The Monster isn’t terrible, not even close, but for horror fans might be disappointed especially how the movie was marketed. There are some fine performances for sure, though, especially by Zoe Kazan and the young Ella Bellentine, just a shame the script didn’t do them any favors.
The Monster
(2016)
Genre(s): Horror, Drama
Lionsgate | R – 91 min. – $24.99 | January 17, 2017
Date Published: 01/14/2017 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE — 2.25/5 |
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Writer/Director Bryan Bertino burst onto the scene with the highly entertaining horror-thriller, The Strangers, back in 2008 though his follow-up, Mockingbird was a dud. His latest is The Monster, a simplistic allegorical horror that had some OK ideas and competent direction, but in the end is predictable and, at times, dull. The story focuses on a divorced, dysfunctional, neglectful and alcoholic mother (ZOE KAZAN) and her headstrong daughter (ELLA BELLENTINE) as they take a long trip, down a desolate road, to her father’s home. Along the way, they run into a wolf which, upon inspection, has been mauled by some unknown creature. Good news is, unlike in other horror movies, their cell phone does work so an ambulance and tow truck, as the car has been immobilized, has been called.
And that’s basically it. There’s no real plot and, kind of like The Strangers, the film relies more on suspense and horror than anything. Yes, there’s an allegorical element but not much else. It’s clear this movie is less about the monster, as it merely appears out of nowhere with no explanation, just that monsters exist, and more about this mother-daughter relationship, as we see via flashbacks, which had turn both verbally and physically abusive and there’s certain correlation of this monster, fear and the bond that does form between the pair. While the horror part doesn’t work, and the drama does get heavy-handed and clichéd as all hell, and quite depressing in fact, why The Monster isn’t a complete dud is thanks to the strong performances by Zoe Kazan and Ella Bellentine who were both brilliant and compelling in spite of some questionable bouts of dialogue and a situation, that being running from a monster played by what has to be a stuntman in a rubber costume (flaws hidden by darkness and rain). Oh, and while Scott Speedman’s name appears on the front cover, it’s a blink or you’ll miss him appearance (20 seconds of screen time), clearly doing a favor for Bertino.
As I said, The Monster was at least capably directed by Bertino, it’s a shame his script on the other hand didn’t really have much to offer. When you remove the drama aspects, you’re left with some generic and forgettable horror. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 1.0/5 |
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This release comes with a matted slip cover. Inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. The only item included is Eyes in the Darkness (7:32; HD) featurette. Previews – The Witch, Into the Forest, Green Room, Free Fire, Blair Witch |
VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| The Monster growls onto Blu-ray presented with a 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio and given a 1080p high-definition transfer. This isn’t exactly a pretty looking picture to begin with and taking place primarily at night, there’s not much in terms of color. However, detail is decent and even in the darker shots, I didn’t notice any major instances of artifacts or aliasing. |
AUDIO – 3.5/5 |
| For a movie with a monster, and all it entails (snarls and such), this DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track isn’t very strong. While dialogue did sound clear, when there’s some actual action, it seems a bit limited with minor depth. It’s not a bad track but for a modern day horror film, I did expect more. |
OVERALL – 2.0/5 |
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Overall, The Monster isn’t terrible, not even close, but for horror fans might be disappointed especially how the movie was marketed. There are some fine performances for sure, though, especially by Zoe Kazan and the young Ella Bellentine, just a shame the script didn’t do them any favors. The Blu-ray released by Lionsgate offers good video, above average audio while the features are forgettable. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.