Gareth Edwards science fiction horror flick is a grim picture, and one nowhere near intent on offering a positive look on humanity and a new world. What he instead does is spotlight a new world where one side has learned to co-exist with a new breed of creatures that crash landed on Earth, while the more privileged side of the world is so intent on refusing to admit the inevitable that they've built possibly the largest wall to separate them from the rest of society. Edwards' genre offering while essentially a monster movie with carnage and shocks is also a thought provoking piece on society and two views on it looking down at two characters who see more than they ever have in a matter of forty eight hours. Edwards offers up some commentary on border control, immigration, and the third world order, all of which is under the throes of horrific monsters wreaking havoc in a world they're likely trying to make sense of as well. Throughout "Monsters," we watch two people learn about the world around them and see first hand accounts of how the ecosystem is slowly but surely becoming a mixing pot for this monstrous menace of alien that is dangerous, crafty, and destructive and slowly dominating a world that refuses to lie down and figure out a way to control it.

in spite of a massive project from the government to keep them (and secretly, Mexican immigrants) out of the country. The monsters themselves are intimidating and often without remorse acting as wild animals do, brushing past villages and forests leaving death in their wake, and we watch as Andrew and Samantha venture in to the wilderness and jungles coming very close to danger at every turn in an effort to bring young Samantha home to her wealthy father and husband. In spite of her apparent need to go home, Samantha isn't as excited as she should be. Whitney Able is very memorable as the gentle and soft spoken Samantha who seems more intent on embracing this new way of life than most people. Her chemistry with Scoot McNairy makes for some genuinely engrossing dramatic sequences while McNairy is both engrossing and unlikable as Andrew, a man who exploits every person he meets and sees the world through his camera lens keeping a healthy distance from reality. Overall, fans expecting a monster battle royale may be disappointed, as director Edwards sets down on a world where a new species has taken up residence and we're in it for the long haul whether we like it or not.

By all means not a "District 9" clone, Gareth Edwards science fiction horror film is a slow paced, entertaining, and intriguing look at a new world under the mercy of a new monstrous breed of animal and our attempts to deny its presence in spite of its evident superiority.