Monday, March 7, 2011

Monsters

Just monsters...


Imagine a world in which northern Mexico and the the America southwest have become infested with dangerous alien life accidentally released from a space probe returning from Jupiter's moon Europa six years earlier.  There is now a quarantined area in which Mexican and American forces are fighting a losing battle to contain the unwelcome creatures.  Unable to arrange passage home an aspiring photographer and the daughter of his employer choose to brave the "Infected Zone."

Filmed in Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Texas, this clever low budget film ($500,000) was captured on digital camera by Gareth Edwards and then edited on his PC using off the shelf software.  Apart from the two leads, Samantha Wynden and Andrew Kaulder, the production depended on the talents of local non actors filmed ad lib in real life settings.  The movie evokes the verisimilitude of District Nine and Cloverfield and pays homage to scenes from Apocalypse Now and War of the Worlds

The acting is unaffected and genuine.  The effects are understated and effective.  The creatures are rarely on screen but they can be heard calling to one another in the night.  The result is eerie, realistic, and emotionally engaging.