I might be conforming to the general consensus here, but yes, this film had a great concept but it was not executed well.
For the budget it was shot on (about $500K) and the prosumer equipment used, this film does look like an understated Hollywood sci-fi epic. The cinematography and camera-work is beautiful, and the CGI is for the most part quite convincing. The musical score is also an added bonus, as it is rather subtle and builds at the appropriate moments.
However, the film's positive qualities can't quite overshadow shortcomings. The story is middling and drags along, making its hour-and-a-half running time seem twice as long--any interesting scenes are scarce and sporadically spread throughout the film. In fact, we rarely ever get to see the "monsters" that seem to be the film's center point. Obviously, they didn't show the creatures very often so as to build up suspense, but the film fails to even do that effectively. And to top it all off, the acting is just terrible and the characters' dialogue is for the most part unimportant and unneeded. Though it could be argued that this corresponds with their self-centered characters, it leaves the audience feeling bored and very uninvolved.
"Monsters" attempted to ride the "District 9" wave and aimed to be a great piece of low-budget, indie, sci-fi fare, but it ended up simply being an amateurish road movie with an occasional alien appearance. Is it absolutely terrible? No, but when there are so many films superior in quality it is hard to recommend.
For the budget it was shot on (about $500K) and the prosumer equipment used, this film does look like an understated Hollywood sci-fi epic. The cinematography and camera-work is beautiful, and the CGI is for the most part quite convincing. The musical score is also an added bonus, as it is rather subtle and builds at the appropriate moments.
However, the film's positive qualities can't quite overshadow shortcomings. The story is middling and drags along, making its hour-and-a-half running time seem twice as long--any interesting scenes are scarce and sporadically spread throughout the film. In fact, we rarely ever get to see the "monsters" that seem to be the film's center point. Obviously, they didn't show the creatures very often so as to build up suspense, but the film fails to even do that effectively. And to top it all off, the acting is just terrible and the characters' dialogue is for the most part unimportant and unneeded. Though it could be argued that this corresponds with their self-centered characters, it leaves the audience feeling bored and very uninvolved.
"Monsters" attempted to ride the "District 9" wave and aimed to be a great piece of low-budget, indie, sci-fi fare, but it ended up simply being an amateurish road movie with an occasional alien appearance. Is it absolutely terrible? No, but when there are so many films superior in quality it is hard to recommend.