Monsters

(United Kingdom, 2009, 97 mins, HDCAM 23.98)

Producers: Allan Niblo, James Richardson
Screenwriter: Gareth Edwards
Cinematographer: Gareth Edwards
Editor: Colin Goudie
Cast: Scoot McNairy, Whitney Able

Six years ago, a NASA probe carrying alien spores crashed somewhere in Central America. Today, a huge swath of land between Mexico and the U.S. has become a creature-infested no-man’s land. In Gareth Edwards’ stunning directorial debut, a photojournalist in southern Mexico is charged with getting his boss’ daughter to the safety of the U.S. The only problem is the two of them are on the wrong side of the “Infected Zone,” and the only way home is a journey, fraught with danger, through the heart of the contaminated region.

Monsters is not the movie you think it is. Yes, there are monsters in it—large luminous squidlike creatures, beautifully crafted by Edwards himself—and yes, they do, at times, destroy things, but there are other wonders to discover as well. The largely improvised performances feel grounded and real—a rarity in any movie—while the storytelling is a small miracle. With intelligence and integrity, Edwards puts audacious spins on familiar boy-meets-girl-meets-alien tropes, revealing that a great film is, simply, a great film, no matter what the genre.

Doug Jones

Expected to attend: Gareth Edwards.

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