Love and Monsters (2020)
You don’t need to settle, even in the apocalypse.
I was sick last week, so I missed doing the review. If anyone ever needed proof that I do these on a weekly basis, that little gap between last one and now should be proof. I’ve got a project in the works to get out another TISR episode as well, but I thought I’d go back and check something that I haven’t gotten around to while I’m making use of a Paramount Plus membership before it runs out - something that’s a little bit more my roots but also a bit of something I normally stay away from. Tonight, we check out Love and Monsters.
The world quickly fell to crap - everyone decided to save the world by blowing up a space rock with rockets, but those rockets fed a whole lot of bad back down causing rampant mutations amongst the bugs and lizards and cold blooded critters. These rampant mutations started getting pretty big, and it wasn’t long before humanity was hiding underground as the big critters became the new reigning champs of the surface world. One person who was just a young lad when it all went down wants to go out and meet his old girlfriend after spending a good amount of time as the only single person in his little shelter - the only catch is it’s ninety some-odd miles away, and his survival skills are practically sub-zero. It’s a quest he chooses to undertake either way, and along the way he’ll meet some real characters and challenges.
The character is an enjoyable one. It’s probably more because he’s played off as a lovable loser and not just a incompetent jerk, so people who aren’t good at things or have tons of survival skills can easily get behind him, and those who are a way more capable audience can still enjoy the character for his rather upbeat personality and willingness to try. The best part for most about this is the fact he’s enjoyable to watch - but for those who tend to crush more in on that sort of thing it also means you get to have a lot of development on his front as skills and a person with his relations around people. Side characters are also in here, and they all have a bit of distinct personality to them. One could make an argument that the pair of survivors the main runs into on the surface function a bit better as a pair than as a stand alone, but that’s still not bad. Of those traveling companions, the dog is there the longest, and also has in it’s own little way a bit of an arc.
The actors do a good job with their characters as well. Like I said before, the main character is quite enjoyable to be watching, despite the character’s buffoonery. They all deliver their lines well, have some good body language, and when they need to express some emotions it’s visible and easy to tell. The younger actor also does a fine job, and I’m sure there’s quite a few people that will enjoy the dog as well, who has some pretty novel moments of doing things. By the time it gets all cut together on the screen, that dog is one Scooby snack away from talking! The various creatures of the film all feel their own thing, although I don’t really know how much of that would be considered acting - I supposed in the few instances of getting some good close up eyes of the monsters they do emote quite well, but if it isn’t really there should it be considered acting or should it be considered an effect?
One big family.
I do like those effects as well. They are nicely done - yes, most won’t be fooling you into thinking the monsters are real live things sitting right there, but they don’t really take you out of the movie at all. You see a big fake monster frog, and you know it’s a big fake monster frog but it’s still exciting for the hero to try and survive it. Some scenes, like the night time jelly floaters scene that I’ve included a screenshot of, are quite beautiful. Violence isn’t really super crazy either, as you could guess from the rating. There’s some scenes of people getting gobbled up by monsters, but it’s a far pace from the more brutal horror movie dismembering snack-fests. Scenery gets a lot of the effects work as well, with plenty of props like wrecked vehicles and buildings, and plenty of up-dressing from things like monster eggs, nests, and a varied amount of environments to look at across the journey too.
Audio is well done. Balancing is nice, so you won’t struggle to hear any of the lines including the non-yelled ones. Music helps support the scenes, as it usually does for me however it’s not anything that really stuck around afterwards. For someone who enjoys music, you really would think I’d retain a lot more music out of movies than I do. Sound effects help build the scenery out as well, giving you plenty of creepy queues as to whatever that thing may have been at some point before getting all mutant monster madness. There’s also a few lines that feel pretty nicely delivered, and although you might not exactly be getting railed in the heart by it or killing tissue boxes over the tragic back stories, they are still pretty well done and makes it feel like a much nicer experience overall.
So my biggest take away from this movie is it’s a nice idea. I mean, it’s probably a little noticeable that I’m not mad at the movie and feel it’s pretty decently put together - but at the same time it felt like something that giant monsters have been able to do for a while now -take topics, genres, and events and put them into another light for perhaps a wider audience simply by adding in giant creatures. It’s a love story at it’s foundation - man loves his lady, and will go to great lengths to be reunited. You also have that survival thread - finding one’s worth, learning what it is to be alive and learn from mistakes, finding the beauty or humor in a bad situation. It’s far less about people ruining the world or causing great horror on each other, and in turn ends up being a surprisingly cheerful take on something even with such a bad situation bestowed upon all the players. That said, despite the wide variety of giant creatures, it also suffers a bit from the curse of such movies - most of the time what we want to see is the big creatures, but the movie is still at it’s core about the people, and in turn that’s what you’ll see the most of. Still, I’d argue that this probably still has more screen time for big monsters than that original re-try of the American Godzilla movie, so there is that.
That’s a wonderfully non-deadly night.
It’s an enjoyable movie, and I had a fine time with it. It had plenty of fun little things to it - be it effects or acting - and it does a decent job of bridging two different worlds of monster movies and romance flicks. I think most people could enjoy. It’s pretty easy to follow, and feels a bit like a lightweight version of a bunch of things - romance, horror, adventure, all sorts of things.