Mail Order Monster

Having lost her mother in a tragic car accident 3 years previously, a young girl named "Samantha 'Sam' Pepper" (Madison Horcher) lives with a feeling of guilt that she indirectly caused it by creating a disturbance in the back seat resulting in the fatal crash. As might be expected in someone that young, Sam essentially shut everyone out at the time which then alienates her from her best friend "P. J." (Emma Rayne Lyle) who was also in the car when the fatal crash occurred. Because of this aloofness, P. J. takes it personally and 3 years later has developed into a bully who now delights in tormenting Sam mercilessly in school. For her part, Sam does her best to put up with it. Unfortunately, after one particularly bad day, Sam becomes overwhelmed with emotion and, as a result, she decides to order a monster robot from a magazine to somehow get back at her tormentor. What she doesn't realize, however, is that the robot becomes hardwired into believing that both "P. J." and Roy's new fiancé "Sydney Hart" (Charisma Carpenter) are bad--and this causes problems for everyone involved. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this movie had a decent plot and also featured an outstanding performance by Madison Horcher. The main problem I had with it concerned the rather cheap-looking robot which was simply too ridiculous to be taken seriously. Now, I realize that this was a family movie and things needed to be toned down to a certain extent. But having said that, I thought the director (Paulina Lagudi Ulrich) overdid it to a great degree and I have rated this movie accordingly. Slightly below average.

I blipped through this movie and found it mildly interesting while quite cliche'd. The cast was full of unknowns, at least to me, and I consider myself a moderate movie buff. The acting was ok, particularly the young lead. Rest of the cast, and the script was fairly predicable and rote. What I found particularly interesting was the multitude of 10/10 reviewers, all of whom found this to be the Greatest Movie Ever Made, or close to it. One apparently astute reviewer noted that these top drawer reviews mainly came from the film makers, and people closely associated with the production. One even self-identified as the film's creator while writing a very positive, albeit short, review. A reviewer remarked that people with an obvious agenda should not consider themselves as independent.

Trite and not even for kids!

Repeated untrue reaction; when the child is told by a parent about the decision of getting married. Trust me that stereotypical reaction is very rare to happen.

The story is well written, and the cast are superb in their portrayal of such loveable, recognizable characters. It is a soft sci-fi , kid-friendly film with contemporary, and yet timeless concepts. Although the subject matters and heavy material leans a bit dark toward the end, the director never crosses the line from G/PG entertainment. It can, at times, feel a little too sugary, but in away that is part of "Mail Order Monsters" charm.

The special effects are done nicely, blending graphic novel animation with both practical and CGI on a level that inhances the overall family friendly vibe. The creature design and concept is equal to comic con excellence that can even draw in older sci-fi fans. Overall "Mail Order Monsters" is a great kid flick that will hit home with families and especially preteens into some sci-fi fantasy movies.

This film was wonderfully cast and the story line is second to none. A hybrid between a family film that exploits an important social issue. Its definitely a film you should NOT miss out on watching!