Sci Fi "end of the world" tales in Hollywood have been stretched so, so thin in the first century of the silver screen's existence. War Of the Worlds, Independence Day, It Came From Outer Space. Many setting (or inventing) the bar at which others must measure. Of course, with improved special effects came great possibilities to bring to us creatures from another world in a more believable way, the biggest and perhaps most vital tool leant to Science Fiction in cinema is CGI, a useful and expensive tool that has helped us cross the galaxy, see fully functioning, independently moving "non-puppet" aliens and enter extraordinary space ships. Before now it has been saved fore the elite, many directors getting the wrong end of the stick and trying so hard to get a beautiful image that they forget about substance and depth of story. Monsters, the ultra low budget (£320,000) 2010 sci-fi feature, is not part of that category.
It is, infact a journey that deals with how humans intereact with the world around them in extra-ordinary circumstances, and a very tangiable story of how human relationships develope during harsh times.
It isn't quite perfect though, Director/Cinematographer/Writer Gareth Edwards went uber-guerilla on this thing, shooting on location without permission and veering heavily from the script almost constantly. While it all makes a more realistic experience in an unrealistic setting, the loose reigns have let what could have been a huge middle finger to the larger studios (who readily invest $20-100 million for its summer blockbusters) wonders too far off course.
Sit in awe as this shoe string budgeted film hold up against its $100m+ counterparts,both in style and visual effects. But expect a plot that doesn't make a world of sense and doesn't stick strongly enough to a coherent story. A great first step and definitely worth at least your attention. 6/10
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