Movie rec: Monsters
Mar. 12th, 2011 08:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thistlechaserGoing into the movie, I knew nothing more about Monsters than the Netflix blurb:
"Six years after aliens invaded Earth, a security force maintains tenuous control in the Infected Zone straddling the U.S.-Mexican border. Andrew (Scoot McNairy), a photographer, is documenting this war-torn area when he's interrupted by an unexpected rescue mission. Samantha (Whitney Able), daughter of a media mogul who just happens to be his boss, needs an escort home, and Andrew reluctantly takes on the job."
Based on that, I didn't expect much, but the idea of an infected zone sounded interesting, so I gave the movie a try.
I was seriously, seriously impressed. Some of the best acting I've seen in a long time, great storyline, and the effects worked so well (nice and subtle instead of IN YOUR FACE HERE HAVE A MONSTER).
I was even more impressed when I found out more about the movie. That the whole budget was $15,000. That the same person wrote, directed, and did all the effects on his home computer. I nearly fell out of my chair, I would have bet money on this being done by Hollywood with professional special effects and all that.
And the entire cast? Two people. Everyone else were extras, local people found on the sets. How they got such realism from that... (Maybe because most of them were playing roles they held in RL?)
The monsters though... wow. Like I said, it's not an IN YOUR FACE sort of thing, but in my opinion that makes the movie so much better. When you see the monsters... it's just so worth it. (I don't want to spoil by saying too much.)
It's an instant watch, if you have Netflix. I'd highly suggest putting it into your instant queue. :D
Roger Ebert's review of it says everything I think.
"Six years after aliens invaded Earth, a security force maintains tenuous control in the Infected Zone straddling the U.S.-Mexican border. Andrew (Scoot McNairy), a photographer, is documenting this war-torn area when he's interrupted by an unexpected rescue mission. Samantha (Whitney Able), daughter of a media mogul who just happens to be his boss, needs an escort home, and Andrew reluctantly takes on the job."
Based on that, I didn't expect much, but the idea of an infected zone sounded interesting, so I gave the movie a try.
I was seriously, seriously impressed. Some of the best acting I've seen in a long time, great storyline, and the effects worked so well (nice and subtle instead of IN YOUR FACE HERE HAVE A MONSTER).
I was even more impressed when I found out more about the movie. That the whole budget was $15,000. That the same person wrote, directed, and did all the effects on his home computer. I nearly fell out of my chair, I would have bet money on this being done by Hollywood with professional special effects and all that.
And the entire cast? Two people. Everyone else were extras, local people found on the sets. How they got such realism from that... (Maybe because most of them were playing roles they held in RL?)
The monsters though... wow. Like I said, it's not an IN YOUR FACE sort of thing, but in my opinion that makes the movie so much better. When you see the monsters... it's just so worth it. (I don't want to spoil by saying too much.)
It's an instant watch, if you have Netflix. I'd highly suggest putting it into your instant queue. :D
Roger Ebert's review of it says everything I think.
