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Monsters(2010 film)

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Monsters
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGareth Edwards
Written byGareth Edwards
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGareth Edwards
Edited by
  • Colin Goudie
Music byJon Hopkins
Production
company
Distributed byVertigo Films
Release dates
  • 13 March 2010(2010-03-13)(SXSW)
  • 3 December 2010(2010-12-03)(United Kingdom)
Running time
94 minutes[1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$500,000
Box office$4.24 million

Monstersis a 2010 Britishscience-fictionhorror filmwritten and directed byGareth Edwards(in his feature directorial debut). Edwards also served as the cinematographer, production designer, and a visual effects artist. The film takes place years after aNASAprobe crashed in Mexico, which leads to the sudden appearance of giant tentacled monsters. It follows Andrew Kaulder (Scoot McNairy), an American photojournalist tasked with escorting his employer's daughter Samantha Wynden (Whitney Able) back to the United States by crossing through Mexico's "Infected Zone", where the creatures reside.

Edwards conceived the idea for the film after seeing fishermen attempt to bring a creature in with a net, and imagining a monster inside. He pitched the idea toVertigo Films,who suggested he watchIn Search of a Midnight Kiss,a low-budget film starring McNairy. Edwards cast McNairy and Able in the lead roles.Principal photographylasted three weeks and had a production crew of six people. Filming took place in five countries, and many locations were used without permission. Most of the extras were people who were at these locations during filming and were persuaded to act in it; all of their dialogue was improvised, and Edwards provided outlines of the primary plot points.

Monsterspremiered atSouth by Southweston 13 March 2010. Hours later,Magnet Releasingacquired the rights to distribute it in North America. It had alimited releasethere, beginning on 29 October 2010, followed by a theatrical release in the United Kingdom on 3 December 2010. The film received generally positive reviews and was a box office success, grossingUS$4.2 million against a budget of less than $500,000.Monsters: Dark Continent,a sequel, was released in the UK on 1 May 2015.

Plot

[edit]

After aNASAspace probe (sent to verify the existence of extraterrestrial life in the solar system) crash-lands in Mexico,extraterrestriallife forms spread throughout theMexico–United States borderregion, leading to the quarantine of the northern half of Mexico. US and Mexican troops battle to contain the creatures, and a huge wall stretching along the border ostensibly keeps the US protected.

AmericanphotojournalistAndrew Kaulder receives a call from his employer, who tells Andrew to find his daughter, Samantha Wynden, and escort her back to the US. Andrew locates Samantha in a Central American hospital and the pair board a train, until learning the tracks ahead have been damaged. They discover that if they do not leave the country within a few days, sea and air travel will be blocked for six months. Andrew and Samantha decide tohitchhiketheir way to the coast. Andrew buys Samantha an expensive ferry ticket for the next morning. After enjoying the local nightlife together, Andrew sleeps with a local woman who steals their passports. Unable to board the ferry, Samantha is forced tobarterher engagement ring for passage through the quarantine zone.

They travel by riverboat until being transferred to a group of armed escorts who are to lead them overland towards the Mexico–US border. The convoy is attacked by the creatures. Andrew and Samantha escape, but none of the guards survive. Pressing on, they discover the bodies of dead travelers and bond at the top of an ancient pyramid in sight of the US border wall. By the time they reach the border, the creatures have crossed into the United States. Andrew and Samantha travel through a severely damaged, evacuated town in Texas, find an abandoned gas station with power where they call the army for help.

While waiting for help to arrive, they make phone calls to their families. A lone creature silently approaches the station. Hiding, Samantha observes several tentacles exploring the inside of the store, seemingly soaking up a television's light. Samantha quickly unplugs the television and the creature loses interest. Another creature appears and they communicate with one another and possibly mate via light impulses. The creatures leave as the military arrives. Samantha and Andrew kiss before they are rushed into different vehicles. The chronological ending takes place at the beginning of the film, filmed in green night vision sight, when the military rescue team is attacked by a creature on the way back to base. The bodies of Samantha and Andrew can be briefly seen lying in the street, presumably lifeless.

