X
- 2016
- R
- A24
- 1 h 31 m
- 2016
- R
- A24
- 1 h 31 m
Summary A divorced mother (Zoe Kazan) and her headstrong daughter must make an emergency late night road trip to see the girl’s father. As they drive through deserted country roads on a stormy night, they suddenly have a startling collision that leaves them shaken but not seriously hurt. Their car, however, is dead, and as they try in vain to ...
Directed By: Bryan Bertino
Written By: Bryan Bertino
- 2016
- R
- A24
- 1 h 31 m
- 2016
- R
- A24
- 1 h 31 m
The Monster
69
5.8
Where to Watch
Summary A divorced mother (Zoe Kazan) and her headstrong daughter must make an emergency late night road trip to see the girl’s father. As they drive through deserted country roads on a stormy night, they suddenly have a startling collision that leaves them shaken but not seriously hurt. Their car, however, is dead, and as they try in vain to ...
Directed By: Bryan Bertino
Written By: Bryan Bertino
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 13 Critic Reviews
69
62% Positive
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
31% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
8% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 13 Critic Reviews
69
62% Positive
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
31% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
8% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
It’s what we don’t see, at least not in full, that makes the film scare so effectively. Bertino holds his monster in reserve, conceding its presence through brief and mostly obscured glimpses of its shape.
Not least of the surprises here is that even when The Monster is trying to scare you witless, its every scene insistently reaffirms its characters’ humanity.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 39 User Ratings
5.8
41% Positive
16 Ratings
16 Ratings
41% Mixed
16 Ratings
16 Ratings
18% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 39 User Ratings
5.8
41% Positive
16 Ratings
16 Ratings
41% Mixed
16 Ratings
16 Ratings
18% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
A well executed emotionally driven horror drama with an amazing acting performance by the young girl. Excellent atmosphere and camerawork and an effectively well crafted and somewhat realistic looking monster. Definitely worth a watch.
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Zerbrechliche Figuren erleichtern die Identifikation – vor allem im Horrorfilm. Denn wer mitfühlt, leidet auch mit – und schreit im Idealfall vor Angst. Bryan Bertino greift für The Monster auf denselben Trick zurück – und verpasst seinem subtilen Creature-Feature eine stark angeknackste Hauptdarstellerin: In tiefster Nacht düst eine alkoholkranke und überforderte Mutter durch den verregneten Forst – um die Tochter feige bei Papa abzuladen. Die Strafe folgt prompt: Erst zwingt ein angefahrener Wolf den Wagen in die Knie, dann attackiert ihn ein schleimiges Monster. Es folgt eine Mischung aus Alien und Cujo: Im Auto und auf offener Straße beginnt ein dicht inszeniertes Duell, wobei Bertino erfreulicherweise in beiden Räumen für klaustrophobische Spannung sorgt. Leider verliert das Karren-Kammerspiel an Schrecken, sobald das Monster seine fiese Fratze zeigt, während Flashbacks in die schnapsgetränkte Vergangenheit im actionreichen Finale etwas deplatziert wirken.
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The reason that The Monster works is because of how much Kazan’s performance captures the truth of the moment in which Kathy struggles.
Part of the ticklish enjoyment in The Monster is how the director, Bryan Bertino (“The Strangers”), plays with genre registers and how, after opening with disquieting stillness and an isolated child, he slowly yet surely turns up the shrieks.
Bertino is just concerned with making you feel for his characters — and that he manages to do competently, despite their deep flaws. Well, that and spill some popcorn along the way.
The end result isn’t bad; its potential merely creates disappointment.
The Monster is as dull and predictable as its title, a creature feature in which the melodramatic flashbacks are the only bits with bite.
Zoe Kazan gives another pretty good performance, Ella Ballantyne also did well for a little kid. The photography was a little too dark and the script just didn't work for me. I am always ready to accept dumb actions of characters in crisis, but there is a limit. Really, when characters use their fight or flight response and adrenaline gives them courage or super strength or maniacal fear, that's what makes a good movie, not having that robs the audience of a relatable experience. I think movies like this would benefit from giving the creature some personality, a little goes a long ways. Also, too much melodrama, i really got the Titanic-Jack-on-a-door-you're-gonna-have-babies vibe.
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A movie with many good qualities, completely ruined by a nonsensical and cliched plot.
The worst offense is that the characters take the worst possible choices at any moment - "there's something dangerous outside the car... what do we do?... LET'S GO OUTSIDE AND CHECK!".
Several other plot point just don't make sense or are extremely weak, most notably the monster is obviously extremely strong... but it dies in a cheesy way which not even a human would die in.
The weakness of the script also shows in the fact that while the drama is solid, the movie tries unsuccessfully to make a metaphor of it; the ending speech, which clarifies the metaphor, is just pretentious and disconnected.
As written, there are many good qualities, but I can only take so much nonsense. With better screenwriting, this could have been a really good movie.
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Awards
iHorror Awards
• 3 Nominations
Fangoria Chainsaw Awards
• 2 Nominations
Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards
• 1 Nomination
