MONSTERS (Cert 12) And, Intermittently, the Alien Monsters Found There
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MONSTERS (Cert 12) and, intermittently, the alien monsters found there. It's an exploration of our relationship to the created order, Reel Issues author: Jeremy Clarke especially its more mysterious and unfathomable Overview: A photojournalist must escort his boss's parts. It's also a love story, although the director daughter through Mexico's monster-populated claims he didn't realise that was what he was making ‘Infected Zone’ back to the safety of the USA. until he was some way into the lengthy editing Director: Gareth Edwards (2010) process. Producer: Vertigo Films Length: 90 mins FIRST IMPRESSIONS Cautions: Contains infrequent strong language and • With a title and promotional imagery suggesting a moderate horror cheap rehash of sci-fi drama District 9 squarely NB All references to DVD extras relate to the UK DVD. aimed at a male demographic, this film plays out as something very different with much to offer both THE FILM sexes. What did you expect before viewing? Was (Warning: contains spoilers) the experience of watching the film very different from that? Did you feel it delivered what you A returning space probe broke up over Mexico wanted from scattering alien samples gathered during its voyage, resulting in part of that country's territory being it – or something else entirely? How satisfied (or not) were you as a viewer with the experience? populated by giant monsters and declared an 'Infected Zone', a no-go area for humankind. Some • Do you think this film could or should have been years later, Mexico-based photojournalist Andrew promoted differently to the public? How would you Kaulder (Scoot McNairy from In Search of a Midnight have pitched it? Kiss) gets a call from his US-based boss to bring home • What do you think the experience of the two lead the latter's daughter Sam Wynden (Whitney Able). characters tells us about the human condition? Do Failing to get her onto the last boat out, Kaulder must you have any observations, similar or otherwise, escort Sam through the Infected Zone and across the about any of the other characters? huge wall built by the US at its southern border to keep the creatures out. • What is/are your reaction(s) to the various landscapes/vistas portrayed? What do you make of This British marvel of low budget production was shot the monsters themselves? What do you make of the using a crew of four and a cast of two. Local extra cast various human characters' reactions to the members were recruited on the hoof during shooting creatures? in locations throughout Central America while CG effects were added in post-production in the director's • If you watched any of the DVD's ‘Making living room! The DVD's excellent extras throw of …’ features, did this change your view of the considerable light on the whole process. movie in any way? If so, in what way? Defying expectations, the final film focuses on not only character and relationships but also landscape reelissues.org.uk Monsters /1 REELISSUESclip INTERACTIONS are not part of the planetary creative order, being clearly extraterrestrial in origin. In another, they've • The US has constructed a wall along its southern found themselves on Earth and adapted to its border to keep the creatures out. Human history is environment, so they have become part of the full or borders and walls designed to exclude or planetary order. Either way, however hard man may contain specific groups or factions. Of which such be trying to exercise authority over them, he walls or borders did the images of the wall in doesn't appear very successful. This theme often Monsters remind you? crops up in sci-fi, whether in terms of a hostile • The narrative takes the form of a road movie, i.e. environment or an alien species. Can you suggest it's a journey through a geographic area which specific examples from movies, books or elsewhere? illuminates the story and themes. How effective is • What do you make of the idea of humankind's rule this approach in Monsters? What other road movies over the created order as expressed in Genesis? have you seen? How did Monsters compare? What does it have to tell us about the human Roads feature as key elements in certain Bible condition? To what extent do you see the sci-fi passages. ideas above as running contrary to biblical Acts 9.1–31 relates the dramatic conversion story of concept? Can you see any similar ground between fanatical Jewish persecutor of Christians Saul into St the two? Paul on the road to Damascus. This story has • Ecclesiastes 3.18–21 has a different take on subsequently become deeply enshrined in Western dominion. Humans and animals share the same culture as the concept of the Damascus road fate: death. Nothing distinguishes