Directed by Michael Matthews, Love and Monsters is set in a post-apocalyptic world after large monsters have appeared and taken over the surface, driving humans into underground colonies for seven years. A young survivor named Joel Dawson (Dylan O’Brien) reconnects over a radio with his long lost love Aimee (Jessica Henwick) who is in another colony many miles away. Determined to reach her, Joel undertakes a perilous journey on the surface where monsters still reign, eventually meets a dog as well as a monster slaying duo named Clyde (Michael Rooker) and Minnow (Ariana Greenblatt), who offer to help him get to the faraway colony.
Yet another out-of-nowhere movie to come out during this crazy time, one that I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve never really been a big follower of Dylan O’Brien, but when I saw Michael Rooker and Jessica Henwick involved, as well as the seemingly Zombieland-esque tone shown by the trailer, I was definitely interested. To my surprise this film was an absolute blast, I had such a great time with Love and Monsters.
While the setting and tone isn’t exactly anything new, this film was a fun adventure full of heart, humor and monster thrills. It’s a clever coming age film disguised as a creature flick featuring a wonderful cast and a familiar yet fresh take on the post-apocalyptic genre. It’s also quite relevant with its theme of escapism, especially during a time where we all really need it.
Dylan O’Brien is solid as the lead of this story as he grows from being a wimp to a post-apocalyptic hero. We have seen this kind of story before of course in many other films, but it doesn’t feel cliche here, plus there is a lot of surprisingly touching scenes involved in his journey, as well as the always present danger of various monsters that roam the land. Plus the friendships he ends up forging on his journey really elevate the film in different ways.
You have a dog he adopts simply called “Boy” who is perhaps one of the best animal companions in media in recent years, next to Terror from The Boys. Anything involving dog companions always has my heart and the dog is absolutely lovable here as well as dependable.
The monster slaying duo played by Michael Rooker and Ariana Greenblatt are by far one of the best things in the movie. Their performances are fantastic and they really elevate the story in such a huge way. I loved them and they gave the film a lot of its heart and humor, even when they aren’t in the film that long. I was already sold with Michael Rooker being a sword wielding monster killer, and he didn’t disappoint. Ariana Greenblatt really took me by surprise here and I absolutely hope to see her more in future things cause she was fantastic.
Jessica Henwick as the love interest was really great too, however I can’t go into much detail about her role due to spoilers.
As for the monsters they were awesome and surprisingly terrifying, given that most of them are CGI (some that are mixed with practical effects in some scenes). My concerns going in was how the monsters were going to being handled and whether they were going to look creative or not. Thankfully there is a great variety of unique-looking beasties present, and their establishment as a threat is really well done too. Not only do they look nightmarish and grotesque but they are always a present threat that the characters could end up attracting or stumbling into, which makes every decision they make a life or death situation.
There are good stakes, plus the characters try sticking to their own rules of the road that keep them alive. It is a bit like the rules of Zombieland but it’s done differently enough to not be a rip off, plus the creative designs for the monsters also make handling them a challenge. You can’t deal with every monster the same way. Definitely a lot of creative liberty was taken with the monster element in this film and I seriously applaud them for that, especially for one thing they do that leads to a great pay off.
There is certainly a lot of fun action present in this film, but it never takes away anything from the development of characters or the emotional depth that is present. I love that there are moments to breathe that end up being really touching, including this one scene with a giant jellyfish in the night sky that is visually fantastic. The cinematography and visuals can seriously be through the roof, featuring fantastic shots of a dangerous yet beautiful post apocalyptic world. It has a Walking Dead look to it but I will say it has a more nature-focused look and feel that makes it stand out.
This film also features a pretty great soundtrack and decent score which fits with the setting and tone.
The beginning and middle of this film are perfect, but as it gets to around the final stretch the story does take an interesting turn that doesn’t feel as strong as what came before. Despite this though I still remained invested and entertained the whole way through and I was pleasantly gifted with a finale that was so fun and satisfying that I could overlook the issues.
For a crazy year of film that has had surprises, disappointments and delays, Love and Monsters ended up being another surprise of the year that people should definitely see whether it is on VOD or in any of the select theaters that it is playing at. Even with a familiar premise the film was able to accomplish a lot with its ideas, cast, action, and emotional beats. I’m giving Love and Monsters an A.
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