Monster Summer movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Monster Summer

This nostalgic thriller is now playing in theaters, just in time for Halloween season.

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 1 hour 37 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: A-

IN A NUTSHELL:

When a mysterious force begins to disrupt their big summer fun, Noah and his friends team up with a retired police detective to embark on a monstrous adventure to save their island.

The film was directed by David Henrie. You might recognize his name from the popular TV show How I Met Your Mother. Writing credits go to Bryan Schulz and Cornelius Uliano, who also worked on The Peanuts Movie in 2015. By the way, Bryan Schulz is the grandson of Charles Schulz, the famous creator of the Peanuts comic strip!

THINGS I LIKED:

It’s a family-friendly flick that will take you back in time to your own summer adventures. It’s scary enough for kids to get in the mood for Halloween season, but not too frightening.
What absolutely caught my attention for this movie is the presence of Mel Gibson on the movie poster. I’ve always been such a big fan of his, even though he had some “rough” years awhile back. This isn’t one of those movies where the big-name actor phones it in for a couple of a scenes to collect a paycheck. Gibson plays a huge role in the film and does a terrific job.
Only a few minutes into the film, we get to see the hilarious Kevin James. Who doesn’t love him? His character adds a spark to the story, as well as lesson in the power of the press and the importance of telling the truth.
Lorraine Bracco, Barbara Goodson, Patrick Renna, Lilah Pate, and Gary Weeks all give strong performances.
The cast of young actors did a great job too and includes Mason Thames (who has a very bright future in film!), Julian Lerner, Abby James Witherspoon, and Noah Cottrell.
The movie takes place in 1997 on Martha’s Vineyard, specifically at Southport, utilizing hundreds of residents as Extras. At the request of the film crew, the mayor of Southport, Joe Pat Hatem, gifted Mel Gibson with the key to the city and named December 16, 2023 “Mel Gibson Day.” Gibson was surprised and joked, “The key to the city…does it open the bank?”
The evidence board made me laugh because one thing on my husband’s Bucket List is to make an evidence board. Ha ha
The musical score by Frederik Wiedmann is lovely and sounds like you just saw a Steven Spielberg movie.
Nice cinematography by Larry Blanford!
It was refreshing to have a film not be woke with an agenda.
Act 3 offers a twist and the reveal of the surprising villain.
The last scene is touching.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Some of the dialogue is super cliched and predictable.
The villain has a long dialogue that is instructive, but also super cliched.
There are a couple of loose threads that don’t really go anywhere.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Some “light” profanity
Talk and portrayal of kidnapping
Protecting children from all kinds of “monsters”
It’s not really a horror movie and doesn’t have gore
Gun violence
People are in dangerous situations
We see a creepy witch.

THEMES:

Friendship
Trust
Witches
Courage
Power of the press
Child Abduction

FUNNY LINES:

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll get back to retiring.” – Gene (Mel Gibson)
“It’s a joke. You need to loosen up, kid.” – Gene (Mel Gibson)
“I’m not really a good liar, so…” – Eugene (Julian Lerner) “And you want to be a politician?” – Sammy (Abby James Witherspoon)
“Wanna beer? Kidding. I’ll get you a drink anyway.” Gene (Mel Gibson)

INTERESTING LINES:

“Your youth…it just disappears a little piece at a time, every heartbreak, every loss. Before you know it, you’re just an old man, and it happens in a heartbeat.” Gene (Mel Gibson)
“You think any of these kids wouldn’t have given anything for a chance to grow old?” – Noah (Mason Thames)
“My father always said he cared more about the people in the story than the story itself.” – Noah (Mason Thames)
“Writers could be heroes too.” – Gene (Mel Gibson)