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 13 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. 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:

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

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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 [France]

Country:

UK

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

3 December 2010 (UK)

Also Known As:

Čudovišta

Filming Locations:

Yaxha, Maya ruins, Guatemala

Box Office

Budget:

£500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£348,577 (United Kingdom), 5 December 2010, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,508, 31 October 2010, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$237,301, 26 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

Gareth Edwards went on to make Godzilla (2014) after this, a film that also prominently features huge alien creatures.

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Goofs

Sam can't get on the ferry because Andrew lost her passport, but when he bought the ticket the previous day, the sign said "no passport required."

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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 Godzilla (2014)

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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

Small budget, big success

I understand this is a very low budget movie. If so, it is another example of the marvels which can be worked with a small budget by original and creative people.

Despite the sci-fi trimmings - ostensibly similar to the recent, but vastly inferior, tentacled alien invasion movie Skyline - this is essentially a two-hander road movie with a touch of growing romance thrown in. The hand-held camera adds verite but doesn't jitter so constantly as to stimulate nausea. There are some gorgeous visuals - both spectacular natural shots and also effects shots such as The Wall. And the two unknowns who we accompany on their journey - the gorgeous Whitney Able and the not so gorgeous Scoot McNairy - are both very good.

But most credit must go to Gareth Edwards, the creative force behind this film.