El monstro del mar!

Wow. I really don't know what to say about El monstro del mar!

My jaw is still dropped.

You can listen to all the nonsense about how this is a rip off of this or that but really, this is Austrailia's answer to The Host

During every moment of this film I expected to be disappointed by clichés but instead I sat at the edge of my seat astounded by the originality.

Yeah it's like a collage of other movies but it does it so well, it's Thelma and Louise against Jaws, but not played for humor.

Yes, watch it.

They were told to never go into the water. Now the sea will rise in a tide of blood.

I entered this with some pretty low expectations but an open mind. I did not know the plot and only knew I was going to see a "monster movie". I ended up being pleasantly surprised by this unique, artistic and inventive film.

While the character of Hannah (Kyrie Capri) stands out as the heroine, and Capri could have a future in films, everyone involved deserves credit. This did not come off as an amateur production, despite the fact I am certain most of these people had never been in front of a camera before. Whether the auditions were thorough or lucky I do not know, but they came out with a top-notch cast.

The visuals are appealing, with a nice blend of black and white with color, a twisted little homage to "Wizard of Oz" (whether intentional or not). The grindhouse effects of frames skipping was unnecessary, but well executed. And the soundtrack is phenomenal, really giving the whole production a western feel when it was anything but.

I do wish the sound was mixed better. As an American, the accents were hard for me to take in at times. This was not helped by the dialogue being drowned in the music. A bit more emphasis on speech and less on music (at least during the talking) and I think this would be more digestible for American audiences, if that is a goal.

Monstro! is one of those films that sounds like it's going to be a sure-fire winner when read about. It even has a cool poster. In truth, it doesn't live up to its potential. Its story has three bad girls on the run for a double murder. They wind up at a small seaside town that is terrorised by a tentacled sea monster. It should be fairly obvious from the above synopsis that this is a movie with more than a passing debt to the exploitation classic Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Furthermore, it even features the quite specific detail of a wheelchair bound misogynistic old man, which also aligns it with Russ Meyer's film. But this is a far less interesting movie sadly. The three girls here are a far cry from the Pussycats unfortunately and aren't nearly alluring enough to carry the film too far, although they are still the best thing about it.

Irrespective of the bad girl trio, it's essentially a low budget Australian creature feature. The monster of the title does pitch up every so often and gets involved in some gory killings. We don't really see too much of it beyond tentacles until the pretty decent finale. But the very combination of the three bad girls on the run with a creature feature is quite odd and does feel like two entirely different films colliding head on; which I am sure was the intention of the writer/director. There's also a pretty good soundtrack of retro tunes which adds some value to proceedings.

I would have to classify this as a bit of a miss considering the great possibilities it suggests. But overall it is fairly entertaining and doesn't ever get boring. And at 75 minutes it never out stays its welcome.

Three girls out having fun. By fun, I mean murdering, snorting blow, and raising hell. The official movie synopsis describes this flick as a Australian homage to Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Add in some crappy cgi/sock puppet with an attitude special effects, and that's what you get.

Our three gorgeous rockabilly-esque anti-heroines are driving through Australia, doing their murdering shtick. They stop at a shanty near the beach and decide to take a dip. There are curves galore, but no nudity. An old man who happens to live near by sees them and starts yelling at them to get out of the water. They laugh, and the following night El Monstro Del Mar shows up to devour the town.

Is this movie crap? You bet it is, but it's the enjoyable kind of crap that's best seen with friends and maybe a little buzzed. While I wouldn't call it strictly dark humor, it doesn't take itself serious at all. It's not meant to scare you or teach you something about humanity. It's meant to entertain and it succeeds at that. I saw this flick at the Nevermore movie festival, and that's a great kind of venue for it. See it with friends, have a good time with it. If you like cheesy movies, you'll love this.

Three dangerous vixens, one giant tentacle monster.. it's a recipe for a good old fashioned disaster. In a good way, of course. In this brand new ozploitation flick, the glorious classic elements of the exploitation and the input of several characteristics of the monster genre collide. It's the best of both worlds. I wasn't expecting much, but the first few minutes caused my jaw to drop and my drool to escape. Just a figure of speech..

It starts off with the three ladies hanging around in the middle of the desert in their broken down car, all shot in classy black/white, steady photography. Australian director Stuart Simpson is obviously paying a tribute to Russ Meyer's monumental classic 'Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!'. It's an effective start and it immediately brings a certain attitude and vibe to it that fans of the traditional action/crime genre will definitely love.

The happy, cheery vibe changes as we witness a terrible crime committed by the, apparently, hit-man-chicks. Monstro Del Mar shows a serious side, but at the same time it will never forget the essence of a great monster flick; taking a breath every once in a while and have a laugh. Plenty of room for silly activities, exploiting the female presence without getting to sexual or cheap.

With only 75 minutes on the clock there will be little time to get distracted or bored with the ladies, the monster or the epic combination of both. The ending is one to remember and the fact that they used practical effects for the most part is something that made me smile from cheek to cheek. Stuart Simpson knows what's right, resulting in a mixture of genres that will entertain you in a way that most other modern exploitation revivals fail to do.

It's not easy to point out exactly what makes Monstro del Mar that much different from the rest. We've all seen it before for as long as we can remember. Maybe it's the lack of convincing new material that makes this traditionally built piece of horror worth your while. Why change a killer recipe, right? The three vixens, Beretta, Blondie and Snowball are all played by first time actresses, making their part even more impressive. They play their roles as if they are having a good time, not as if they're trying to act.

I could just repeat the above and call it an end, but I'd like to point out that it really is a refreshing film in the midst of all the crap released lately. Stuart Gordon, who began his career at Troma (where else?), has convinced me of his talent in a way that very few are capable of nowadays. Check this Australian masterpiece out whenever you can, it will be worth your time!