Monsters (2010 film)
Monsters | |
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Directed by | Gareth Edwards |
Written by | Gareth Edwards |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Gareth Edwards |
Edited by |
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Music by | Jon Hopkins |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Vertigo Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 94 minutes[1] |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Budget | $500,000 |
Box office | $4.24 million |
Monsters is a 2010 British science-fiction horror film written and directed by Gareth Edwards (in his feature directorial debut). Edwards also served as the cinematographer, production designer, and a visual effects artist. The film takes place years after a NASA probe crashed in Mexico, which leads to the sudden appearance of giant tentacled monsters. It follows Andrew Kaulder (Scoot McNairy), an American photojournalist tasked with escorting his employer's daughter Samantha Wynden (Whitney Able) back to the United States by crossing through Mexico's "Infected Zone", where the creatures reside.
Edwards conceived the idea for the film after seeing fishermen attempt to bring a creature in with a net, and imagining a monster inside. He pitched the idea to Vertigo Films, who suggested he watch In Search of a Midnight Kiss, a low-budget film starring McNairy. Edwards cast McNairy and Able in the lead roles. Principal photography lasted three weeks and had a production crew of six people. Filming took place in five countries, and many locations were used without permission. Most of the extras were people who were at these locations during filming and were persuaded to act in it; all of their dialogue was improvised, and Edwards provided outlines of the primary plot points.
Monsters premiered at
Plot
After a NASA space probe (sent to verify the existence of extraterrestrial life in the solar system) crash-lands in Mexico, extraterrestrial life forms spread throughout the Mexico–United States border region, leading to the quarantine of the northern half of Mexico. US and Mexican troops battle to contain the creatures, and a huge wall stretching along the border ostensibly keeps the US protected.
American
They travel by riverboat until being transferred to a group of armed escorts who are to lead them overland towards the Mexico–US border. The convoy is attacked by the creatures. Andrew and Samantha escape, but none of the guards survive. Pressing on, they discover the bodies of dead travelers and bond at the top of an ancient pyramid in sight of the US border wall. By the time they reach the border, the creatures have crossed into the United States. Andrew and Samantha travel through a severely damaged, evacuated town in Texas, find an abandoned gas station with power where they call the army for help.
While waiting for help to arrive, they make phone calls to their families. A lone creature silently approaches the station. Hiding, Samantha observes several tentacles exploring the inside of the store, seemingly soaking up a television's light. Samantha quickly unplugs the television and the creature loses interest. Another creature appears and they communicate with one another and possibly mate via light impulses. The creatures leave as the military arrives. Samantha and Andrew kiss before they are rushed into different vehicles. The chronological ending takes place at the beginning of the film, filmed in green night vision sight, when the military rescue team is attacked by a creature.
Cast
- Scoot McNairy as Andrew Kaulder
- Whitney Able as Samantha Wynden
Production
Development
While studying at university in 1996, Edwards made a short
Edwards conceived the film while watching some fishermen struggling to haul in their net and imagining a monster inside of it. He had the idea to make a monster movie set "years after most other monster movies end, when people aren't running and screaming but life is going on" and "where a giant, dead sea monster is considered completely normal".[3]
Pre-production
Edwards pitched his idea to Vertigo Films, where producer James Richardson asked him to watch In Search of a Midnight Kiss for an example of low-budget film making. It starred Scoot McNairy and had been made for $15,000. Edwards was impressed by McNairy but wanted a real couple to portray the lead characters.[4] McNairy sent Edwards a picture of his girlfriend, actress Whitney Able, who Edwards initially thought was "too good-looking". He changed his mind after meeting them and cast them both.[3]
Filming
"There is an amazing contradiction at the heart of Central America: potential trouble right alongside beauty and friendship. Many bad things happened while we were there ... But ... we were in some of the most beautiful places I'd ever seen, being helped by the most generous people in the world."
—Gareth Edwards, recalling events during filming in Central America[3]
The film was written and directed by Gareth Edwards, while
The film was shot in Belize, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and the United States over three weeks.
