A Truly Brilliant and Underrated Film

Director Gareth Edwards came up with a brilliant idea for a new film. Although the project did not allow for a excessive budget, the idea came off as a sort of a fly by the seat of his pants. Edwards ran his idea by some of his peers in the industry and overlooked actors immediately to play the roles of the two leads. Edwards sought out for an American Actor with strong improvisational skills, as the entire film was entirely improvised. The top actor in mind was Texas native, Scoot McNairy for his most famous role in In Search of a Midnight Kiss. "Look at this guy, he is truly great at improvisation." Edwards said to casting and soon after, McNairy was called and chosen for the role. McNairy's girlfriend at the time, (Whitney Able) had just finished filming in the UK and Edwards thought the two would help generate true and believable chemistry on set. Able was soon contacted as well. After she immediately agreed to the part. Both actors felt reluctance initially as the film would be set on location in Galveston, Texas, Costa Rica, parts of the Rio Grande Valley and central Mexico in the middle of the drug wars currently taking place. Needless to say, the filming quickly commenced and a new adventure began. The basic story line of the story is told through the dialog and completely improvised from beginning to end. With the most amazing sound track by Jon Hopkins, Monsters is by far one of my favorite films of all time.

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.

Andrew Kaulder, played by Scoot McNairy (from Dallas,Tx.) is a photo journalist for a highly know publication. Kaulder is hired to collect Samantha Wynden played by Whitney Able, from Houston, Tx.), the daughter of the CEO of the publication. After Kaulder finds Sam in a hospital in Central Mexico, the two trek to the nearest coastal town to find a fairy to take Sam home to the US and out of harm's way. Once the two reach the coast, they are robbed and have to find another way to get back home. The only way left to get back to the US is to go through the infected zone and risk unbelievable dangers on their way. The two take that risk as a last resort and encounter the most unbelievable sights, dangers and feelings from terror to strong attraction. At first, the two seemingly do not get along, but the farther along they go, the more Sam and Kaulder become interested in each other. Escaping close encounters from high and low, stir their emotions and end up falling for each other.

After they reach the US border they discover something they never quite imagined and seek refuge in a gas station, abandoned by locals who have virtually disappeared. Monsters has an amazingly talented cast and has and ending that is surprising and heartfelt. Monsters had a very low budget and was only shot in two weeks on location in the middle of a chaotic drug war in Mexico.

The special effects are jaw dropping, the chemistry between the two actors is intense and the story line is highly entertaining with stunning photography and beautiful scenery. In my personal opinion, this film is golden.