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:

Beware

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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:

Protagonist Pictures, Vertigo Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was shot using prosumer level recording equipment, with an on set crew of only seven people: director and camera operator Gareth Edwards, sound operator Ian Maclagan, line producer Jim Spencer, production manager Verity Oswin, a driver, and the two stars (dating each other at the time, now a real-life married couple) Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able. Because they were such a small crew using so simple equipment, the entire production team could fit into one van.

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Goofs

When Samantha asks Andrew about his son he states that he will be 6 yrs old tomorrow when his birthday is actually that very day because the night before he called his son to wish him a happy birthday and he said he was calling then because he wouldn't be able to call tomorrow.

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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 Truth or Dare (2018)

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Soundtracks

Ramon Ramerez
Written by Eva Abraham and Andrew Waterworth (as Andy Waterworth)
Performed by Eva Abraham, Andrew Waterworth (as Andy Waterworth) and Lloyd Perrin (trumpet)
Published by and courtesy of Vertigo Music Publishing Limited

User Reviews

Satisfying movie, if you get what sci fi really is

I first heard about this movie in a radio interview, so I was aware that it was very low budget. But lately "sci fi" movies have been all about escalating action to the point of absurdity. Classic sci fi is about people reacting to new/mysterious/dangerous situations. This movie has that, with interesting protagonists. It has echos of Sin Nobre and El Norte, and yes, the context of "alien substitution" echoes District 9. But it's not a re-make, and it's consistently entertaining, with a straight-ahead narrative. There are only a few moments where a shock reaction is telegraphed. A big studio would have made this story into an effects extravaganza. But in my opinion it's more effective showing limited interaction with the aliens.

If you can handle real sci fi -- movies without the excesses of Transformers or 2012 -- this sci fi will satisfy.