Editing and effects
Every night after shooting, editor Colin Goudie and his assistant Justin Hall would download the footage so the memory sticks could be cleared and be ready for the next day.[3] While new footage was being shot, the filmed footage was edited at the production team's hotel.[8] After filming concluded, the crew had over 100 hours of footage. The original cut was over four hours long but was trimmed to 94 minutes after eight months of editing.[3] Edwards originally had the ending of the film both at the beginning and the end. He and the producers disagreed about the placement, so he decided to put the chronological ending of the film at the beginning and end the film immediately after Andrew and Samantha kiss.[6]
Edwards created the visual effects using off-the-shelf
Release
Theatrical
Monsters premiered at the
Home media
Monsters was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United Kingdom on 11 April 2011 by Vertigo Films, in Australia on 13 April 2011 by Madman Entertainment,[20] and in North America on 1 February 2011 by Magnolia Pictures.[21]
Reception
Box office
Hours after the film's screening at South by Southwest, Magnet Releasing acquired the distribution rights in the United States. Tom Quinn, an executive at Magnet, stated that they "were blown away by Monsters" and were "thrilled to bring his vision to American audiences."[5] Shortly after, D Films acquired the rights to distribute the film in Canada.[17] Monsters was released in 19 countries between September 2010 and December 2011. It grossed $4.2 million from worldwide ticket sales,[22] earning over $1 million in the United Kingdom and Russia and over $100,000 in Mexico, France, the United States, Australia, Germany, Spain, Poland, and Turkey.[23]
The film was released in the United Kingdom on 3 December 2010. On its opening weekend, Monsters grossed $550,110 in 164 cinemas, averaging $3,354 per cinema. The following weekend, the film dropped to 153 and grossed $244,607, a 55.5% decrease, averaging $1,599. Over its three subsequent weekends, the film grossed $99,891. The film concluded its five-week run on 2 January 2011; the gross was $1,442,633.[24]
The film was released in North America on 29 October 2010. On its opening weekend, Monsters grossed $20,508 in three theatres, for an average of $6,836 per theatre. The following weekend, the film screened in 13 theatres and grossed an additional $28,590. In its third weekend, the film expanded to 25 theatres and grossed $48,680, averaging $1,947 per theatre. Over its six subsequent weekends, the film grossed an additional $60,141. On 26 December 2010, the film concluded its nine-week run with a gross of $237,301.[25]
Critical response
Monsters received generally positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 73% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 159 reviews, with an average rating of 6.61/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "It doesn't quite live up to its intriguing premise, but Monsters is a surprising blend of alien-invasion tropes, political themes, and relationship drama."[26] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 63 based on 26 reviews, which is considered to be "generally favorable reviews".[27]
Conversely,
Accolades
At the 13th British Independent Film Awards, Monsters was nominated in six categories including Best Picture, Best Director for Edwards, and Best Actor for McNairy. The film won for Best Director, Best Technical Achievement, and Best Achievement in Production.[39][40] At the 64th British Academy Film Awards, Edwards was nominated for Outstanding Debut by a British Director, but lost to Chris Morris for Four Lions.[41] It won Best Independent Movie at the 2011 Scream Awards, and was nominated for Best Science Fiction Movie.[42][43] The film also won Best International Film at the 37th Saturn Awards.[44] The National Board of Review named the film one of the top ten independent films of 2010,[45] and it placed third on Moviefone's Top 10 Sci-Fi Movies of 2010 list.[46]
Sequel
A sequel, Monsters: Dark Continent, started filming in March 2013 in Jordan and Detroit, with Tom Green directing and Jay Basu writing. Gareth Edwards and Scoot McNairy served as executive producers. Johnny Harris, Sam Keeley and Joe Dempsie starred in the film.[47] Originally scheduled to be released on 28 November 2014,[48] the film's release date was then moved to 27 February 2015,[49] and was eventually released by Vertigo on 1 May 2015.[50] In contrast to Monsters, Monsters: Dark Continent was not well received by critics, with an 18% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 34 reviews.[51]
TV series
In January 2018, Channel 4 is developing a TV series based on the movie.[52] It is unknown whether Gareth Edwards, the original director of the film, is serving as executive producer for the TV series.
References
- ^ a b Bradshaw, Peter (2 December 2010). "Monsters – review". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ Lambie, Ryan (29 November 2010). "Gareth Edwards interview: on making Monsters, meeting Quentin Tarantino and more". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Classic Feature: The Making Of Gareth Edwards' Monsters". Empire. No. 257. November 2010.
- ^ Barnard, Linda (12 November 2010). "Interview: Whitney Able and Scoot McNairy". The Star. Toronto. Retrieved August 2011.
