Love and Monsters movie review by Movie Review Mom

MOVIE TITLE:    Love And Monsters 

RATING:  PG-13

LENGTH:      1 hour, 49 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE:   A

IN A NUTSHELL:

Directed by Michael Matthews, this fun comedy Paramount Pictures is a non-stop adventure that is actually playing in theaters now, as well as on Amazon.  It’s super funny and family-friendly for all ages.  Surprisingly, 2020 has given us several new movies for the Halloween season, but this one is the best by far, in my opinion.  It’s not really a Halloween movie, but there are some monsters.

I was thoroughly entertained by this hero’s journey movie.  Plus, it offers tips that might actually be helpful if things continue to go wrong in 2021. ha ha

I know a movie is good when I can’t wait to watch it again and that’s how I felt after watching this movie!

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

• Lots of kissing and couples cuddling.
• Some profanity, sometimes by a little girl.
• People in perilous situations.
• There are lots of dangerous creatures, but young kids probably won’t be too scared.  They’re mostly giant, mutated insects.
• Some violence.
• People get drunk.

THEMES:

• Couples, relationships, love
• Courage
• Friendship, unity
• Hope 
• Apocalypse

THINGS I LIKED:

• Dylan O’Brien does a great job as the protagonist in the story who is a “noble warrior floating on the wings of love” as Michael Rooker’s character describes him.  He has perfect comedic timing, can do action, and brings on the feels.  He’s charming and inspiring and extremely effective in this role.  Throw in a dog for his companion and you really want to root for him.  There is satisfying character growth.  He got his start in Teen Wolf – Season 3 [DVD] [2016], but I didn’t see him until The Internship and then his breakaway role in The Maze Runner.
• The exposition at the beginning of the movie is pithy and helpful to understand the conditions of the new, dystopian world.   There’s a lot of exposition, but it didn’t bother me too much since we need the information to better understand certain scenes.
• You get to see a lot of fun and creative monsters.
• The protagonist/narrator says a lot of amusing things.
• The conversation with Mav1s was entertaining and touching.  Melanie Zanetti voiced Mav1s and Kala.  Cool magical sky jellies.
• If you love Guardians of the Galaxy (Theatrical) as I do, you’ll get a kick out of seeing Michael Rooker, who played Yondu.  He’s perfect in his role and is so likeable.
• Ariana Greenblatt was pretty doggone adorable.
• Great musical score by Marco Beltrami and Marcus Trumpp.
• There is a little bit of back and forth in time, but viewers won’t be confused.
• I laughed at Joel’s reaction when he first saw the Australian stud-muffin.
• Some beautiful cinematography by Lachlan Milne.
• The adventure is non-stop and super entertaining.
• Great CGI and practical effects.
• For a minute or so, I thought one of the Hemsworth brothers was in the movie.  ha ha

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

• There was a part of the story that was completely left as a missed opportunity.  The dog named “Boy” always held on to a red dress.  I thought for sure Joel would find the owner of the dress and that she would be his true love, like Tom Hanks in the movie Cast Away   That would have been sweet, right?  Instead, we never learn anything about the owner of that red dress, so it’s just assumed she was eaten by monsters.
• There are some missing details, but none of them are super important.

FUNNY LINES:

• “Okay, super encouraging speech.” –  Joel  (Dylan O’Brien)
• “That was awesome. I feel like Tom Cruise.” – Joel  (Dylan O’Brien)

INTERESTING LINES:

• “Don’t settle, Joel.” – Minnow  (Ariana Greenblatt)     “She’s right, even at the end of the world.”  – Clyde  (Michael Rooker)
• “You get a hot meal or a good night’s sleep. Never both.” –  Clyde    (Michael Rooker)
• “You know, nature is kind of nice when it’s not trying to kill you.” – Joel   (Dylan O’Brien)
• “There’s a great, big beautiful world out there.” – Joel   (Dylan O’Brien)
• “Go.  Live your life.” – Joel   (Dylan O’Brien)
• “Good instincts are earned by making a few mistakes.” – Clyde  (Michael Rooker)

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@TrinaBoice