Cast

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Production

[edit]

Development

[edit]
Gareth Edwards, who wrote, directed, and shotMonsters

While studying at university in 1996, Edwards made a shortmonster movieset insuburbia.He initially wanted to expand the idea but after the release ofWar of the Worlds,he believed it was "not going to be special any more". Considering that the film would have to be low-budget, Edwards decided to embrace thefound footagestyle ofThe Blair Witch Projectand mix that element with his original concept. After learning aboutCloverfield'ssimilar premise, he abandoned this idea and moved on to a concept where a "war [is] going on somewhere on the other side of the world and no one cares".[2]

Edwards conceived the film while watching some fishermen struggling to haul in their net and imagining a monster inside of it. 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".[3]

Pre-production

[edit]

Edwards pitched his idea toVertigo Films,where producer James Richardson asked him to watchIn Search of a Midnight Kissfor an example of low-budget film making. It starred Scoot McNairy and had been made for $15,000. Edwards was impressed by McNairy but wanted a real couple to portray the lead characters.[4]McNairy sent Edwards a picture of his girlfriend, actressWhitney Able,who Edwards initially thought was "too good-looking". He changed his mind after meeting them and cast them both.[3]

Filming

[edit]

"There is an amazing contradiction at the heart of Central America: potential trouble right alongside beauty and friendship. Many bad things happened while we were there... But... we were in some of the most beautiful places I'd ever seen, being helped by the most generous people in the world."

—Gareth Edwards, recalling events during filming in Central America[3]

The film was written and directed by Gareth Edwards, whileAllan Nibloand James Richardson ofVertigo Filmsserved as producers.[5]Edwards did not storyboard or script the film but wrote a treatment of the story and outlines that detailed points that needed to be hit in dialogue.[6]The filming equipment cost approximately $15,000 and the production budget came in "way under" $500,000.[7]The film was able to be made on such a low budget largely due to the production using consumer gradeprosumerlevel equipment instead of professional paraphernalia. The film was shot usingdigital video camerasrather than the more expensive35 mm filmand was edited on a laptop computer.[8]Many of the locations in the film were used without permission and most of the extras were people who were already at the locations.[8][9]As the extras were non-actors who were persuaded to be in the film, their actions were improvised.[3]

The film was shot in Belize, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and the United States over three weeks.[3][10]For about 90 per cent of theprincipal photography,the crew consisted of seven people transported in one van: Edwards, Able, McNairy, sound operator Ian Maclagan, line producer Jim Spencer, MexicanfixerVerity Oswin and a driver.[3]

Editing and effects

[edit]

Every night after shooting, editor Colin Goudie and his assistant Justin Hall would download the footage so the memory sticks could be cleared and be ready for the next day.[3]While new footage was being shot, the filmed footage was edited at the production team's hotel.[8]After filming concluded, the crew had over 100 hours of footage. The original cut was over four hours long but was trimmed to 94 minutes after eight months of editing.[3]Edwards originally had the ending of the film both at the beginning and the end. He and the producers disagreed about the placement, so he decided to put the chronological ending of the film at the beginning and end the film immediately after Andrew and Samantha kiss.[6]

Edwards created the visual effects using off-the-shelfAdobesoftware,ZBrushandAutodesk 3ds Max.He had five months to create all 250 visual effects shots, a process he undertook in his bedroom. He produced two shots a day until he reached the first creature shot, when "suddenly two months went by and [he] still hadn't finished a single creature shot"; Edwards stated that the creatures' visual effects were the most challenging element of production. Due to time constraints, the sound effects had to be produced before the visual effects.[3]

Release

[edit]

Theatrical

[edit]

