If there are monsters involved I am all in. The more creative and out there the better. The latest film Love and Monsters previously known as Monster Problems, looks to have the same vibe of films like Zombieland with monsters. The film stars Dylan O’Brien, Jessica Henwick, Michael Rooker, and Ariana Greenblatt with Stranger Things producers Shawn Levy & Dan Cohen and director Michael Matthews at the helm. Could this film deliver the fun it appears to offer or will it ruin my love of monsters?

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Love and Monsters follows Joel Dawson, along with the rest of humanity, who has been living underground ever since giant creatures took control of the land seven years after the Monsterpocalypse. After reconnecting over 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 against all logic to venture out to Aimee, despite all the dangerous monsters that stand in his way.

 

Can I just start by saying I loved this movie. Right off the bat it gives you the needed back story to how the world has gotten this way. After that set up information it shifts focus to Joel who narrates it which usually annoys me, but works great here. This is the perfect meshing of stories with it fully taking on the love story and the monster film. I have been a big fan of O’Brien since Teen Wolf and he continues to shine. He is great in this role bringing the everyman vibe while still being a heroic type character. The rest of the cast are good as well but this is O’Brien’s show all the way.

 

Love story aside, which works way better here than I thought it would for me it’s the monster element that really delivers. Every creature they show is cool, fun to watch and feels fresh and original despite each based on a real bugs and animals. The effects are great and each of them brings a new element to the film with some being sillier than the others but all