

At this point the film resembles a documentary of human smuggling as they travel through wasted areas on air boats, trying to not capture the attention of authorities or monsters. They meet interesting families along the way and eventually make their way to THE WALL (the caps are deliberate here). This is what Governor Perry and others would really like to have built for the problem of illegals in Texas and Arizona. THE WALL is massive and impressive!

The monsters themselves do show up a little (this is a low budget film, remember) and they are passable. But they are not the story. The story is Andrew and Samantha trying to get back, Andrew trying to get in with the publishing firm by getting this done, and the growing attraction between the pair. The monsters are just a bonus.

Well made and paced the film succeeds on most levels. Unfortunately it was not screened in most cities. I first heard of this from various friends in Austin who proclaimed its wonderfulness. So when I found a used DVD of it, I took the chance. Go ahead and put this on your Netflix queue and move it close to the top.

Stars Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able have a fairly long list of credits from the last ten years but were not actors I recognized at first. This was the first big feature for writer/director/visual effects director Gareth Edwards who had previously done some TV documentaries and one TV movie. This beginning means I will be looking to see where he goes next. IMDB lists a Monsters sequel in his projects in development listings along with a Godzilla film for 2014. Got to be better than the Matthew Broderick one.

Series organizer Todd Mason hosts more Tuesday Forgotten Film reviews at his own blog and posts a complete list of participating blogs.