Love and Monsters Movie Review
Could this be the way 2020 ends?
4 out of 5
After watching Love and Monsters, and with a few months left of 2020 — I wondered aloud if this movie might not be a prediction of future events, based on how things have gone so far this year. Let’s face it — if some asteroid was going to smash into Earth, and after we destroyed it all the insects on the planet turned into giant man-eating monsters — would you be surprised at this point? Perhaps you should watch this film as a precautionary measure, and take survival notes, just in case…
That’s the main thrust of the story in a nutshell, though. An asteroid is headed straight for us, and in an attempt to prevent it from destroying the planet, mankind launches multiple missiles into space to blow it up before it can hit. In a massive case of unintended consequences, the asteroid’s explosion releases toxic gases back into the Earth’s atmosphere which causes the planet’s insects to grow into giant monsters — hurling humans down several links of the food chain.
Within the span of 7 years, 95% of the population is wiped out, and humans are forced to live underground for any chance to survive. The movie’s main character, Joel Dawson — played very admirably by Dylan O’Brien, also serves as the narrator, and explains to viewers all that has transpired in the years since the monsters took over the planet. Joel still holds onto the hope to one day be reunited with his girlfriend who he was madly in love with before the “monsterpocalypse” began. That person is Aimee (Jessica Henwick), and as we see in flashbacks the two were separated at the beginning of the attacks, but after having survived, ended up in colonies only 80 miles apart. They frequently communicate via radio, and after having lost his family and settled into a community where he is the only single person, Joel makes the decision to make the impossible trek across the dangerous surface to reunite with what he sees as his only chance to be happy.
The catch here is that Joel is immensely underprepared. In his colony, he is never allowed to go on food runs, fight monsters, or do any heavy lifting at all — as he often freezes in those pressure packed moments, and is more of a hindrance than help. In spite of everyone in his group begging him not to go — Joel decides to risk it anyway. It doesn’t take long to see why those who cared for him didn’t want him to leave, as he struggles with the map they provided and determines the direction of West is best decided by splitting the difference between his right and left.
Along the way, he picks up a great companion in a dog, named Boy, and crosses paths with Clyde (Michael Rooker) and Minnow (Ariana Greenblatt), who save him from himself on a couple of occasions and teach him invaluable survival skills. After several days of travel, and almost certain death, Joel reaches his destination, and reunites with Aimee — only to have things not quite go the way his imagination had allowed him to believe for 7 long years.
I must say, I really enjoyed this movie. I was in between binging series on Netflix, and saw this on Vudu as an “In-Home Theater Special,” meaning it’s technically supposed to be seen only in theaters, but is available for streaming, because — well, you know, and decided to give it a watch. If you enjoyed the Zombieland movies (especially the first one), you will like this movie as well, as it’s kind the same premise. All of the characters seemed relatable to me, as they not ripped Hollywood action stars, and especially Joel came across as most of us probably would. His comedic timing is good, and his portrayal of the guy who doesn’t quite fit in wherever he goes is endearing. Michael Rooker, and his young counterpart Ariana Greenblatt, are quite good as well. I genuinely wanted to see more from their characters, and the movie just didn’t feel as good when they weren’t in it. But I have a feeling a sequel will be coming, where we might get more of them. Throughout the film Joel keeps a journal of artistic renderings of the monsters, what their weaknesses are and how to survive on the surface — which he hands over to Aimee, and you’ll notice it’s titled “volume 1.” Later he is seen creating a new journal with the title “volume 2” etched on the cover — a dead giveaway for a second entry. If that’s the case, I’ll watch it — hopefully in a theater, and I’ll be excited to see where the story goes as they build out the world with new monsters and characters.
Love and Monsters is now playing in theaters and on demand. It is rated PG-13 for action/violence, language and some suggestive material.
