Monsters (2010 film)
Encyclopedia
Monsters is a 2010 British
science fiction film
, written, shot and directed by Gareth Edwards
. Whitney Able
and Scoot McNairy
star in the lead roles.
deep-space probe crash lands in Mexico, alien
life forms spread throughout the U.S.–Mexico border region, leading to the quarantine of the northern half of Mexico. Mexican and United States armed forces battle to contain the creatures, while a wall stretching along the American border ostensibly keeps the United States protected. The film begins with night vision
footage of a US Army patrol driving through a town in the middle of the night. One of the soldiers is humming Wagner's
"Ride of the Valkyries
". An explosion flips one of the vehicles, and flashes of gunfire show US soldiers firing at an enormous tentacled creature. The alien's features are similar to that of an octopus, yet it strides upon several hard, insect-like legs. In the background, a radio transmission from one of the soldiers obtains approval for a dangerously close air strike. Meanwhile, a civilian screams for help and attempts to drag a woman off the road and away from the creature. The soldiers withdraw as the man is left behind, lifting the woman and trying to carry her away. Moments later, an air-to-ground missile homes in on the creature.
The scene changes to Andrew, a young American photojournalist, who is hired by his wealthy employer to get the latter's daughter Samantha back to the United States from San José, Central America
. Andrew has no interest in being an escort but is pressured into doing so by his employers, while Samantha seems at odds with her impending marriage to her fiance. He locates Samantha in a Mexican hospital, where she was being treated for an injured wrist.
After leaving the hospital, the pair board a train to reach the Mexican coast, where they plan to take a ferry to the United States. However, the pair are temporarily slowed down by the destruction of the railroad. They learn that if they do not leave the country within a few days, sea and air travel will be blocked, and they will have to wait six months before safe travel is possible. With that deadline looming, Andrew makes the decision to walk the rest of the way to the Coast, which Samantha regretfully complies with. After spending the night with a generous local family, the pair make their way to the eastern gulf coast of Mexico.
Arriving at the port, Andrew buys Samantha a single ferry ticket, at a notably inflated price, for the next morning at 7 o'clock. That night, they explore the town's night-life: drinking, eating and having a good time together, but upon returning to the hotel, it soon becomes obvious Samantha wants to go to bed alone. Andrew resumes drinking heavily throughout the night after she turns him away from her room.
The next morning, Samantha is unable to get on the ferry, since Andrew was robbed of their passports by the local girl with whom he spent the night. Given no other option to return home, Samantha barters her engagement ring
in exchange for an escort for herself and Andrew through the infected zone.
Their journey takes them across the Mexican quarantine zone initially by riverboat, where they hear and partially see the alien creatures along the way. Eventually, they are dropped off and given to a convoy with armed escorts who are to lead them by land to the US-Mexico border. As they are traveling their car is attacked by the large aliens. As the tentacled creatures begin to demolish the other vehicles in the convoy, the escorts guarding Andrew and Samantha abandon them to try and bring down the attacking aliens.
The sounds of battle soon come to an end, and the American couple are forced to hide in silence as the creatures surround and inspect the remaining vehicles. After Andrew shuts off the light in their van, the nearby aliens ignore them. They instead destroy the remaining truck that had its headlights still on, indicating that light is of importance in some way to the aliens. When morning comes, it is evident that none of the guards had survived the ordeal, their bodies strewn across the jungle. Andrew salvages a pair of gas masks from two of the bodies before discovering the corpse of a slain female child. He regrettably documents what he sees before they move on alone. They make a day's worth of progress before they spend the night at the top of what appears to be an Aztec pyramid with the US border wall visible on the horizon. The next day, they arrive at the checkpoint nestled in a gap in the massive wall, but it appears to be unmanned. As they cross the abandoned checkpoint and explore suburban ghost towns, Andrew and Samantha realize the American border has been evacuated, and the aliens have advanced into the United States.
After walking along an evacuation route, the two stumble across an abandoned gas station. Andrew calls the police and is informed they will be picked up. Andrew and Samantha phone their respective families. Andrew speaks with his son, becoming visibly emotional as he does so. As they finish their calls, an lone creature silently approaches the gas station from behind. Andrew fails to notice it as he lays on the concrete of the pumping station. It sends its tentacles into the store, setting off the typical door-chime. Samantha, thinking it is Andrew coming inside to join her, looks up smiling but quickly begins to scoot away across the floor, horrified. She absconds herself behind a set of shelves as the two tentacles explore the inside of the store, getting dangerously close to her several times. They soon turn their focus to the TV that was displaying the news, pressing the tips of the appendages against the screen as pulses of light run up their lengths. Realizing the attraction toward the electrically-produced light, Samantha quickly unplugs the TV and the creature quickly loses interest in the store.
