Superb 2010 feature debut from writer/director/DP/production designer/vfx Gareth Edwards, this is the kind of work that should give us all reassurance that there are some safe hands on the rise that can offer alternatives/antidote to the output of mainstream Hollywood that bring genuine invention and will provide some new vocabulary for the language of modern cinema. Edwards beautifully captures the sombre and confused mood of a fictional near-future where aliens have arrived on Earth. The journey of his characters across this disorienting landscape is totally compelling due to Edwards' deft touch with situations and dialogue, and the engagingly believable performances from his leads McNairy and Able. In these aspects 'Monsters' is in stark contrast to something like the effects-heavy 'Skyline' (a contemporary piece). Edward's meagre budget and (necessarily) inventive film-making methods, and the wonderful outcome of his process, should be a(nother) lesson to big-bankroll directors and studios that truly substantive creation does not need a mega-budget to demonstrate its value. (See also Shane Carruth's wonderful 'Primer'). 'Monsters' is superb film-making that you really should see if you have any interest in the future of cinema.
Review of Monsters
