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 U.S. border.

Director:

Gareth Edwards

Writer:

Gareth Edwards

Stars:

Scoot McNairy, Whitney Able, Mario Zuniga Benavides

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 14 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Scoot McNairy	...	Andrew Kaulder
Whitney Able	...	Sam 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 North America. Soon after, new life forms began to appear and half of Mexico was quarantined as an infected zone

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Plot Keywords:

alien | alien invasion | quarantine zone | u.s. mexico border | alien creature | 

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Taglines:

13 July. A NASA space probe crashed in Mexico. Its mission was to find life elsewhere. Its search is over.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Principal photography lasted three weeks and had a production crew of six people.

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Goofs

At the start of the film, in "San Jose, Central America" we see a sign showing "US Border 200km". The shortest distance between the Central American border (Mexico/Guatemala) and the US Border is approximately 1,700km.

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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

Referenced in WatchMojo: Top 10 Insane Ways Movies Tried to Save Money (2020)

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Soundtracks

Business in Mexico
Written by Eva Abraham and Andrew Waterworth (as Andy Waterworth)
Performed by Eva Abraham and Andrew Waterworth (as Andy Waterworth)
Published by and courtesy of Vertigo Music Publishing Limited

User Reviews

Excellent movie in need of a story.

The pros: The cinematography is excellent. The editing is paced fairly well and makes good use of jump cuts. The lead actress is very good, considering she's acting in a vacuum. The CGI is seamless.

The cons: There is no story. There are no character arcs worth caring about. There is minimal suspense. The "alien" allegory is too simple. The lead male actor is inexperienced and uses slacker technique to mask it.

But, at the heart of this film is the relationship - and it seems to have been written by a 17 year old boy. I had to rent another film afterwards because this melted away faster than cotton candy in a sweaty hand (and yet, no brain candy and nominal CGI eye candy).

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [France]

Country:

UK Mexico Guatemala

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

3 December 2010 (UK)

Also Known As:

Monsters

Filming Locations:

Yaxha, Maya ruins, Guatemala

Box Office

Budget:

$500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,508, 31 October 2010

Gross USA:

$237,301

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,060,438

Company Credits

Production Co:

Protagonist Pictures, Vertigo Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1