Love and Monsters

I looked forward to it, but, even as a not very ambitious wannabe easygoing flick, it’s incredibly insipid and lacking ideas. What we want from adventure fantasy with monsters (with a potentially unlimited number thereof) is entertainment with the monsters and not this tantalising and slow teenage fairytale that basically doesn’t have a story. There’s absolutely nothing memorable about it, the special effects are poor, the cliffhanger is very weak and the climax is incredibly sloppy. At least the dog and the pair of castaways were good, otherwise it’s terribly boring and the main character couldn’t have been more cookie-cutter. 40% (19.10.2020)

A totally cool movie. A sympathetic protagonist and his even more sympathetic dog, great monsters created by digital and classic special effects (I'll bet that the crab was a tribute to Ray Harryhausen), a pleasant light mood and a bit of tension. It's a fact that the Zombieland inspiration can't be denied, but unlike Zombieland, there is no forced awkwardness, and it doesn't try to convince you every five minutes how cool it is and how much fun you are supposed to be having. (15.04.2021)

Love and Monsters is an unexpectedly well-received hit in the middle of a blockbuster drought that impresses with its great technical quality and the original design of the monsters, which thankfully are not spared. Admittedly, I'm a little bothered by the fact that the film is PG-13 and there's a too much of romance for my taste, and also Dylan O'Brien plays a scared rather than fighting hero, but those things aside, it is a very entertaining film with a well built world taken over by mutated animals that have driven humans into underground colonies. The film flows along at a decent pace, is playful, colorful, funny, occasionally suspenseful, and with a nice cliffhanger at the end. I'll throw in extra points for the monsters, since they are my weakness, and it's been so long since anything like this has come out. Story****, Action****, Humor***, Violence>No, Entertainment****, Music***, Visuals****, Atmosphere****, Suspense***. 7/10. (19.10.2020)

Love Monsters is an easygoing little flick with all the trimmings. At first glance, I was intrigued by the post-apocalyptic theme, which has been aptly compared to Zombieland with a more acceptable rating. The basis of the story is fairly simple and brings nothing new to the genre. But the plot does move along nicely, regularly peppered with innocent action, a few humorous scenes and more than a few insightful life lessons. Although Dylan O'Brien doesn't make as much lively noise as in Teen Wolf, his character is still likeable and funny. It was nice to see a smaller role for Michael Rooker, and surprisingly I didn't find his little companion as annoying as I usually do with child characters. The monster visuals had some issues, but for thirty million, it's a solid job well done. If the film is a success, I can imagine a sequel. P.S. The best was Boy! (20.10.2020)

The likeable Dylan O'Brien embarks on a long journey across America, where mankind has lost the war against giant monsters, and he wants to find his lost girlfriend. Only he's kind of an incompetent dork. Love and Monsters initially looks like a very cheesy rip-off of Zombieland, whose creators had perhaps not a single idea of their own, but somewhere in the middle it breaks and this adventure romance with a bunch of monsters finds its own style and starts to deftly balance between humour, action, romance and more dramatic moments. It's a good watch. Too bad the film doesn't find its own face until so late. The rip-off of Zombieland was almost embarrassing at times. (21.10.2020)