Love and Monsters

We now go from towering behemoths to smaller but deadlier critters. Love and Monsters surprised a lot of people when it got itself an Oscar nomination for Visual Effects. Now that I've seen it, it's time to see why it's not that surprising.

The opening narration explains how humanity stopped a fatal asteroid, Agatha-616. It created a new problem when the fallout mutated all cold-blooded life into (mostly) man-eating monsters. Seven years later, the mutants have killed around 95% of humanity. They now live in underground colonies where they just try to survive. This is where the narrator, Joel (Dylan O'Brien), finds himself. He had a girlfriend, Aimee (Jessica Henwick), who he hasn't seen since the apocalypse began. At least there's ham radio.

One day, Joel decides to leave the increasingly-flimsy security of home. He wants to get back with Aimee, but she's 85 miles away. He doesn't care, though. He'll try to survive whatever mutants he finds. Along the way, he meets Boy the Dog, and humans Cylde and Minnow. Clyde and Minnow teach him how to survive the outside world. Will he be prepared when he finally reaches his destination?

Director Michael Matthews (Five Fingers for Marseilles) works from a script by Brian Duffield and Matthew Robinson. The darkly hilarious prologue efficiently spells out the mess the world's in now (not like the mess it's in now). It also efficiently establishes Joel's place in the world. He's not a good fighter as he freezes up in danger. But at least he makes some good minestrone. The colony clearly sees him as a kid sidekick, which is what any other movie would make him. So this movie is about him becoming a man. It's an engaging journey all the way. 

Now for the mutants themselves. Throughout the movie, Joel encounters mutated frogs, centipedes, and earthworms. The mutants have spectacularly creepy designs; sometimes, making out what they used to be is difficult. The earthworms, aka Sand-Gobblers, are among the creepiest crawlers. The sympathetic mutants include a "boulder snail" and a "killer" crab. There's even a swarm of flying jellyfish at night; I wouldn't be surprised if that scene is what earned its Oscar nomination. The seamless mix of CGI and animatronics make these mutants convincing as any animal.

Love and Monsters is an unexpected but welcome contender at the Oscars. It's got a great lead, wonderful supporting characters and an array of creepy mutants. It's a strong story about a man learning to toughen up. Pay attention to the survival tips, they'll help you with the climactic reveal. It's pretty cheap on demand; I paid $5.99 on Amazon Prime. It's a good bargain.