The creature strides to the road beside the gas station as Samantha exits the store to join Andrew, where they both watch in amazement as a second alien appears and begins communicating with the first. Their communication appears to be more than simply vocal, as their tentacles interlace and pulse with light rhythmically. In this rare spectacle, the giant creatures no longer seem monstrous killers, but instead appear as gentle giants sharing a tender, beautiful moment as the two miniscule humans stare up at them in awe. However, as quickly as they came, the creatures part ways, leaving Samantha and Andrew alone together as they wait for the military to arrive. Watching them vanish into the night, Samantha tearfully declares, "I don't want to go home." and they share a brief kiss before they are interrupted by military rescue convoy.
As the convoy departs from the gas station, it is revealed that the opening scene shows what happens after Andrew and Samantha are picked up, evident when the viewer hears the soldier humming Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries".
and James Richardson of Vertigo Films
work as producers on the production. The filming equipment cost approximately $15,000, with the budget coming in at under $500,000. The film was able to be made on such a low budget due to the use of prosumer
cameras to capture digital video
rather than the more expensive 35mm film. Any settings featured in the film were real locations often used without permission asked in advance, and the extras were just people who happened to be there at the time.
Edwards had the idea for the film while watching some fishermen struggling to haul in their net and imagining a monster. He had the idea to make a monster movie set "years after most other monster movies end, when people aren't running and screaming, but life is going on" and "where a giant, dead sea monster is considered completely normal." He pitched the idea to Vertigo Films, and they asked Edwards to watch a film called In Search of a Midnight Kiss
which starred Scoot McNairy and had been made for $15,000. As the chemistry between Edwards's two characters was so important, he wanted a real couple, and luckily McNairy's then-girlfriend (and now wife) Whitney Able
is an actress, and joined the project.
The film was shot in Belize
, Mexico
, Guatemala
, Costa Rica
and Texas in the US, over three weeks. For about 90% of the filming the crew comprised seven people transported in one van: Ian Maclagan (sound operator), Jim Spencer (line producer), Verity Oswin the Mexican 'fixer', Edwards, a driver, and Able and McNairy, the stars. As the low-budget production didn't run to a camera dolly
, Edwards made do by sticking the camera out of the van window, cushioned on some bundled-up clothing.
As most of the extras were non-actors who were persuaded to be in the film, their action was improvised. "As a result of all this random behaviour, the idea of scripting the film went out of the window. Instead I had a loose paragraph describing the scene with just the main points that had to be hit; how the actors carried this out was left up to them." Each night during the shooting period, the editor Colin Goudie and his assistant Justin Hall would download the day's footage so the memory sticks could be cleared and ready for the next day's filming. While new footage was being captured, the previously captured footage was being edited back at the hotel in which the production team was staying.
Back in the UK, Edwards had over 100 hours of unique, ad-libbed footage (rather than repeated takes of scripted scenes) to edit into a coherent film. Edwards did all the special effects himself using off-the-shelf Adobe
software, ZBrush
and Autodesk 3ds Max. The first assembly was over four hours long, but this was trimmed to 94 minutes after eight months of editing. Once the film was locked, Edwards had five months to create all 250 visual effects shots, a process he undertook in his bedroom. "[I was] churning out about two shots a day, which was fine until I got to the first creature shot. Then suddenly two months went by and I still hadn't finished a single creature shot; it turned out to be the hardest part of the whole process." Due to time constraints, the sound effects had to be produced before the special effects were undertaken. Edwards claimed that the advances in computer technology in recent years made it possible for him to create the films visual effects on such a low budget; "You can go in the shop now and you can buy a laptop that's faster than the computers they made Jurassic Park
on".
