Monstrous

I have to admit that I was initially lured in to watching the 2022 mystery thriller "Monstrous" given the movie's cover/poster, but also because it was a movie that I hadn't already seen.

Writer Carol Chrest didn't really manage to churn out a storyline that was particularly inspiring. In fact, the movie's storyline was rather mundane and predictable. The movie started out fair enough, but then quickly settled into a monotonous pace without much of any excitement.

It is a movie with a rather small cast ensemble, but I will say that Christina Ricci carried the movie quite nicely, as did child actor Santino Barnard. It was nice to see Lew Temple in the movie, despite of him having only a small role.

Visually then "Monstrous" was actually good. Great special effects, which definitely added a lot to the movie, since the storyline was rather bland.

Ultimately then "Monstrous" was a movie that came and went without leaving a lasting impression. And I guess that come the end of the week, the movie will be a distant speck of a memory only. This is not a movie that I will be returning to watch a second time, nor is it a movie that I would recommend horror fans to rush out to get to watch.

My rating of "Monstrous", from director Chris Sivertson, lands on a four out of ten stars.

Monstrous has a great 50s soundtrack and setting. It also has Christina Ricci on top form. What the movie doesn't have is anything new or interesting to say, the plot has been done ad nauseum and the 'twist' can be seen from a mile away. It's such a shame as Christina Ricci is a great actress and really should be given more interesting work, she isn't on the big screen as often as she deserves to be.

Somehow slow, somehow ok, but in the end a very disappointing movie. Miss Ricci is doing her best, but it doesn't help the movie to be more watchable. Not a stinker, but not average either.

I believe most of the poor review is because the person expecting to see a horror but instead it is a psychological thriller. The acting is good, the story isn't very original but hey, it is hard to come by with an original ideas these day so it is just mediocre. Overall, me and my wife did enjoy this.

They did this film a huge disservice by marketing it as horror. There is nothing in the fim that is remotely horror. There is a supernatural element but supernatural does not equal horror. If it had been marketed as fantasy or psychological drama an entirely different audience would view it. I believe that it would have much better reviews.

Cristina Ricci, as Laura, does a superb job portraying the many different emotions that one experiences when enduring the circumstance that is the theme of the film. The scenery is well done using upbeat 1950's music and bright colors to depict how Laura views the world.

Bring tissues.