I love a good monster movie. They’re not as popular now as they once were, though every so often, we get something like Beast or Antlers released theatrically or The Ritual on streaming to tide us over until the next one. It’s such a simple formula, really. Just put some big bad, whether real or not, and pit it against some folks scrambling to survive. Bonus points for monsters that look really, really cool.
Jurassic World: Rebirth recently premiered, courtesy of filmmaker Gareth Edwards. Edwards is perhaps best known for his Star Wars stint in 2016 and his big, monstrous big-budget debut two years before. His 2014 Godzilla remains one of the best monster movies of the century, one of the rare Godzilla films to render the titular Kaiju genuinely scary. Jurassic World promises the same, so to whet your appetite, why not revisit Edwards’ debut? His monstrous first feature is now streaming on Hulu, and it’s a doozy.
Learn more below:
In the film, “Six years after Earth has suffered an alien invasion, a cynical journalist agrees to escort a shaken American tourist through an infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the U.S. border.“
Also Read: We Need More Dinosaur Horror—Here’s Why
Gareth Edwards’ Monsters has scale and scope despite a meager $500,000 budget. It’s guerrilla filmmaking at its finest, often shot in locations the filmmakers had no permission to be in. Production spanned five different countries as Edwards cobbled his movie together. Luckily, he did, and the result was one of the freshest, most exhilarating monster movies around.
Monsters helped to propel Edwards’ career, and it additionally helped this small indie carve out a substantial audience of its own. Reviews were strong, and Monsters turned a profit at the box office.
In our own review of the film, we wrote, “Overall, if you’re looking for a raucous shoot-em-up style alien flick, Monsters isn’t for you. However, if you’re interested in engaging storytelling amidst some of the most visually striking cinematography and visual f/x work I’ve experienced since 2006’s Children of Men, then I highly encourage you to seek out Monsters.”
It’s unconventional in the best way, and if you’re curious why Edwards is regarded as one of the VFX pioneers of our time, look no further than Monsters.
What do you think? Any plans to check out Monsters on Hulu? If you do, let me know what you think over on Twitter @Chadiscollins.
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