Film Festival, as part of the SX Fantastic screenings, on 13 March 2010. On 17 March, Magnet Releasing acquired the rights for the North American distribution. In May, the film was screened at the Cannes Film Market
. Monsters had its UK premiere as part of the 64th Edinburgh International Film Festival
, on 18 June 2010. The Los Angeles Film Festival
also held two screenings, part of the Summer Showcase, on 23 and 26 June. The film's theatrical release took place in Russia on 30 September, distributed by Volgafilm. Magnolia Pictures
released Monsters in US theatres on 29 October 2010. The Canadian
theatrical release was on 5 November, after DFilms acquired the rights on 24 May 2010.
with the site's consensus stating, "It doesn't quite live up to its intriguing premise, but Monsters is a surprising blend of alien-invasion tropes, political themes, and relationship drama." Roger Ebert
awarded the film three and a half out of four stars and said "Monsters holds our attention ever more deeply as we realize it's not a casual exploitation picture." Peter Bradshaw
reviewed the film for The Guardian
and gave it four stars out of five, described the film as a "terrifically exciting sci-fi movie" and concluded that Edwards "channels the upriver nightmares of Herzog
and Coppola
, with a strong streak of Spielbergian
wonder at the sight of two aliens apparently dancing, or communicating, or having sex". The film ranked #3 on Moviefone
's Top 10 Sci-Fi Movies of 2010 list. Filmmaker Kevin Smith
is a fan of the film, saying on his Podcast Hollywood Babble-On "It will appeal to everything about the child in you that used to like the Four o'clock movie."
, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, and eventually won the Best Director, Best Technical Achievement, and Best Achievement in Production awards. At the 2011 BAFTAs, Monsters was nominated for Outstanding Debut by a British Director, but ultimately lost to Four Lions
. It won Best Independent Movie at the 2011 Scream Awards
, and was nominated for Best Science Fiction Movie but it lost to Super 8
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction film
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
, written, shot and directed by Gareth Edwards
Gareth Edwards (director)
Gareth Edwards is a British film director. He is best known for directing the 2010 independent film Monsters, his first feature film. He also wrote, filmed, and did the visual effects for the film. He is currently attached to direct the upcoming Godzilla reboot from Legendary Pictures.- Biography...
. Whitney Able
Whitney Able
Whitney Able is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in All the Boys Love Mandy Lane and Monsters. She has been featured in Maxim magazine.- Biography :Able has two brothers and is a fan of Led Zeppelin...
and Scoot McNairy
Scoot McNairy
Scoot McNairy is an American actor from Dallas, Texas known for roles in In Search of a Midnight Kiss , Herbie Fully Loaded , and Mr. Fix It . He also plays the lead male role in the recently released film Monsters...
star in the lead roles.
Plot
After a NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
deep-space probe crash lands in Mexico, alien
Alien
Alien or Aliens may refer to:* Alien , a non-citizen inhabitant of a country* Extraterrestrial life, defined as life that does not originate from Earth* Introduced species, a species living outside its native distributional range...
life forms spread throughout the U.S.–Mexico border region, leading to the quarantine of the northern half of Mexico. Mexican and United States armed forces battle to contain the creatures, while a wall stretching along the American border ostensibly keeps the United States protected. The film begins with night vision
Night vision
Night vision is the ability to see in low light conditions. Whether by biological or technological means, night vision is made possible by a combination of two approaches: sufficient spectral range, and sufficient intensity range...
footage of a US Army patrol driving through a town in the middle of the night. One of the soldiers is humming Wagner's
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
"Ride of the Valkyries
Ride of the Valkyries
The Ride of the Valkyries is the popular term for the beginning of Act III of Die Walküre, the second of the four operas by Richard Wagner that comprise Der Ring des Nibelungen. The main theme of the Ride, the leitmotif labelled Walkürenritt, was first written down by the composer on 23 July 1851...
". An explosion flips one of the vehicles, and flashes of gunfire show US soldiers firing at an enormous tentacled creature. The alien's features are similar to that of an octopus, yet it strides upon several hard, insect-like legs. In the background, a radio transmission from one of the soldiers obtains approval for a dangerously close air strike. Meanwhile, a civilian screams for help and attempts to drag a woman off the road and away from the creature. The soldiers withdraw as the man is left behind, lifting the woman and trying to carry her away. Moments later, an air-to-ground missile homes in on the creature.
The scene changes to Andrew, a young American photojournalist, who is hired by his wealthy employer to get the latter's daughter Samantha back to the United States from San José, Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
. Andrew has no interest in being an escort but is pressured into doing so by his employers, while Samantha seems at odds with her impending marriage to her fiance. He locates Samantha in a Mexican hospital, where she was being treated for an injured wrist.
