Monsters (2010)

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Writer/director Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Rogue One) serves up an authentic-feeling monster movie that takes place in the near-future, after NASA accidentally releases an alien life form in the sky over Mexico. The enormous tentacled creatures begin destroying cities and towns, causing mass casualties — but after a few years, the country (and the world) adapt to this new reality. Monster sightings become like tornado warnings, with the aftermath similar to that of a hurricane or earthquake.

Scott McNairy plays a magazine photographer ordered to locate and bring back to the United States his boss’s bohemian daughter, played by Whitney Able. On their journey through the increasingly dangerous “Infected Zone”, the two develop a relationship. The actors deliver naturalistic performances, which combined with Edwards’ documentary style of filmmaking, gives Monsters a surprisingly grounded verisimilitude. Edwards utilizes real-life locations devastated by hurricanes and warfare, and augments them with unnoticeable visual effects to create genuinely spooky ghost towns and desolation. Some of the film’s most memorable moments create a sense of haunting isolation — whether it’s atop an ancient Aztec temple in the middle of nowhere, or in an abandoned convenience store in a town long-evacuated.

Don’t expect a conventional horror film, though. While the film has a few scary moments, it’s really more of a dramatic adventure about two people drawing closer to each other as their environments become more and more foreboding. And kudos to Edwards for delivering a final act with substantive real-world relevance.