6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Story centers on a traumatized woman fleeing from her abusive ex-husband with her 7-year-old son. In their new, remote sanctuary they find they have a bigger, more terrifying monster to deal with.
Starring: Christina Ricci, Santino Barnard, Colleen Camp, Lew Temple, Carol Anne WattsHorror | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
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?
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 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.
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 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.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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