Following a well-known formula, Love and Monsters is proof that you can make a commercial movie that still kicks ass. This is a charming and entertaining action/comedy set in a world where huge monsters have killed most of the population. With a colorful and quite vivid setting, this is a different type of post-apocalyptic movie. We’re used to all those drab ones like The Road, where the landscape is gray and the atmosphere foreboding. Here, things are quite the opposite, the atmosphere is adventurous and the landscape is green and lush. You can see they were playing off Zombieland, even featuring a collection of rules for survival in this new reality. Development began back in 2012, some three years after the release of the zombie classic.
One of the things that made Love and Monsters worth watching is its sleek visual style and very creative monsters. It was like I was watching a Pixar movie with all the cute and original animals coming to life. CGI wasn’t prevalent and this isn’t one of those graphic novel adaptations where every scene is so full of stuff that you eventually tune out. And bear in mind that this is a PG-13 movie! As someone who usually hates these commercial milkers, I have to admit that they managed not to fuck up this one. It’s a perfectly balanced piece of entertainment that you will forget as soon as you finish watching it. But it will keep your attention for ninety minutes.
After an asteroid hit Earth and released a mutating chemical all over the landscape humanity retreated underground. All the cold-blooded animals mutated into huge and very dangerous creatures capable of destroying entire cities. The only place where you could survive was an underground facility and this is where we find Joel, a strapping young lad with an additional problem. He got separated from his girlfriend Aimee right as the monsterapocalypse was happening…
Love and Monsters features a familiar story and characters that you already know how will behave. This gives the movie that cozy and easygoing atmosphere where you can just relax and let the story take you far away from your reality. Being also a road trip movie with a goal we’re constantly moving towards, it also features good pacing. The cast was also up to the task with young Dylan O’Brien giving a great performance as our main hero. I also have to mention the deadly duo of Ariana Greenblatt and Michael Rooker who were also awesome. In the end, this is an entertaining and feel-good movie that’s screaming for a sequel. It has a potential to be a new franchise like Pirates of the Caribbean.
While we wait for it, if you’re looking for movies like Love and Monsters I recommend you check out Freaks of Nature, Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, Ready Player One, Alita: Battle Angel and Edge of Tomorrow. Being shot in Australia, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a couple of phenomenal Aussie horror/comedies with the same vibe like Wyrmwood, Undead, Deathgasm and Nekrotronic.
Director: Michael Matthews
Writer: Brian Duffield, Matthew Robinson
Cast: Dylan O’Brien, Jessica Henwick, Michael Rooker, Dan Ewing, Ariana Greenblatt, Ellen Hollman, Tre Hale, Pacharo Mzembe
Fun Facts: The budget for the movie was $30 million but most of it went towards special effects.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2222042/
