I’ve had this on my queue for a long time, and as enjoyable as the premise sounds, I just wasn’t able to push myself to watch it. I finally gave in, partly because I noticed the fairly high rating on Netflix.
It’s good. It’s refreshing. There aren’t many legitimate monster movies being made now. There are still things like Cloverfield, but this is less derivative of Godzilla than that was. If I had to say there was a direct influence, it might be Shaun of the Dead. Nothing in particular, but just the overall tone. A good amount of comedy, with that sprinkling of horror.
They did a really good job of hiding the monster for long enough, while still showing enough to keep us excited. Once there’s a reveal of the mature monster, it’s really spectacular. It’s easy to expect some cheap effects work, but there are some great shots where the whole monster is in the frame.
The script is pretty well done, except for one point, and it’s enough that it made me cringe near the end. There’s a romantic subplot. It’s invented about halfway through the movie, and it still comes full circle near the end. Given that the whole story takes place over two days, the romance is far too rushed, and it’s hard to take seriously since the characters are drunk most of the time.
Still, I’m really happy to see a new spin on a traditional type of story. This is inventive, and we need more of that.
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