After leaving the hospital, the pair board a train to reach the Mexican coast, where they plan to take a ferry to the United States. However, the pair are temporarily slowed down by the destruction of the railroad. They learn that if they do not leave the country within a few days, sea and air travel will be blocked, and they will have to wait six months before safe travel is possible. With that deadline looming, Andrew makes the decision to walk the rest of the way to the Coast, which Samantha regretfully complies with. After spending the night with a generous local family, the pair make their way to the eastern gulf coast of Mexico.
Arriving at the port, Andrew buys Samantha a single ferry ticket, at a notably inflated price, for the next morning at 7 o'clock. That night, they explore the town's night-life: drinking, eating and having a good time together, but upon returning to the hotel, it soon becomes obvious Samantha wants to go to bed alone. Andrew resumes drinking heavily throughout the night after she turns him away from her room.
The next morning, Samantha is unable to get on the ferry, since Andrew was robbed of their passports by the local girl with whom he spent the night. Given no other option to return home, Samantha barters her engagement ring
Engagement ring
An engagement ring is a ring indicating that the person wearing it is engaged to be married, especially in Western cultures. In the United Kingdom, Ireland and North America, engagement rings are traditionally worn only by women, and rings can feature diamonds or other gemstones. In other cultures...
in exchange for an escort for herself and Andrew through the infected zone.
Their journey takes them across the Mexican quarantine zone initially by riverboat, where they hear and partially see the alien creatures along the way. Eventually, they are dropped off and given to a convoy with armed escorts who are to lead them by land to the US-Mexico border. As they are traveling their car is attacked by the large aliens. As the tentacled creatures begin to demolish the other vehicles in the convoy, the escorts guarding Andrew and Samantha abandon them to try and bring down the attacking aliens.
The sounds of battle soon come to an end, and the American couple are forced to hide in silence as the creatures surround and inspect the remaining vehicles. After Andrew shuts off the light in their van, the nearby aliens ignore them. They instead destroy the remaining truck that had its headlights still on, indicating that light is of importance in some way to the aliens. When morning comes, it is evident that none of the guards had survived the ordeal, their bodies strewn across the jungle. Andrew salvages a pair of gas masks from two of the bodies before discovering the corpse of a slain female child. He regrettably documents what he sees before they move on alone. They make a day's worth of progress before they spend the night at the top of what appears to be an Aztec pyramid with the US border wall visible on the horizon. The next day, they arrive at the checkpoint nestled in a gap in the massive wall, but it appears to be unmanned. As they cross the abandoned checkpoint and explore suburban ghost towns, Andrew and Samantha realize the American border has been evacuated, and the aliens have advanced into the United States.
After walking along an evacuation route, the two stumble across an abandoned gas station. Andrew calls the police and is informed they will be picked up. Andrew and Samantha phone their respective families. Andrew speaks with his son, becoming visibly emotional as he does so. As they finish their calls, an lone creature silently approaches the gas station from behind. Andrew fails to notice it as he lays on the concrete of the pumping station. It sends its tentacles into the store, setting off the typical door-chime. Samantha, thinking it is Andrew coming inside to join her, looks up smiling but quickly begins to scoot away across the floor, horrified. She absconds herself behind a set of shelves as the two tentacles explore the inside of the store, getting dangerously close to her several times. They soon turn their focus to the TV that was displaying the news, pressing the tips of the appendages against the screen as pulses of light run up their lengths. Realizing the attraction toward the electrically-produced light, Samantha quickly unplugs the TV and the creature quickly loses interest in the store.
The creature strides to the road beside the gas station as Samantha exits the store to join Andrew, where they both watch in amazement as a second alien appears and begins communicating with the first. Their communication appears to be more than simply vocal, as their tentacles interlace and pulse with light rhythmically. In this rare spectacle, the giant creatures no longer seem monstrous killers, but instead appear as gentle giants sharing a tender, beautiful moment as the two miniscule humans stare up at them in awe. However, as quickly as they came, the creatures part ways, leaving Samantha and Andrew alone together as they wait for the military to arrive. Watching them vanish into the night, Samantha tearfully declares, "I don't want to go home." and they share a brief kiss before they are interrupted by military rescue convoy.
As the convoy departs from the gas station, it is revealed that the opening scene shows what happens after Andrew and Samantha are picked up, evident when the viewer hears the soldier humming Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries".
