Love And Monsters

I love it when young actors surprise me, when i least expect it. Especially when you get a character that actually deliver a performance that turns out to work surprisingly good. A perfect example of this is actor Dylan O´Brien when he took on the character called Thomas, in the film The Maze Runner ( based on the book, written by author James Dashner ) in 2014. This film tells the story of Thomas ( Dylan O´Brien ) who wakes up inside an underground elevator with no memory of his identity. As he arrive to the surface, he is greeted by youths who are living in a large grassy area, simply called the "Glade", enclosed by tall stone walls. Thomas later finds out that there is only one way out of here, and that is through a maze. So far no one have survived, and Thomas will most likely not make it either. But he is determined to find a way out, no matter what he needs to do. The Maze Runner felt like a different version of Mad Max, in the sense that those films are also about survival, and in a very rough environment as well, And i have to mention that this is also a well made film, that is actually more clever than you might think. The sequel, simply called Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials was even better than the first film. Lots of action, and a lot of violence as well compared to the first film. But i also loved the fact that this sequel tried really hard to make this franchise even stronger, and that is something you don´t see very often in sequels. The final film called Maze Runner: The Death Cure was ok, i thought it did not fail as the final chapter. Maybe not as strong as the previous films, but lead actor Dylan O´Brien did a great job in the action scenes. Dylan have continued making other good films, such as American Assassin, that i actually enjoyed. I read last year about another apocalyptic film, that have no relation to The Maze Runner, and that is the film Love And Monsters. Since i am a big fan of this genre, and enjoy Dylan as an actor, does he impress me even more this time in Love And Monsters, or did he do a bad choice to make this film?

After the destruction of an asteroid headed to Earth, the chemical fallout causes all cold-blooded animals who mutate into large monsters. During the evacuation of Fairfield, Joel Dawson ( Dylan O´Brien ) is seperated from his girlfriend Aimee ( Jessica Henwick ), but promise to find her. Unfortunately, Joel´s parents are killed as they try to escape, and Joel is forced to go with a group of survivors into an underground bunker to stay safe. 7 years later, Joel is trying to live a normal life in the underground bunker. He have radio contact with Aimee, as she is the only reason why he keeps holding on to hope. One day, Joel decide that he needs to leave to go to Aimee, no matter how dangerous the world is out there.

If you enjoy films such as The Maze Runner and Zombieland, then i got good news for you. This is definetely an apocalyptic film that should fit in your taste, that takes on serious subjects, but you also get some charming moments as well. And if you were worried about bad CGI effects, i can honestly say that these monsters look pretty good ( not much to complain about ). The storý in this film is a combination of films we have seen before, but that´s ok. This film manage to bring out different elements that makes this film enjoyable. One of the things that i especially appreciate about the main character Joel Dawson, is that he is just an ordinary man. He feels the same fear as anyone, and have no weapon skills, but manage to survive thank´s to his strong will to live. The fact that they actually let the main character be this way is actually positive, because i would rather have an ordinary man as a hero, than a selfish ego tripped personality. Joel just does what he needs to do, even if it means he could be harmed. Dylan O´Brien give his character Joel a realistic portrait ( that does not mean the film is realistic, just his character as a personality ) that match well with the story of survival. Dylan have a natural way to act, and he pulls this off well in this film. We do get some nice surprises in here as well, when it comes to other actors. And i have to mention legendary actor Michael Rooker ( who i especially remember from the cult film Henry - Portrait Of A Serial Killer, that turns 35 years old this year, still a damn good film ). Rooker deliver once again a strong character with Clyde Dutton. He is exactly the right kind of guy you would want in an apocalypse. Young actress Ariana Greenblatt is adorable as the cool character Minnow, a young girl who clearly is more tough than most girls her age. Is there anything i would have changed with this film? Not really, i think this is a charming monster apocalyptic action film, that both have a heart and a story that works well. Director Michael Matthews manage to bring us a film that not only have something important to say, but also deliver some fun action scenes as well. If you are into apocalyptic films, i suggest you give Love And Monsters a chance. You might actually find yourself enjoying this one, just as i did.

Rating: DDD