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Rating: 8 stars

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independent low budget monsters

Seen 1 time

Seen on: 02/19/2011

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Monsters (2010)

Directed by Gareth Edwards

Drama | Science Fiction | Thriller

Most recently watched by sensoria, noahphex

Overview

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 forms 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,” while a journalist agrees to escort a shaken tourist through the infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the U.S. border.

Rated R | Length 94 minutes

Actors

Whitney Able | Scoot McNairy | Kerry Valderrama | Annalee Jefferies | Justin Hall | Paul Archer | Anthony Cristo | Ricky Catter | Kenedy Gamaliel Jiminez | Mario Zuniga Benavides | Jonathan Winnford | Stan Wong | Mario Richardson | Jorge Quirs | Erick Arce | Emigo Munkel | Esteban Blanco | Victor Vejan | Cristopher Chararria | Roman Bustamante | Solamon Albarran | Alejandro Sotero | Victorino Angulo | David Alba Garcia | Eduardo Guizak | Alfonso Pineda | Jose Garcia Gomez | Erika Morales Yolanda Chacon | Elsa Rascon Gonzalez | Jose Luis Morales Chacon | Tamilez Morales Chacon | Jonathan Cadena Chacon | Cindy Vanessa Cadena Morales | Javier Acosta Rodriguez | Victor Manuel Martinez Tovar | Walter Hernandez Col | Hugo Valuerde | Roberto Saluzan | Cesan Solauo | Aris Martinez | Claudia Valdez | Elizabeth Blanco Sanchez | Gloria Soza | Aura Escobar | Max Alfredo Coe Tux | Ivan Sanchez | Wilfredo Hernandez Alvarado | Ramon Otzoy Sucuc | Erma Bradley

Viewing Notes

A made a special trip into Chicago with my friend Jay to see this movie on the big screen (caught it on the last night it showed too). I liked it a lot then, and I liked it even more after watching on Blu-Ray.

The interaction between the two characters, whose journey is is an emotional transformation for both of them, is great; and the “monsters” really just provide the backdrop and dramatic context for the story of these characters to paint themselves into.

I think this movie succeeds BECAUSE of its tiny budget; given constraints, it works within and beyond them to do some great storytelling that so many big budget films don’t manage to pull off these days.

I know Edwards is set to direct the next Godzilla reboot, and I have no doubt he’ll do a good job, but I do hope he doesn’t get pigeonholed as this SFX sci-fi director. The man can tell a good story no matter the genre.

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