Monolith

The spine of the DVD says "Horror" on it. Totally inaccurate. Monolith is one part survival thriller (low on thrills), and one part science fiction.

Home-wrecking former pop sensation mom is worried her guy is cheating on her, so she drives his armored ultra-high tech SUV with toddler in tow to pay him a visit. She gets re-routed by her "smart" vehicle onto a shortcut... through the desert. She hits a deer (or at least something with antlers), gets out to check on it, and, well, her little boy, playing with her cell phone, puts the vehicle into lockdown mode, trapping him inside. That is some irresponsible s#!t.

I liked the idea of this car, and where car technology is taking us. For the bulk of this film, anyhow, it seems like a feasible place in the future to go. A vehicle that takes safety to the nth degree, and you can have a conversation with it! (complete with A. I. communication barriers).

Unfortunately, not much happens in this film. There is a character set up where you kind of grow to dislike bad mom, but at the same time feel a little bad for her. Then she gets locked out, and spends the rest of the movie making futile attempts to get back in. I actually thought the lead actress (Katrina Bowden) in this was good. She doesn't play it overly dramatic, and I think ultimately grew as a character to not take her son for granted. Then there's this total cop-out of a resolution, that I think is best left undiscussed. It does raise a number of unanswered questions.

I am a fan of movies with a very small cast, limited locations, isolation. It held my interest enough to give it 5 stars.

This movie has its issues but it also has entertainment value. If you enjoy endless vistas of desolate mountains then even if you don't care for the film itself, the heavy reliance on breathtaking shots of the multi-coloured Utah (likely the Paria mountains).

Beyond the geology and macho car, the kid is good and the hopeless terror of the protagonist is sometimes genuine, other times humorously not.

The technology is not enough with who does not have enough brain to function. That's the massage.... In this movie....

For a certain situation to happen, a lot of things have to go sideways. And you have to understand that it doesn't have to be logical, it just has to bring us where we end up. So the main character going there, is terrible, but to some extend acceptable. What is unacceptable though, is her behavior with a kid in the car.

Which is one of the points leading to a certain situation. But really there is no love lost for someone like that. It's tough to root for someone or feel for someone like that. Then again it's all about the kid isn't it? Yes and you could also argue, it's just a movie. And that's where it loses me or my interest. So the tension is almost completely gone, maybe if you accept certain things, you'll be on the edge of your seat. But I do doubt it very much

Not sure why the negatives. The acting is decent. Effects on the car are cool. Shrug, movie was OK for me. Solid 5 out of 10. I have watched far worse.