Monsters

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Monsters

R

2010

1h 37m

Sci-Fi

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

75%

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159 Reviews

53%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Six years after the crash of a NASA space probe, a large area between Mexico and the U.S. is under quarantine while Mexican and American military forces fight a losing battle with the giant creatures who now live there. While covering the conflict, a photojournalist (Scoot McNairy) gets uncomfortably close to the action when he escorts his boss's daughter (Whitney Able) through the zone to the U.S. border.

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Critics Consensus

It doesn't quite live up to its intriguing premise, but Monsters is a surprising blend of alien-invasion tropes, political themes, and relationship drama.

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

Aug 30, 2018

A special, wonderfully atmospheric achievement.

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Adam Nayman

eye WEEKLY

Apr 4, 2011

1/5

It's a journey that involves plenty of hazards, none more dire than the prospect of romantic scenes between two actors with zero chemistry.

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Nick Roddick

Sight & Sound

Apr 4, 2011

An astonishing achievement for first-time British feature director Gareth Edwards.

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Sep 11, 2025

5/5

The core love story and connection between our leads is exciting enough, only for the otherworldly components to take it into new levels of delight.

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Wael Khairy

The Cinephile Fix

Nov 10, 2024

“Monsters” has one of the most unexpected endings...Pay close attention to the opening and closing shots, there’s a link between them. When you discover what it is, you’ll be thinking of this unsettling ending for days.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Aug 3, 2023

2.5/4

Edwards’ direction holds promise, and should major Hollywood studios be searching for fresh unknown talent to helm their next big project, Edwards should be their man.

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B P

@Bradster69 Sep 22, 2026

Not Bad, but Not My Favorite

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Iwaniwaniwan T

@iwanxthiel Sep 21, 2026

This is a film I keep coming back to as sort of a comfort movie. The soundtrack by Jon Hopkins is absolutely stunning, being one of the main reasons I love this film. Although slow at first, I appreciate the chemistry and political message throughout.

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Eric H

@RT79823796 Aug 25, 2026

This is a 2.5 star movie I'm giving an extra star due to potential and budget. I would love a remake done by the same director with more budget and more time to develop. Very solid acting, great atmosphere, good premise. Pacing is an issue, story development is an issue.

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Josh G

@Parsifal83 Jul 31, 2026

It's hard not to admire what Monsters achieves on such a modest budget. Unfortunately, the subdued performances and deliberately slow pace leave the human drama feeling flatter than the premise deserves. More admirable than engrossing.

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Daniel L

@Hotchopeppa May 24, 2026

If the "critics" like it then you know it's definitely a bad movie. Fast forwarded my way through this garbage and was still bored. It's not sci-fi. It's two people, traveling across the country, and every now and then a giant squid thing walks past. Bad.

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Mark E

@RT10962063 May 6, 2026

40 minutes into the movie and I'm about ready to switch to something else. Horrible, horrible writing. Conversations and interactions are so awkward and unrealistic - only slightly less cringe than you'd find in porn. The movie is going NOWHERE. The cinematography looks like they can't decide between traditional and found footage style. No action. No tension. Basically just watching two people travel across Mexico and... oh, yeah, supposedly there are giant aliens somewhere out there... but they don't seem to be part of this movie. I'll give it a few more minutes to get interesting before I watch something else. This is just AWFUL. 50 minutes in - halfway through - there was ALMOST tension, for a moment. A scene almost as thrilling as the Safari ride at Disneyland. Not going to stick around for the rest. An hour of my time wasted. Avoid this.

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Synopsis

Six years after the crash of a NASA space probe, a large area between Mexico and the U.S. is under quarantine while Mexican and American military forces fight a losing battle with the giant creatures who now live there. While covering the conflict, a photojournalist (Scoot McNairy) gets uncomfortably close to the action when he escorts his boss's daughter (Whitney Able) through the zone to the U.S. border.

Director: Gareth Edwards
Producer: Allan Niblo, James Richardson
Screenwriter: Gareth Edwards
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Vertigo
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 29, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 14, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $237.3K
Runtime: 1h 37m

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