- ^ ComingSoon.net. 16 March 2010. Archived from the originalon 12 December 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ a b Groizard, Matthew. "Interview: Gareth Edwards, director of 'Monsters'". CineVue. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- ^ "'Monsters' and Metaphors With Writer-Director Gareth Edwards". MSN. 19 October 2010. Archived from the original on 11 June 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ a b c "Monsters Best Buy Featurette". Trailer Addict. 10 October 2010. Archived from the original on 2 September 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ Rose, Steve (27 November 2010). "Monsters: the bedroom blockbuster that's the anti-Avatar". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 May 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ Clarke, Cath (23 September 2010). "First sight: Gareth Edwards". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ Miller, Neil (10 March 2010). "SX Fantastic Preview: Monsters". Film School Rejects. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
- ^ "Cannes: The Film Market, Monsters, The Housemaid". /Film. 13 May 2010. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ Solomons, Jason (3 June 2010). "Film Weekly previews Edinburgh and meets the stars of Kicks". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- Los Angeles Film Festival. Archived from the originalon 9 March 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
- ^ "Мировая премьера "Монстров" в российских кинотеатрах 30 сентября (Monsters world premiere will happen in Russia)" (in Russian). LiveJournal. 18 August 2010. Archived from the original on 2 October 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ Barton, Steve (30 June 2010). "Gareth Edwards' Monsters Come Home for Halloween". Dread Central. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ a b Strauss, Marice (26 May 2010). "D Films Takes Monsters". Playback. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- ^ "Monsters (12)". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
- ^ Cooper, Sarah (1 December 2010). "Vertigo plans Foursquare promotion for Monsters". Screen International. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
- ^ "Monsters Coming to UK and Aussie DVD and Blu-ray In April". Retrieved 11 June 2019.
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- ^ "Monsters (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
- ^ "Monsters (2010) – International Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- ^ "Monsters (2010) – United Kingdom Weekend Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- ^ "Monsters (2010) – Weekend Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- Fandango. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
- CBS Interactive. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (17 November 2010). "Monsters should be heard and not seen". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 18 July 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ Phillips, Michael (18 November 2010). "More monstrous in title than in scale, but entertaining nonetheless". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ^ Catsoulis, Jeannette (28 October 2010). "'Monsters' Creates Human Love Among Alien Invaders". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ^ Jolin, Dan. "Empire's Monsters Movie Review". Empire. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ^ Rechtshaffen, Michael (14 October 2010). "Monsters – Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 13 August 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ^ Punter, Jennie (12 November 2010). "Monsters: Alien adventures in the (infected) zone". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ^ Collis, Clark (17 November 2010). "Monsters Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 4 July 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- Boston Globe. Archived from the originalon 7 July 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
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- ^ Biancolli, Amy (5 November 2010). "'Monsters' review: So where are they?". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ^ O'Sullivan, Michael (5 November 2010). "Young love, tired old tale". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- Indiewire. Archivedfrom the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ^ Scott, Andrew (5 December 2010). "British Independent Film Awards Winners 2010: 'The King's Speech' Sweeps". Moviefone. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ^ "Baftas nominations 2011: full list". The Guardian. 18 January 2011. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ^ Ford, Rebecca (16 October 2011). "Scream Awards Winners: 'Harry Potter' Takes Home Top Honor, Most Awards". Associated Press via The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 1 January 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- Spike. 7 September 2011. Archived from the originalon 10 August 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ^ Chitwood, Adam (26 June 2011). "Inception Wins Big at the 2011 Saturn Awards". Collider. Archived from the original on 23 September 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
- The Wrap. Archivedfrom the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
- ^ "Top 10 Sci-Fi Movies of 2010". Moviefone. 28 December 2010. Archived from the original on 12 May 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (25 March 2013). "Monsters sequel shoot underway". Screen International. Archived from the original on 19 June 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- ^ Jolin, Dan (22 August 2013). "Exclusive First Look at Monsters: Dark Continent". Empire. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- ^ "Monsters: Dark Continent". Vertigo Films. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
- ^ Lloyd, Kenji. "Monsters: Dark Continent UK Release Date Finally Confirmed for May 2015". Final Reel. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
- ^ "Monsters: Dark Continent (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
- ^ White, Peter (12 January 2018). "Gareth Edwards' Sci-Fi Feature 'Monsters' Being Adapted As Television Series". Deadline. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
External links
- Official website
- Monsters at AllMovie
- Monsters at Box Office Mojo
- Monsters at IMDb
- Monsters at Rotten Tomatoes