Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Love and Monsters 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 2, 2021

Perhaps apocalypse apathy has set in but since the grim days of The Road and The Walking Dead the genre has spawned a lighter side with movies like Zombieland (and its sequel) and now Love and Monsters, a movie that explores human essence and the innate need for closeness and connectivity no matter the circumstances, in this case humanity forced underground to hide from overgrown, and overly dangerous, creatures. Michael Matthews' film finds a fine balance between sour beats and cheerful hope in something greater than the mere, and sometimes seemingly futile, act of simple survival. The film seeks the human condition in a world no longer governed by humanity yet still defined by the human heart.

It was a long time coming, and the world has finally come to an end. Or, perhaps better said, man’s dominant reign over the planet has come to a screeching halt. It wasn’t by nuclear fire, it wasn’t by deadly virus, it wasn’t by asteroid. OK, well, it was almost an asteroid but it was because of an asteroid that things went wonky, fast. When scientists discovered an asteroid on a collision course with earth, a rocket barrage was successfully sent to destroy it. Yay science, boo fallout! It turns out that, somehow, following the impact, waste materials drifted back to Earth and mutated every cold-blooded creature, transforming them from harmless bugs and animals into gigantic killer monsters. Cats, goldfish, even cockroaches are now larger than a man, and more deadly, too. The result: 95% of humanity, dead.

Joel (Dylan O'Brien) is one of the 5% survivors now living underground. He’s relatively safe, but he’s not happy. While the other men serve in a makeshift warrior class, he’s been relegated to bunker chef. He’s not particularly adept at fighting. He’s “unsafe” and “a liability” for his lack of marksmanship, his cowardice, and his propensity to freeze under duress. Worse, most everybody else has hooked up but he has yet to find romantic companionship underground. But that’s OK. He misses his longtime girlfriend, Aimee (Jessica Henwick), and speaking with her over the radio is only breaking his heart all the more. It hurts bad enough that he chooses to risk life and limb to travel the 85 miles separating them, by foot, across open country, and in constant danger of the mutated monsters hungry for any human dumb enough to set foot on their new turf.

Along the way, Joel befriends a dog he names “boy” and meets a pair of nomadic survivors, Clyde and Minnow (Michael Rooker and Ariana Greenblatt), with whom he travels. They teach him the ropes and the lay of the land, explaining the survival process and dissecting, verbally (and sometimes literally!), the new foes they do and may face along their journey. As Joel experiences the new reality in the new real world, all he can do is cling to his past and push forward in hopes of finding Aimee and healing his broken heart in the midst of a shattered land.

The film plainly borrows from other dystopian/adventure/monster/etc. films. There's very little creative energy at work in it, precious little that distinguishes it as an individual entity with an identifiable personality. Yet it's curiously fun to watch as the monsters wreak havoc (even if the CGI is complex but still not quite photorealistic) and, on the flip side, as the film quickly finds a soulful energy countering the physical momentum that leaves the audience caring about Joel, not just for his physical safety but for his heart's satisfaction. Much of that is because Dylan O'Brien is very likeable as Joel Dawson, even as the character feels like a watered-down version of Zombieland's Columbus (Clyde is Tallahassee and Minnow Little Rock). But he brings a sincerity to the part, a tangible, relatable character structure who is led by the heart and not the body, fearful of his physical limitations but choosing to push past those and pursue what truly matters to him, his safety be damned. Though his character lacks physical courage as the film begins, he displays great emotional courage which eventually translates to his battle with monsters. It's simple character growth on a linear path but done well enough, and in a broadly entertaining framework, to make even a movie of little lasting value a fun diversion that's worth a watch.