Production
The film was devised, storyboarded and directed by Gareth Edwards, who also worked as the visual effects artist. Allan NibloAllan Niblo
Allan Niblo is a British film producer and director. He co-founded Vertigo Films.- Producer :* Monsters * Outlaw * WΔZ * The Business * It's All Gone Pete Tong * The Football Factory...
and James Richardson of Vertigo Films
Vertigo Films
Vertigo Films is a British film production and film distribution company.- History :In 2002, Vertigo Films was created by producers Allan Niblo , James Richardson , director Nick Love Vertigo Films is a British film production and film distribution company.- History :In 2002, Vertigo Films was...
work as producers on the production. The filming equipment cost approximately $15,000, with the budget coming in at under $500,000. The film was able to be made on such a low budget due to the use of prosumer
Prosumer
Prosumer is a portmanteau formed by contracting either the word professional or less often, producer with the word consumer. For example, a prosumer grade digital camera is a "cross" between consumer grade and professional grade...
cameras to capture digital video
Digital cinematography
Digital cinematography is the process of capturing motion pictures as digital images, rather than on film. Digital capture may occur on video tape, hard disks, flash memory, or other media which can record digital data. As digital technology has improved, this practice has become increasingly common...
rather than the more expensive 35mm film. Any settings featured in the film were real locations often used without permission asked in advance, and the extras were just people who happened to be there at the time.
Edwards had the idea for the film while watching some fishermen struggling to haul in their net and imagining a monster. He had the idea to make a monster movie set "years after most other monster movies end, when people aren't running and screaming, but life is going on" and "where a giant, dead sea monster is considered completely normal." He pitched the idea to Vertigo Films, and they asked Edwards to watch a film called In Search of a Midnight Kiss
In Search of a Midnight Kiss
In Search of a Midnight Kiss is an American independent romantic comedy written and directed by Alex Holdridge. It is listed on the National Board of Review's Top 10 Independent Films of 2008, won the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award in 2009 as well as having earned awards at festivals...
which starred Scoot McNairy and had been made for $15,000. As the chemistry between Edwards's two characters was so important, he wanted a real couple, and luckily McNairy's then-girlfriend (and now wife) Whitney Able
Whitney Able
Whitney Able is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in All the Boys Love Mandy Lane and Monsters. She has been featured in Maxim magazine.- Biography :Able has two brothers and is a fan of Led Zeppelin...
is an actress, and joined the project.
The film was shot in Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and Texas in the US, over three weeks. For about 90% of the filming the crew comprised seven people transported in one van: Ian Maclagan (sound operator), Jim Spencer (line producer), Verity Oswin the Mexican 'fixer', Edwards, a driver, and Able and McNairy, the stars. As the low-budget production didn't run to a camera dolly
Camera dolly
A camera dolly is a specialized piece of filmmaking and television production equipment designed to create smooth camera movements . The camera is mounted to the dolly and the camera operator and focus puller or camera assistant, usually ride on the dolly to operate the camera...
, Edwards made do by sticking the camera out of the van window, cushioned on some bundled-up clothing.
As most of the extras were non-actors who were persuaded to be in the film, their action was improvised. "As a result of all this random behaviour, the idea of scripting the film went out of the window. Instead I had a loose paragraph describing the scene with just the main points that had to be hit; how the actors carried this out was left up to them." Each night during the shooting period, the editor Colin Goudie and his assistant Justin Hall would download the day's footage so the memory sticks could be cleared and ready for the next day's filming. While new footage was being captured, the previously captured footage was being edited back at the hotel in which the production team was staying.
Back in the UK, Edwards had over 100 hours of unique, ad-libbed footage (rather than repeated takes of scripted scenes) to edit into a coherent film. Edwards did all the special effects himself using off-the-shelf Adobe
Adobe Systems
Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...
software, ZBrush
ZBrush
ZBrush is a digital sculpting tool that combines 3D/2.5D modeling, texturing and painting. It uses a proprietary "pixol" technology which stores lighting, color, material, and depth information for all objects on the screen...
and Autodesk 3ds Max. The first assembly was over four hours long, but this was trimmed to 94 minutes after eight months of editing. Once the film was locked, Edwards had five months to create all 250 visual effects shots, a process he undertook in his bedroom. "[I was] churning out about two shots a day, which was fine until I got to the first creature shot. Then suddenly two months went by and I still hadn't finished a single creature shot; it turned out to be the hardest part of the whole process." Due to time constraints, the sound effects had to be produced before the special effects were undertaken. Edwards claimed that the advances in computer technology in recent years made it possible for him to create the films visual effects on such a low budget; "You can go in the shop now and you can buy a laptop that's faster than the computers they made Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park (film)
Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. It stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Martin Ferrero, and Bob Peck...
on".