Monsterspremiered at theSouth by SouthwestFilm Festival on 13 March 2010.[11]In May, the film was screened at theCannes Film Market.[12]It also screened as part of the 64thEdinburgh International Film Festivalon 18 June 2010,[13]and screened twice at theLos Angeles Film Festivalon 23 and 26 June.[14]The film was first released in Russia on 30 September 2010.[15]Monsterswas later released in the United States on 29 October,[16]in Canada on 5 November,[17]and the United Kingdom on 3 December.[18]In the weeks leading up to the UK release, a marketing campaign using social networkFoursquarewas announced. Vue Entertainment and Cineworld Cinemas set up 'infected locations' which gave users access to exclusiveMonsterscontent and the chance to win random on-the-spot prizes.[19]

Home media

[edit]

Monsterswas released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United Kingdom on 11 April 2011 byVertigo Films,in Australia on 13 April 2011 byMadman Entertainment,[20]and in North America on 1 February 2011 byMagnolia Pictures.[21]

Reception

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Box office

[edit]

Hours after the film's screening at South by Southwest,Magnet Releasingacquired the distribution rights in the United States. Tom Quinn, an executive at Magnet, stated that they "were blown away byMonsters"and were" thrilled to bring [Edwards'] vision to American audiences. "[5]Shortly after, D Films acquired the rights to distribute the film in Canada.[17]Monsterswas released in 19 countries between September 2010 and December 2011. It grossed $4.2 million from worldwide ticket sales,[22]earning over $1 million in the United Kingdom and Russia and over $100,000 in Mexico, France, the United States, Australia, Germany, Spain, Poland, and Turkey.[23]

The film was released in the United Kingdom on 3 December 2010. On its opening weekend,Monstersgrossed $550,110 in 164 cinemas, averaging $3,354 per cinema. The following weekend, the film dropped to 153 and grossed $244,607, a 55.5% decrease, averaging $1,599. Over its three subsequent weekends, the film grossed $99,891. The film concluded its five-week run on 2 January 2011; the gross was $1,442,633.[24]

The film was released in North America on 29 October 2010. On its opening weekend,Monstersgrossed $20,508 in three theatres, for an average of $6,836 per theatre. The following weekend, the film screened in 13 theatres and grossed an additional $28,590. In its third weekend, the film expanded to 25 theatres and grossed $48,680, averaging $1,947 per theatre. Over its six subsequent weekends, the film grossed an additional $60,141. On 26 December 2010, the film concluded its nine-week run with a gross of $237,301.[25]

Critical response

[edit]

Monstersreceived generally positive reviews from critics. Thereview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoesreported that 73% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 159 reviews, with an average rating of 6.61/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "It doesn't quite live up to its intriguing premise, butMonstersis a surprising blend of alien-invasion tropes, political themes, and relationship drama. "[26]OnMetacritic,the film has a score of 63 based on 26 reviews, which is considered to be "generally favorable reviews".[27]

Roger Ebertawarded the film three and a half out of four stars, praising its focus on "characters, relationships, fear and mostly unseen menace" rather than its visual effects, as well as the acting. He also commended Edwards for "evoking... awe and beauty" and for the creature designs.[28]Peter Bradshaw,writing forThe Guardian,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[Werner] Herzogand[Francis Ford] Coppola,with a strong streak ofSpielbergianwonder at the sight of two aliens apparently dancing ".[1]Michael Phillipsof theChicago Tribunewas critical of the performances but praised the film's "considerable, crafty virtues", its premise, and its ending.[29]Jeanette Catsoulis ofThe New York Timescalled the film "wondrously atmospheric" and "effortlessly compel[ling]", and praised Edwards' "beautiful, otherworldly" visual effects.[30]Dan Jolin ofEmpireechoed the comparison to Herzog, opining that the film "exhibits the lyrical surrealism of [his] jungle excursions". He also praised the visual effects, Edwards' cinematography, and the "simmering" chemistry between McNairy and Able, concluding that the film was "both shoestring and sci-fi filmmaking at its best".[31]Michael Rechtshaffen of theAssociated Presspraised Edwards for "add[ing] original touches to the genre" and for his production design. He criticised the "tentative" and "alienating" performances of McNairy and Able, but stated that "the overall picture still impresses".[32]Jennie Punter ofThe Globe and Maildisagreed, comparing the lead actors' chemistry toEthan HawkeandJulie DelpyinBefore Sunriseand praising the pacing.[33]Clark Collis ofEntertainment Weeklygave the film a B+, also praising the performances of McNairy and Able and commending Edwards' work.[34]