them, according experience in which someone undergoes a spiritual to that book's narrator (the Teacher). Does this experience or insight resulting in their profound throw any further light on humankind's rule over change of personal direction. the created order as discussed above? In the aftermath of Jesus' death by crucifixion, Luke • Read these passages from the Lover/Beloved 24.13–36 records the journey of several somewhat dialogue in Song of Songs. In chapter 2 the Lover disoriented disciples along the road to Emmaus and talks of landscape, the little foxes ruining the their lengthy conversation with a stranger which vineyards (vv. 14–17). In chapter 6 the Lover throws unexpected light on recent events. discovers the mysterious identity of beauty: finding • Can you think of any other biblical narratives in himself among the 'royal chariots of my people' which roads likewise play an important part? Does (vv. 10–12). In chapter 8 the Beloved talks of love the way roads feature in these examples change and death, unquenchable love (vv. 5–7). This book, what you think of the film Monsters? unique in the biblical canon, takes the form of earthy love poetry. Do any of these passages • Read Genesis 1.20–31. This describes the fifth and resonate with your experience of watching the film, sixth day of creation, covering the creatures of the particularly the developing relationship between air and the sea (the fifth) and the land (the sixth) – Kaulder and Sam? and humankind's dominion over all these creatures. In one sense, the creatures in Monsters reelissues.org.uk Monsters /2 REELISSUESclip CLIP TO DISCUSS • Look at Job 40.1–14. How does this make sense of the creature descriptions which follow it? Chapters 11–12, 01.20.03–01.26.56 • Job 38.1–21, 24 and 31–33 may provide further (Warning: this is the final part of the closing scene, fruitful discussion on both movie and biblical and as such contains major spoilers. Please do not narrative. read the following until after you've watched the whole film.) OTHER ANGLES TO TALK ABOUT Kaulder and Sam have crossed the border into the US • Although the above clip ends Monsters, what and have reached a deserted gas station, from where happens next can be seen in the opening, night- Kaulder has phoned the military to ask for vision However, you will have to watch this transportation out of the area. Sam is suddenly aware sequence carefully and may want to re-watch it a of alien tentacles inside the building where she is. She few times to see what's going on aside from the is terrified, but when she eventually turns off the obvious, foregrounded action. (If you get stuck, building's TV monitor, the tentacles immediately watch this sequence with the audio commentary withdraw. Going outside, she joins Kaulder to watch switched on.) What happens to Kaulder and Sam two of the beasts communicate to each other (in after the movie's finale featuring the creatures is strange noises – words? songs?), entangle their very different to what happens to Job after the tentacles, separate from each other and then depart. book's description of the creatures – see Job 42.1– The two humans are awestruck and (for the first time) 6 (Job's reply to the Lord) and Job 42.7–17 kiss each other passionately – only to be separated by (Epilogue). What do you make of the movie and incoming military personnel in the narrative's final the book's very different endings? moments. • The 'Making of …' extras on the DVD are hugely • Read Job 40.15–24; 41.1–34. These passages informative. Watching some of these may well respectively describe two fabulous creatures – the spark further discussion about Monsters in behemoth and the leviathan. In places, they might particular or movies in general. be describing the very creatures we see in this clip. What do you make of this? Jeremy Clarke is a journalist covering film, animation and related media. He has contributed to numerous • Despite its title, Monsters is less about the magazines including Third Way, What's On (London), creatures themselves than different people's Manga Max, Starlog (UK) and Films & Filming. His reactions to them. This is also true of the book of work has also appeared in such books as The BFI Job – it's not a bestiary but a series of Companion To Horror, Aurum Film Encyclopedia conversations about God by various contributors (Gangsters) and Film Review Annual. including Job and, ultimately, God himself. It is God who supplies the creature descriptions in the © Bible Society 2011. Permission is given to make up course of making an argument. Are there to 10 copies of this material without alteration or comparisons with the way the creatures are amendment apart from omissions, provided such deployed in Monsters? changes do not substantially alter the meaning of the text, for use within a single discussion group.