Release
Monsters premiered at the South by SouthwestSouth by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
Film Festival, as part of the SX Fantastic screenings, on 13 March 2010. On 17 March, Magnet Releasing acquired the rights for the North American distribution. In May, the film was screened at the Cannes Film Market
Marché du Film
The Marché du Film is the business counterpart of the Cannes Film Festival and the largest film market in the world.It was created in 1959 and it is held annually since then, simultaneously to the Cannes Festival...
. Monsters had its UK premiere as part of the 64th Edinburgh International Film Festival
Edinburgh International Film Festival
The Edinburgh International Film Festival is an annual fortnight of cinema screenings and related events taking place each June. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival...
, on 18 June 2010. The Los Angeles Film Festival
Los Angeles Film Festival
The Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times is an event held annually in June in downtown Los Angeles, California. The Los Angeles Film Festival began as the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival in 1995. The first LAIFF took place over the course of five days in a single...
also held two screenings, part of the Summer Showcase, on 23 and 26 June. The film's theatrical release took place in Russia on 30 September, distributed by Volgafilm. Magnolia Pictures
Magnolia Pictures
Magnolia Pictures is an American film distributor, and is a holding of 2929 Entertainment, owned by Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban. Magnolia was formed in 2001 by Bill Banowsky and Eamonn Bowles, and specializes in both foreign and independent films....
released Monsters in US theatres on 29 October 2010. The Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
theatrical release was on 5 November, after DFilms acquired the rights on 24 May 2010.
Critical
Monsters received generally positive reviews from critics, with the film garnering a 71% "fresh", or 7.1/10 rating, on review aggregate Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
with the site's consensus stating, "It doesn't quite live up to its intriguing premise, but Monsters is a surprising blend of alien-invasion tropes, political themes, and relationship drama." Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
awarded the film three and a half out of four stars and said "Monsters holds our attention ever more deeply as we realize it's not a casual exploitation picture." Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw is a British writer and film critic. He was educated at Cambridge University, where he was President of Footlights.Bradshaw is a film critic for The Guardian...
reviewed the film for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and gave it four stars out of five, described the film as a "terrifically exciting sci-fi movie" and concluded that Edwards "channels the upriver nightmares of Herzog
Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog Stipetić , known as Werner Herzog, is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.He is often considered as one of the greatest figures of the New German Cinema, along with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Margarethe von Trotta, Volker Schlöndorff, Werner...
and Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
, with a strong streak of Spielbergian
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
wonder at the sight of two aliens apparently dancing, or communicating, or having sex". The film ranked #3 on Moviefone
Moviefone
Moviefone is an American-based movie listing and information service. Moviegoers can obtain local showtimes, theatre information, film reviews, or advance tickets...
's Top 10 Sci-Fi Movies of 2010 list. Filmmaker Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
is a fan of the film, saying on his Podcast Hollywood Babble-On "It will appeal to everything about the child in you that used to like the Four o'clock movie."
Accolades
Monsters was nominated for six British Independent Film AwardsBritish Independent Film Awards 2010
The 13th British Independent Film Awards, was held on 5 December 2010 at The Brewery in West London, honouring the best British independent films of 2010.-Best British Independent Film:* The King's Speech* Four Lions* Kick-Ass...
, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, and eventually won the Best Director, Best Technical Achievement, and Best Achievement in Production awards. At the 2011 BAFTAs, Monsters was nominated for Outstanding Debut by a British Director, but ultimately lost to Four Lions
Four Lions
Four Lions is a 2010 British satirical comedy film. It is the debut feature from director Chris Morris, written by Morris, Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong. The film is a jihad satire following a group of homegrown Islamist terrorist jihadis from Sheffield, England.-Plot:A group of young Muslim men...
. It won Best Independent Movie at the 2011 Scream Awards
2011 Scream Awards
The 2011 Scream Awards was the name of the sixth annual Scream Awards, an award show dedicated to the horror, sci-fi, and fantasy genres of feature films, television and comic books...
, and was nominated for Best Science Fiction Movie but it lost to Super 8
Super 8 (film)
Super 8 is a 2011 American science fiction action film written and directed by J. J. Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, and Kyle Chandler and was released on June 10, 2011 in conventional and IMAX theaters...
.