Movie Review: "Monsters" (2010)

For some time now, I have been intrigued by the trailer to this movie and some of the advance press that included this plot synopsis: "Six years after Earth has suffered an alien invasion a cynical journalist agrees to escort a shaken American tourist through an infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the US border." It seemed more mysterious than outright scary (despite the title that a 'fraidy cat like me usually shies away from), and I was also fascinated to see how a science fiction alien invasion story could be told by what I assumed would be a small cast (and the end credits bore this out: two virtual unknowns with a lot of TV credits, directed by the man who also wrote it, did the the visual effects, did the production design, and did the cinematography).

Last year's "District 9" wowed a lot of people (to the point that it nabbed some Academy Award accolades) because it had dazzling special effects that were highly convincing and it felt like a familiar big budget Hollywood movie with weapons, explosions, and a surprisingly unknown cast. But it also did what any great science fiction story does: it uses the metaphors allowed within the imagined parameters of science fiction to explore truths about our own real humanity. In the case of "District 9" those themes included immigration, isolationism, xenophobia, home, family, and identity. (Much like successful vampire stories typically explore the question of what good can come from someone's (eternal) life, and successful zombie stories explore the question of what really defines the human (versus the non-human) experience.)

Well, "Monsters" is no "District 9," but I did enjoy it, maybe even more because it caught me off-guard (several times). The intimacy of the small cast allowed the metaphoric sci-fi explorations to unfold in the context of a "ships passing in the night" romance. Except that these ships were also passing through a Mexico/U.S. borderland of extraterrestrial invasion as well. (Expect Internet searches for Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able (the actors) and Gareth Edwards (the director and other production credits) to markedly increase with this movie and what might be its greater DVD release success). There are very few scary jolts or bombastic explosive scenes, but there are some very nice visuals and visual effects (makes sense if the movie is directed by the man also calling the shots for the camera work and special effects). The intentionality of situating this story as passage (escape?) from Mexico into the United States (home?) carries an intelligent subtlety that holds the subcontext questions: what is alien to us and how do we deal with what is foreign? Of course the movie shows the reality of a highly militarized reaction but it also offers glimpses of hope for wistful diplomacy or trans-species understanding. The straining love story adds a layer of emotion to this movie that makes it much more atmospheric and evocative than your usual sci-fi shoot-em-up. Visual choices like the location shots in Galveston, TX make the "disaster/evacuation zone" feeling quite real. In its pacing, the movie feels more like an independent romance than a sci-fi movie: there are quite a few smart gems of dialogue and single lines that surprise throughout the journey.

This movie ultimately makes a statement that turns the tables on how we might define "extraterrestrial" and "intelligence" in our solar system. Maybe it has to do with what all star-crossed lovers struggle with: a search for genuine connection in a lonely universe. For me, a matinee well spent.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1470827/