Love and Monsters

Synopsis: Seven years after the Monsterpocalypse, Joel Dawson, along with the rest of humanity, has been living underground ever since giant creatures took control of the land. After reconnecting over the radio with his high school girlfriend, Aimee, who is now 80 miles away at a coastal colony, Joel begins to fall for her again. As Joel realizes that there's nothing left for him underground, he decides to venture out to Aimee, despite all the dangerous monsters that stand in his way.

Movie Review:

“Love and Monsters” was directed by Michael Mathews and is a coming of age adventure with a post-apocalyptic take. Surprisingly, this is a very good movie that has romance, humor and science fiction. Dylan O’Brien plays Joel Dawson a 20 something who has been living underground for seven years. O’Brien is relatable, engaging and charming as Joel. Joel is slightly a coward but that makes him more interesting -- this flawed character is more appealing to the audience who roots him on at every turn. One of the strongest relationships that he forms on this journey is with a dog named Boy, a cute Australian Kelpie, who is just adorable in the movie. In my opinion, their bond was the best story in the movie. Joel meets two other survivors along the way who teach him how to survive. They are Clyde and Winnow played by the great Michael Rooker and Ariana Greenblatt and both are great in the movie; unfortunately, they are not in it that long. Jessica Henwick plays Aimee, Joel’s girlfriend and the one he travels to see. Though separated for most of the move, when they do reunite it was very romantic and they have great on-screen chemistry in every scene together. The movie does have some funny humor portraying Joel’s unending clumsiness as well as some heart-felt moments with Boy. Also, I was impressed with the CGI for the scary and terrifying monsters that were very real like. The movie does have a weak third act and a villain reveal (named Cap) that was predictable and silly. But other than those issues, I found the movie to be entertaining and adventurous that feels original with a talented performance from Dylan O’Bryan. I am giving “Love and Monsters” a 4 out of 5 stars.

Director: Michael Matthews

Cast:Dylan O’Brien, Jessica Henwick, Dan Ewig, Melanie Zanetti, Ariana Greenblatt and Michael Rooker

Runtime: 109 minutes