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On the podcast this week, Steven and Sean are trekking through Central America soon after aliens\u2014yes, freaking aliens\u2014have inhabited Earth in the 2010 film from Gareth Edwards, Monsters.

Add this one to the list of sci-fi films that are content with not bludgeoning you over the head with their action, effects, or questionable performances. Do you know what the cast and crew of this film said to the prospect of making a film like that? \u201cAh, hell nah!\u201d

Well, they probably didn\u2019t actually use those exact words, but watch this film and you\u2019ll see that the sentiment is the same. This is one of those thinking person sorts of science fiction films. Take your Close Encounters, your Space Odysseys, your Aliens, both one and kind of two. Stack Monsters up next to those and it\u2019s going to feel right at home. Seriously, I think this one can more than live up to the legacy of those other films.

It employs a very Jaws-like approach: because of its small budget, the filmmakers decide not to show you the titular creatures until the very end. They keep the suspense ratcheted up to a maximum. You\u2019ll wonder just what the hell these people are terrified of and you\u2019ll feel their tension because you have no idea either. And then\u2026 Pow! They dazzle you with floating squid creatures from the stars!

It\u2019s an impressive feat to make a film that\u2019s mostly a road trip movie between a pair of people and turn that trope on its head. In fact, it also turns the typical monster movie tropes on their heads, too. We spend most of our time with these two people as they just travel, and it\u2019s captivating.

The actors give performances worth noticing. They take what could have been an underwhelming film\u2014because let\u2019s face it, you really don\u2019t see much of the creatures\u2014and they elevate it with their presence. The director punches way above his weight and does excellent work with the budget he\u2019s procured for the film.

I\u2019d call this a subtle, sleeper sci-fi film. It\u2019s subtle. Stick with it to the end because there\u2019s a lot of surprising developments and emotional storytelling that\u2019ll make you glad you did.

(Recorded on May 17, 2021)

Links to Stuff We Mentioned:

Monsters - IMDb

Monsters trailer - YouTube

Don\u2019t Breathe - IMDb

Cloverfield - IMDb

10 Cloverfield Lane - IMDb

The Cloverfield Paradox - IMDb

Starship Troopers - IMDb

Dead Rising - Wikipedia

Alien - IMDb

Jaws - IMDb

Gareth Edwards - IMDb

Whitney Able - IMDb

Scoot McNairy - IMDb

War of the Worlds - IMDb

Christopher Guest - IMDb

Best in Show - IMDb

Killing Them Softly - IMDb

Killing Them Softly | More Movies Please! - Libsyn

Predator - IMDb