"Love and Monsters": A Familiar Love At That

With a premise that could rival monster blockbusters the likes of Godzilla, Love and Monsters tones down its monster fighting ways and chooses to build an unconventional, well-earned coming of age story. I want to get this out of the way now because I will be tempted to bring it up throughout the entire article. Director Michael Matthews HAS to be a fan of Zombieland because this was the monster equivalent to that film in so many ways. A young guy is a novice in navigating a post-apocalyptic world and provides a direct narration to the audience throughout the movie. During his journey to find someone he loves, he encounters more experienced survivors, one an older, grizzled man and a young, hopeful girl who teach him how to improve his chances of surviving this new landscape. Any of this sounding familiar? Oh, there are even a few rules that are taught throughout the film, which was a running gag throughout Zombieland. I wanted to be mad about the similarities and complain that they were cheap ripoffs, except they didn't come off that way, and I can't blame someone for referencing one of my favorite films.

The bulk of the movie rests on the back of Dylan O'Brien's portrayal of meek survivor Joel Dawson as he navigates a monster-ridden world with his new dog, Boy, and his encounter with a walking Alexa-bot. He does a really good job, which should be no surprise considering his action-adventure experiences from the “Maze Runner” franchise and his boyish-looks don't hurt in portraying an innocent sentimentality. Michael Rooker and Ariana Greenblatt, as expeirenced surivors Clyde and Minnow, were breaths of fresh air who helped break up the monotony of Joel pissing himself during his journey. The surprise for me was Jessica Henwick, playing Aimee, who I was concerned would not be able to convey the emotional weight of a seven-year reunion. Of course, the story went in a direction that she didn't have to, but her interactions with Dylan felt pretty genuine and she was a character I'd be interested in learning more about.

The world-building in this film is done really well, from the explanation of how the chemicals from nuclear missiles caused a monstrous mutation in all the world's cold-blooded creatures to the drone-like overhead shots of the desolate landscapes. It does a great job of making the world feel widely empty while also beautifully void of humanity's pollutions. The graphics of the landscapes and the monsters was pretty good, but I think the monsters had a bit of a cartoony look at times, but all in all it can be overlooked. Also, the toad looked like a Venasaur. While the world-building was a great part of the film, it is also the worst part. There is so much that could be explored in this world that the level of potential for a franchise puts a slight damper on the small 80 or so mile stretch of road that we're led down. There is also a lot of come and go of plot threads that were highly welcomed but end up fleeting and under-developed, like Clyde and Minnow (who were interesting enough to spawn a spin-off) or the entirety of Aimee and her colony. Just the premise of how the colonies were formed would make for interesting storytelling. I wonder if the story had TOO much scope and would've benefited from being pulled in a bit more.

I get that a part of Joel's growth relied on his experiences in isolation away from the ability to fall back on others, but there was a bit too much isolation during his journey. The few action pieces were quite enjoyable, but a few more would've been welcomed, rather than experiencing a lot of the monster variety from Joel's sketchbook. Before getting to the battle at the beach, I thought how they navigated Joel and Aimee's reunion was really smart, as it ran the risk of being a real eye-roll, but come out feeling worthwhile. The beach fight was the visual spectacle of the film and dually served as Joel's comeuppance: the culmination of finding his courage and opening his mind from preconceived notions of this new world. Coming into his own feels so very earned and the depth of his decisions at this point of the film only make you like the character more, especially considering the alternate reactions he could have had considering the circumstances.

A strong cast with great performances and enough of a balance between the heart and action to satisfy both sides of the audience. Love and Monsters set the stage for what could be a great franchise that could have 2 or 3 interesting spin-offs from this one film alone. Hopefully those would come with more battles like that with the giant millipede-like creature.

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RATING: 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