Monsters is a really good debut for writer, director & cinematographer Gareth Edwards, proving he understands the sci-fi genre as well as extremely efficient low budget filmmaking. It's an indie romance set against the backdrop of a world inhabited by giant monsters with a clear love of Steven Spielberg's filmography.
Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able are pretty much the only characters in the film, the mundane conversations and their palpable growing affection for each other is equally as investing as any of the tension filled monster set pieces. Scoot in particular gets to show a level of dramatic heft too rarely seen in his bigger projects.
Gareth Edwards direction is very ambitious and all the better for it, on such a small budget he's able to create a world that feels so big and lived in. Thematically, it's very bold and messy work but with a clear passion from Edwards and an understanding of how this genre can be used as a metaphor for current world issues.
Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able are pretty much the only characters in the film, the mundane conversations and their palpable growing affection for each other is equally as investing as any of the tension filled monster set pieces. Scoot in particular gets to show a level of dramatic heft too rarely seen in his bigger projects.
Gareth Edwards direction is very ambitious and all the better for it, on such a small budget he's able to create a world that feels so big and lived in. Thematically, it's very bold and messy work but with a clear passion from Edwards and an understanding of how this genre can be used as a metaphor for current world issues.