Love and Monsters
paramountLove and Monsters is the exact kind of film that people need during this never-ending quarantine cycle. It’s nowhere near great, but it’s an enjoyably optimistic time, predictable and derivative that features more heart than one might expect. It’s a feel-good experience that the whole family can get something out of.
The film takes place seven years into a chemical apocalypse that has mutated all cold-blooded creatures into giant killing machines and follows Joel Dawson (Dylan O’Brien), who decides to leave the safety of his underground colony in order to reunite with his high-school girlfriend (Jessica Henwick).
Ever since The Maze Runner films, O’Brien has proven himself to be a more than capable actor, and here he damn near carries the film with his charisma and infectious energy. He sells both the comedic and dramatic moments, even when the script is not at the same level. Henwick isn’t featured enough to leave much of an impression, but she still puts in solid work. And, of course, Michael Rooker, one of the industry’s best character actors, is a total delight here.
The screenplay, written by Brian Duffield and Matthew Robinson, is where a lot of the issues with the film lie. The story relies on many stale cliches and doesn’t do much to try and subvert them in any meaningful way. The dialogue is passable, but there’s an excessive amount of voice-over narration and clumsy attempts at reincorporation.
Visually, the film is able to make great use of its relatively cheap 30 million dollar budget. The true standout aspect of the whole thing is the creature design, which is incredibly creative and interesting throughout. The visual effects team was able to give the giant animals a weight that helps them blend in and interact with the practical world in an impressive way. Michael Matthew’s direction and Lachlan Milne’s cinematography, while nothing particularly special, is very sturdy and consistent, especially during the action sequences. The look of it is appealing, and they managed to make the world feel real and lived-in. The only technical aspect that falls flat is the score by Marco Beltrami and Marcus Trumpp, which is overbearing, cheesy and distracting at multiple points.
Despite its numerous problems, Love and Monsters succeeds at being a crowd-pleasing blockbuster that will appeal to a lot of different demographics. Any other year and this would’ve been a perfect film for high-schoolers to see in theaters with a group of friends. It has a considerable charm that helps it to stand out from other YA post-apocalypse stories, and it’ll make a good rainy-day watch.