Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Monstrous Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 20, 2024

Monstrous is a film of curious construction and advertisement, appearing to promise some sort of "monster movie" but actually delivering something quite different in its build and ultimately in its end. The film is not so much a Horror film or a monster movie as it is a psychological study and an exercise in distraction and distinction, attempting to build a narrative that is at once both tangible and, ultimately, intangible, that is at once both outwardly presented and inwardly processed. It's not so much ambitious as it is desirous to misdirect its audience, to create a sense of unease and discomfort that ultimately bears narrative and character fruit, but not the sort that one might believe headed into the third act. All of this is to say that this is a film that subverts expectations, and the big question is whether it does so poorly, adequately, or well?

Circa 1950, Laura (Christina Ricci) and her son Cody (Santino Barnard) move into a new home in order to flee Cody's abusive father, but the family quickly discovers that a new terror awaits: a monster living in a nearby lake. As Laura and Cody effort to settle in despite the unwanted guest and the threat of his father looming over their lives -- Laura all but refuses to answer the phone in fear that he is calling -- things begin to take a turn for the surreal. Laura falls into alcoholism. None of Cody's classmates show up for his birthday party. As their lives begin to unravel, the mother and son must confront their greatest fears, which might not be only the external demons that appear to be hellbent on their destruction.

On one hand, Monstrous asks that its audience soak in the atmosphere and mood that it creates, which is a quaint 1950s world of simplicity and escape, but at the same time it suggests darker, deeper qualities and characteristics that are not specific to a time but rather innate to the human condition. In Monstrous, there is indeed a title monster, and one that lives in darkness but does not necessarily move and maneuver in the shadows. Rather, it is seen, with some frequency, and the characters interact with it in several scenes. Unfortunately, the quality of the digital creature visuals is rather poor, which breaks the illusion and the tension and teeters on ruining not only scenes featuring the monster, but putting a serious damper on the movie proper.

On the other hand, the film is at least briskly paced with little wasted time or effort (it does take a full 63 seconds to move from the various production house logos to the actual "start" of the movie) on the way to the final reveal. And as for the reveal, well, to say almost anything about it would be to offer too significant a hint as to what it is, what it narratively achieves, and how to comes to define and redefine the movie, but it is something that is well veiled and at least somewhat thought provoking. It's not an entirely new or novel sort of idea, but it does upend the movie and all of its narrative details and character qualities and the broader understanding of things, including relationships and the monster in the film. It's not so deep and interesting as to cause it to linger in the mind long after the film finishes, but it is enough to possibly warrant a re-watch and search for any clues that audiences might have missed along the way, because there are some obvious ones in hindsight and perhaps some not so obvious in others.

In light of the film's reveal, Ricci's character and performance become all the more vital, and her performance is fine on the surface but will prove more rewarding in a second viewing to see not just the story's subtle (and more overt) clues but also the way she builds to the reveal in her character. Ricci delivers a performance that is at once both understated yet at the same time, beyond the superficial, far more nuanced. She works the internal and external angles her character presents with expert clarity, even where clarity is necessarily not called for (that will make sense after watching the film). It may not be a great performance in the traditional sense of the term, but it's rock-solid within the film's needs and context.

Monstrous Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Monstrous is not any kind of top-end, high-yield transfer, but it certainly passes the eyeball test. The image is nicely detailed, not to any exacting standards but the slightly diffused (at times, at least) look at least plays into the story. It's adequately sharp and captures good period textures and attire nicely, including various 50s appliances and furnishings and automobiles seen throughout the film. Facial clarity is good, too, but the image suffers when sharing the screen with the rather poor digital effects monster elements. Colors are nicely bright, again not with the sort of absolutely rock-solid, perfectly vivid tones, but the numerous and large color splashes, again on period vehicles and furnishings, look great. Black levels are solid save for a few very light moments later in the film. Skin tones look good. White balance is perfectly fine. The image can be very noisy at lower light, and it creeps towards excess in a few places, but overall the picture looks more than serviceable in most areas and in most times.

Monstrous Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Monstrous features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation is largely nondescript for much of the runtime, offering little more than basic dialogue, which is nicely centered, well prioritized, and clear for the duration. There are some amplified effects here and there, and some music that hits with some greater potency and stage immersion, but generally the first two-thirds of the movie hold to a few heavy cues with mostly subtle atmospheric enrichment. Some of the most intense sound cues are reserved for about the 74-minute mark. To say more would be to spoil the film, but suffice it to say the film's gentle ambience and subtle cues are contrasted against the deluge of audio at this point for a critical stark contrast that plays fully into the plot. Another similar barrage of full stage immersion comes in the 78-minute mark. In these elements clarity is very good and spacing and surround engagement are right on the money. This is a solid track overall.

Monstrous Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Monstrous contains no supplemental content. The main menu screen offers lopping video images from the film and overlaid music. Menu options include "Play," "Chapters," and "Setup." No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

Monstrous Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Monstrous offers audiences a slow-drip experience that engages a number of senses -- curiosity, doubt, fear -- to adequate, though perhaps never thorough, satisfaction. The film is all about building to its Shyamalan-inspired twist ending, and while it's not necessarily a significant payoff, it's an interesting payoff. Even if it's not a completely original payoff, it's one with enough meaning and, certainly, a jolting arrival that makes the movie worth revisiting in an effort to better see it coming a second time. There are clues in plain sight and some that I can recall, and certainly more that did not resonate at the time or in the aftermath, that will point to the twist upon a second watch. The film is worth watching, maybe even twice, but it's certainly not a legend in the making or even one to hold extreme replay value, especially in the near term after that second viewing. Screen Media's featureless Blu-ray (a few interviews, at least, would have been nice) does offer satisfactory video and audio. Pick it up cheap.