Monsters (2010)

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 US border.

Director:

Gareth Edwards

Writer:

Gareth Edwards

Stars:

Scoot McNairy, Whitney Able, Mario Zuniga Benavides

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 9 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Scoot McNairy	...	Andrew Kaulder
Whitney Able	...	Samantha Wynden
Mario Zuniga Benavides	...	Ticket Seller
Annalee Jefferies	...	Homeless Woman
Justin Hall	...	Marine
Ricky Catter	...	Marine
Paul Archer	...	Marine
Kerry Valderrama	...	Marine (as Kerry Valderrema)
Jonathan Winnford	...	Marine
Stan Wong	...	Marine
Anthony Cristo	...	Marine
Mario Richardson	...	Marine
Jorge Quirs	...	Marine
Erick Arce	...	Marine
Emigo Munkel	...	Marine

Storyline

Six years ago NASA discovered the possibility of alien life within our solar system. A probe was launched to collect samples, but crashed upon re-entry over Central America. Soon after, new life form began to appear and half of Mexico was quarantined as an INFECTED ZONE. Today, the American and Mexican military still struggle to contain "the creatures"...... Our story begins when a US journalist agrees to escort a shaken tourist through the infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the US border.

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Plot Keywords:

mexico | alien | alien invasion | central america | military | 

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Taglines:

Now, It's Our Turn To Adapt.

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [fr]

Country:

UK

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

3 December 2010 (UK)

Also Known As:

Čudovišta

Filming Locations:

Yaxha, Maya ruins, Guatemala

Box Office

Budget:

$800,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£348,577 (UK) (3 December 2010)

Gross:

$237,301 (USA) (24 December 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vertigo Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While not stated outright in the film the probe that crashed was carrying samples from Europa, one of Jupiter's moons. The news scroll at the bottom of the screen in the hotel room alludes to this fact.

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Goofs

The Pre-Columbian pyramid the two protagonists climb is located in a jungle setting. From the top of this pyramid they are able to view the border between Texas and Mexico, which is nowhere near any jungle.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: Six years ago... NASA discovered the possibility of alien life within our solar system. A space probe was launched to collect samples but broke up during re-entry over Mexico. Soon after new life forms began to appear and half of the was quarantined as an INFECTED ZONE. Today... The Mexican & US military still struggle to contain 'the creatures'...

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Connections

References Apocalypse Now (1979)

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Soundtracks

"El Cascabel"
Written by Lorenzo Barcelata
Performed by Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán

User Reviews

Less action than expected, but 9/10 imagery, acting, and direction.

The first 3 reviews said it all. Amazing movie for a $15k budget. Amazing shots and scenery, good plot line, great acting from leads. Decent monsters and action, when it occurs. I'm starting to think it's the soundtrack that makes a movie seem "big". This movie's eerie sounds, and tension building strings draw you in, like a blockbuster. Can't believe this guy wrote, directed, edited and did the efx. A++++

And ignore the whiny babies crying about this and that. They'd rather watch blood pour out of a corpse than a decent piece of acting. As long as you don't expect another Cloverfield, you should be surprised by a unique cinematic experience. ;)