The Monster can be seen as a metaphorical film regarding a child from a broken home who must contend with parents fighting over custody of her and in particular her embarrassment and fear of how her mother's alcohol abuse will effect her life, but practically any horror film can be analyzed as an allegory for something traumatic or anxiety provoking so to simply state it is all in someone's head, which is not a spoiler because there is no definitive evidence to state so unequivocally, would kind of sell the film short. Actually I find the premise to be more interesting when one takes the action at face value. In fact in the world of the film there are monsters that lurk in the shadows and given the opportunity they will attack anything they can for whatever the reason might be. In this case one can make up their own mind what the monster is. There is no explanation for it. It simply exists and it is a predator that is stronger and faster than a wolf, may be capable of gliding or limited flight or jumping abilities because it does seem to appear at times in places with little to no warning. It has stealth and is strictly a nocturnal creature.
Though it's eyes are completely white and give it the appearance of being blind, I am not convinced that it is since light does seem to repell it, which implies that the creature can discern it's existence. It has huge teeth and it consumes it's victims with unbridled ferocity. Personally I like the fact that there is no explanation for the monster's origins. It simply exists and given how much we still don't know about the world we live on, I like to think that it is some crypto zoological creature that is as yet undiscovered. One can have fun imagining what the traits of the monster are and that invites a bit more of imaginative audience participation, which yields additional mystique of the thing. However as far the creature is concerned, I think it is safe to take it at face value that in the world of the film it is indeed real.
Since the film is a pretty simple story and not much happens once the creature is introduced other than what one would expect, the Writer/Director has to fill up the film with frequent flashbacks that are at times repetitive and a bit dull. I also felt the opening voice over removed some of the potential suspense generated for who will suffer the consequences for the creatures's actions and who will survive.
So while it is not the most thought provoking or scary horror film, it is certainly watchable. The creature effects by ADI are terrific and the filmmakers are smart enough to know how to present the creature without making it too dark or light, which would have hindered the believability and wonder behind the monster's presence in the film.
Lionsgate Home Entertainment presents The Monster in a clear high definition 1080p full HD widescreen (2.40:1) aspect ratio presentation with an aggressive English DTS HD MA 5.1 Surround Soundrack and English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired as well as Spanish Language Subtitles encoded as options. A short behind-the-scenes featurette (7:52) and a reel of bonus trailers that include The Witch, Into The Forest, Blair Witch and Green Room (10:04) wrap up the bonus materials on this Blu-Ray Disc. The menus are simply rendered and eat to navigate. Within the BD case is a limited time only insert with a redeemable code for an UltraViolet Digital Copy of the film.
The Monster will debut at retailers on and offline on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment.
(C) Copyright 2017 By Mark A. Rivera.
All Rights Reserved.