Love and Monsters 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Love and Monsters' 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD release offers a series of subtle upgrades that altogether make for a superior viewing experience when compared to the excellent Blu-ray. The resolution boost brings out a modestly sharper image, one in which the movie's varied locations -- a dim and densely packed underground bunker, sunny surface exteriors, a sandy beach -- all benefit from the 2160p output, allowing for fine detail amplification whether in close-up (faces and clothes and Joel's backpack) or seen at distance (the sand in the third act is a notable standout). The textural output is superior to the 1080p counterpart but this certainly does not reach UHD pinnacle. That's not to badmouth it -- it looks quite nice -- but instead to say that it's of a fairly average output level for its type of release (an effects-heavy, mid-budget, digitally shot movie).

There are some very good examples of the Dolby Vision's amplified color output. Look at a simple cutaway shot of a girl hanging a ballcap on a pegboard shrine at the 15:56 mark. The scene offers a good contrast between the improved detail of light output -- the glowing candles -- and the deeper blacks in the background. Object clarity in and around the light is excellent, too, representing a clear, if not small, step up from the Blu-ray. Explore most anything on the surface, particularly in the bright daylight, the sun high in the sky, as Joel begins his journey. Natural greenery pops with tighter, deeper, more intense punch across the board (and grasses and leaves are markedly sharper, too). The white-black extremes are both beneficiaries, too, for luminance and depth, respectively, the latter particularly critical for the low light interiors where shadow detail is vital for transmitting the story's essence for all it's worth. Noise management is a bit better on the UHD as well (even as it wasn't much of a problem on Blu-ray) and there are no obvious encode anomalies to report. This may not be the best looking UHD on the market, but it's very representative of the baseline: it looks very good and improves on a great 1080p image in several small, but meaningful, ways that altogether make this the obvious best choice for viewing the movie at home.

Love and Monsters 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Love and Monsters mutates onto Blu-ray with an exceptionally good DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack. During the first monster attack on the bunker, listeners are treated to some incredibly deep sounds, capturing the structure's metallic hollowness and the creatures' weight with effective depth. It is here that the track first demonstrates its laudable command of space and detail, not to mention low end depth, that together fully bring the listener into the terrifying underground death trap. Throughout the film, and as Joel leaves the bunker to undertake the journey, the track offers a steady diet of precise surround activity in practically every scene. Monsters creep and crawl and click and make whatever sounds they make with world-class imaging, whether the sound be static in a single location or scurrying around from speaker to speaker. It's fluid, seamless, it's a joy and the perfect, and necessary, compliment to the movie's sonic demands. The final action sequence springs to life with a terrific blend of all these elements, including a prodigious low end, perfectly pulling the listener into the beachside frenzy. Additional world support is terrific, like falling rain and thunder in chapter eight. Here is one place, amongst many, where Atmos would have benefited the presentation, but it's hard to argue against the 7.1 track; it's just so effective as it is. Music is well versed in clarity and space, too, and dialogue is perfectly balanced, positioned, prioritized, and detailed through the film. This is a ceaselessly fun track from Paramount.

Love and Monsters 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Love and Monsters UHD disc houses no extras, but the bundled Blu-ray includes deleted scenes and two featurettes. A digital copy voucher is included with purchase. This release ships with a slipcover.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 11:50 total runtime): Included are Hopeless Romantic; Without Love, What's the Point?; Car Critter; Good Luck Charm; You Guys Are Safe Now; and Back at the Bunker
• Bottom of the Food Chain: The Cast of Love and Monsters (1080p, 7:43): A quick look at the story's basic arc and moving on to explore the key characters and the actors who portray them (including the film's canine co-star).
• It's a Monster's World: Creating a Post-Apocalyptic Landscape (1080p, 7:04): Exploring Australian shooting locations, cinematography, production design, and more.

Love and Monsters 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Love and Monsters blends dystopian survival, monstrous terror, mild humor, and a romance that's driven by a different kind of survival instinct. Joel may as well not go on if going on means going it alone, and the film does a fine job of building his journey from the heart out. The action is not ancillary but it's not empty. Joel fights monsters, and himself, along the way, as he follows where his heart leads, even if it leads him straight through a living nightmare, albeit one watered down a bit for wider audiences. Paramount's UHD delivers solid 2160p/Dolby Vision video and audio presentations and a few extras. Recommended.