Conversely,Ty Burrof theBoston Globegave the film a mixed review, granting it two and a half stars out of five. Though he praised the score, he stated that it is "more fascinating for its ambitions than for what it accomplishes" and criticised the main characters for being "too shallow" and unengaging.[35]Robert Abele of theLos Angeles Timescriticised the "weak plot, forgettable dialogue and sloppy politics" and called the lead characters "empty-headed blanks".[36]Amy Biancolli of theSan Francisco Chroniclecalled McNairy and Able a "semi-interesting" pair, but disliked the lack of monsters in the film, the dialogue, and the familiarity of the story.[37]Michael O'Sullivan ofThe Washington Postcalled the film "a less-than-compelling relationship drama", criticising it for being unoriginal and predictable, and that hiding the monsters made them less frightening.[38]

Accolades

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At the13th British Independent Film Awards,Monsterswas nominated in six categories including Best Picture, Best Director for Edwards, andBest Actorfor McNairy. The film won for Best Director, Best Technical Achievement, and Best Achievement in Production.[39][40]At the64th British Academy Film Awards,Edwards was nominated for Outstanding Debut by a British Director, but lost toChris MorrisforFour Lions.[41]It won Best Independent Movie at the2011 Scream Awards,and was nominated for Best Science Fiction Movie.[42][43]The film also won Best International Film at the37th Saturn Awards.[44]TheNational Board of Reviewnamed the film one of the top ten independent films of 2010,[45]and it placed third onMoviefone's Top 10 Sci-Fi Movies of 2010 list.[46]

Sequel

[edit]
Main article:Monsters: Dark Continent

A sequel,Monsters: Dark Continent,started filming in March 2013 in Jordan and Detroit, with Tom Green directing and Jay Basu writing. Gareth Edwards and Scoot McNairy served as executive producers.Johnny Harris,Sam KeeleyandJoe Dempsiestarred in the film.[47]Originally scheduled to be released on 28 November 2014,[48]the film's release date was then moved to 27 February 2015,[49]and was eventually released by Vertigo on 1 May 2015.[50]In contrast toMonsters,Monsters: Dark Continentwas not well received by critics, with an 18% score on review aggregatorRotten Tomatoesbased on 34 reviews.[51]

TV series

[edit]

As of January 2018,Channel 4is developing a TV series based on the movie.[52]It is unknown whether Gareth Edwards, the original director of the film, is serving as executive producer for the TV series.

