The Lizard Chronicles

Godzilla aka Gojira is yet another tired remake of a hackneyed franchise. Barring a few visual effects that stand out somewhat, the balance is largely a smorgasbord of Gojira playing the guardian angel and trying to save the West Coast of the United States from some mythical destructive insect species, thereby following the laws of Nature of a gargantuan scale. Again, vague memories of the movie and its many clichés, without remembering a single concrete detail. My bad. Or is it?

11/20

Monstrous, Relatively Speaking

In the not-too-distant future, the northern half of Mexico is cordoned off on account of an alien outbreak. While army patrols and enormous military defences struggle to “hold the line” as it were, photo-journalist Andrew Kaulder (Scoot McNairy) takes on an assignment to escort wealthy Samantha Wynden (Whitney Able) across to the safety of the United States. Post a river-boat journey followed by a convoy through the jungle, overnight, Andrew and Samantha find themselves the only survivors of an alien attack. As they make their way towards the safety of the US, certain facts of the ostensibly dangerous infestation never cease to amaze. Monsters is an interesting treatment on alien infestations, and brings noveau to a hackneyed genre

13/20

Monsters (?)

No matter how hackneyed the theme, an effort at an authentic rendition of a situation, and the people affected by the situation, has an appeal all of its own. First, the context. A probe to detect extraterrestrial life crashes over Mexico. Six years later, the whole of northern Mexico is a dangerous quarantine zone, infested by Monsters, with barbed wire fencing to the south and The Wall protecting the United States to the North. It is against this backdrop that cynical journalist Scoot McNairy (Andrew Kaulder) is given the task of escorting beautiful American tourist Samantha Wynden (Whitney Able) to the safety of the USA. A plan to take the ferry to the States goes all wrong, and the trip across the Infected Zone has unexpected consequences for the duo, and their perception of the persecuted monsters. The distinguishing feature of the movie is the effort at authentic scenes of Mexican life affected by the infestation – a cart carrying off a jet engine, monsters in graffiti and children’s drawings, children wearing gas masks as a way of life. Touching in parts, and engaging in full, this is not your average alien-buster Hollywood flick

13.5/20