References

[edit]
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  2. ^Lambie, Ryan (29 November 2010)."Gareth Edwards interview: on making Monsters, meeting Quentin Tarantino and more".Den of Geek.Archivedfrom the original on 25 July 2014.Retrieved6 August2014.
  3. ^abcdefghi"Classic Feature: The Making Of Gareth Edwards' Monsters".Empire.No. 257. November 2010.
  4. ^Barnard, Linda (12 November 2010)."Interview: Whitney Able and Scoot McNairy".The Star.Toronto.Retrieved August 2011.
  5. ^ab"Magnet Releasing Takes U.S. Rights to Monsters".ComingSoon.net.16 March 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 12 December 2013.Retrieved27 November2010.
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  7. ^"'Monsters' and Metaphors With Writer-Director Gareth Edwards ".MSN.19 October 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 11 June 2014.Retrieved27 November2010.
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  9. ^Rose, Steve (27 November 2010)."Monsters: the bedroom blockbuster that's the anti-Avatar".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 21 May 2015.Retrieved17 November2011.
  10. ^Clarke, Cath (23 September 2010)."First sight: Gareth Edwards".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 23 October 2014.Retrieved27 November2010.
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  13. ^Solomons, Jason (3 June 2010)."Film Weekly previews Edinburgh and meets the stars of Kicks".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 19 February 2014.Retrieved27 November2010.
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  15. ^"Мировая премьера" Монстров "в российских кинотеатрах 30 сентября (Monsters world premiere will happen in Russia)"(in Russian).LiveJournal.18 August 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 2 October 2012.Retrieved27 November2010.
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  28. ^Ebert, Roger(17 November 2010)."Monsters should be heard and not seen".Chicago Sun-Times.Archivedfrom the original on 18 July 2014.Retrieved27 November2010.
  29. ^Phillips, Michael(18 November 2010)."More monstrous in title than in scale, but entertaining nonetheless".Chicago Tribune.Archivedfrom the original on 15 July 2014.Retrieved7 August2014.
  30. ^Catsoulis, Jeannette (28 October 2010)."'Monsters' Creates Human Love Among Alien Invaders ".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 12 August 2014.Retrieved7 August2014.
  31. ^Jolin, Dan."Empire's Monsters Movie Review".Empire.Archived fromthe originalon 10 August 2014.Retrieved7 August2014.
  32. ^Rechtshaffen, Michael (14 October 2010)."Monsters – Film Review".The Hollywood Reporter.Archivedfrom the original on 13 August 2014.Retrieved7 August2014.
  33. ^Punter, Jennie (12 November 2010)."Monsters: Alien adventures in the (infected) zone".The Globe and Mail.Retrieved7 August2014.
  34. ^Collis, Clark (17 November 2010)."Monsters Review".Entertainment Weekly.Archivedfrom the original on 4 July 2014.Retrieved7 August2014.
  35. ^Burr, Ty(5 November 2010)."Monsters movie review".Boston Globe.Archived fromthe originalon 7 July 2014.Retrieved7 August2014.
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  37. ^Biancolli, Amy (5 November 2010)."'Monsters' review: So where are they? ".San Francisco Chronicle.Archivedfrom the original on 24 September 2015.Retrieved7 August2014.
  38. ^O'Sullivan, Michael (5 November 2010)."Young love, tired old tale".The Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on 12 August 2014.Retrieved7 August2014.
  39. ^Knegt, Peter (1 November 2010).""King's Speech" Leads British Independent Film Award Nominations ".Indiewire.Archivedfrom the original on 10 August 2014.Retrieved4 August2014.
  40. ^Scott, Andrew (5 December 2010)."British Independent Film Awards Winners 2010: 'The King's Speech' Sweeps".Moviefone.Archived fromthe originalon 10 August 2014.Retrieved4 August2014.
  41. ^"Baftas nominations 2011: full list".The Guardian.18 January 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 6 March 2014.Retrieved4 August2014.
  42. ^Ford, Rebecca (16 October 2011)."Scream Awards Winners: 'Harry Potter' Takes Home Top Honor, Most Awards".Associated PressviaThe Hollywood Reporter.Archivedfrom the original on 1 January 2014.Retrieved4 August2014.
  43. ^"Spike TV Announces 'SCREAM Awards 2011' Nominees".Spike.7 September 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 10 August 2014.Retrieved4 August2014.
  44. ^Chitwood, Adam (26 June 2011)."Inception Wins Big at the 2011 Saturn Awards".Collider.Archivedfrom the original on 23 September 2014.Retrieved5 August2014.
  45. ^Pond, Steve (2 December 2010)."'The Social Network' Sweeps National Board of Review ".The Wrap.Archivedfrom the original on 10 August 2014.Retrieved5 August2014.
  46. ^"Top 10 Sci-Fi Movies of 2010".Moviefone.28 December 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 12 May 2013.Retrieved31 December2010.
  47. ^Wiseman, Andreas (25 March 2013)."Monsters sequel shoot underway".Screen International.Archivedfrom the original on 19 June 2014.Retrieved6 August2014.
  48. ^Jolin, Dan (22 August 2013)."Exclusive First Look at Monsters: Dark Continent".Empire.Archived fromthe originalon 10 August 2014.Retrieved6 August2014.
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  52. ^White, Peter (12 January 2018)."Gareth Edwards' Sci-Fi Feature 'Monsters' Being Adapted As Television Series".Deadline.Retrieved12 January2018.
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