Love and Monsters: What’s It All About?

Love and Monsters is a genuine delight, in the most minimalistic meaning of the term. It’s a simple movie set in a post-apocalyptic world, where the hero wins — despite the many odds against them, thanks to the age-old recipe of sheer luck and that a touch of bravery.

If you go in searching for some solid logic or an excellent plot for you to gasp in awe when watching this piece of art, you’ll unfortunately be disappointed.

Having said that, it is not a bad movie by any means, as it’s not meant to showcase brilliantly logical scenes or cause goosebumps-worthy thrills. It is a fairly basic movie, and it is meant to make you feel silly at moments (but mostly warm and happy).

The Story

The premise of the movie is pretty simple. Because of human stupidity, obviously, the world of humans is no longer. It is now instead filled with deadly mutated creatures with a big appetite, and everyone is forced to live in a bunker or a safe house, barely surviving. It does not have those first moments of what the frick is happening here in the very beginning. We are started off with a quick backstory, revealing how it all happened. Then we jump right into the future, seven years later to be precise, where things are about to escalate and change in our hero, Joel Dawson’s life.

Things happen, as expected, and we are led into a journey with Joel. The protagonist is on a quest to meet his girlfriend of 7 years ago, because heck, why not? So, the journey is dangerous because of all the mutated creatures roaming the surface of the earth. What kind of creatures? Well, imagine big — VERY BIG — cockroaches on your ceiling (don’t look up now!).

Now, our hero, who is practically useless in this post-apocalyptic world (his own words, not mine), encounters big scary creatures and does the unthinkable. He meets 2 badasses along the way. From them, he learns the way of monster hunters (basically shooting with a crossbow), after all this time in the apocalypse! Now, after learning the secret techniques of monster hunting, and meeting a new companion for those lonely nights, hero Joel faces off with some creepy and dangerous-looking monsters and fulfills his destiny to head on to the finale of the movie.

I’m not going to spoil the fun for you, so you’ll have to watch the movie yourself to find out. Will the hero meet his girlfriend Amy (with i and two e, so, Aimee)? Will Aimee and Joel get back together? Or will Joel even survive the journey? Also, did Joel steal food? (Yes, this is a very important question that needs to be answered.)

The Characters

The most memorable characters from the movie, besides the hero, of course, are Clyde and Minnow. They look cool, they act cool, and overall? Yep, they are pretty damn cool. They are this badass duo who know how to survive in the wild… and are pretty good at it too, mind you. In fact, one of this badass duo is a little eight-year-old girl. You’ll definitely love the pair of supporting characters, and you’ll be left wanting more of them.

Another adorable character is Boy, our hero’s brave and loyal companion dog. This dog has more personality than the majority of the characters, and you’ll fall in love with him right away. Also, there is one more surprisingly wholesome and emotional character in the form of an AI robot. She’s called Mavis, but with a 1, so, Mav1s. She has a very relaxing, and funny, and emotional little arc in the movie, which is just perfect! Other than these, you’ll remember Aimee, well, because she is a major part of the story. And that’s it, really. Everyone else is just plain and forgettable. They are just 2-D characters made for filling out the world.

My Personal Thoughts

I’m a sucker for zombie movies, and that basically means any post-apocalyptic movie. As far as Love and Monsters goes, this movie almost satisfied me. I enjoyed a very casual and relaxing time watching this movie. If I have to compare it to another movie in turns of how I felt while streaming it, I would have to pick Zombieland. It’s not quite as comical as Zombieland, but it certainly has the same vibe to it.

Another thing I liked about this movie is that it is also a little bit relatable, especially at such a time of a pandemic. When Joel finally gets out after seven years of being in a bunker and smells the fresh air and grass, we as viewers can finally have a gist of that feeling — though I’m glad that COVID-19 isn’t turning insects into monsters quite yet! I personally hope we all get to be freed from our bunker soon.

Who Will Love This Movie?

Anyone who just wants to enjoy a movie while having a snack or dinner, or someone with a family wanting to spend quality time with their children, will definitely love it. It’s a heartwarming movie with aesthetic location, has very good CGI, and some scary-looking monsters that will have your young ones crawling into your arms to stay safe. In that regard, it’s safe to say it’s a very family-friendly movie.

Who Will Dislike This Movie?

People who want a solid story and logical action will probably not be very happy with it. If you want to watch the movie with a critical mindset or are looking for some artsy, groundbreaking film, do yourself a favor and just avoid this one.

My Final Thoughts

A movie does not need to be a masterpiece for you to enjoy it. All that matters is that you have a good time, and for those two hours, you just sorta forget about how crazy everything is. Love and Monsters is one such movie. Sure, you’ll point out the plot holes, and you might even rant about how silly this and that was, but you’ll have a good time while watching it.

My verdict? Go ahead and enjoy the movie. You won’t regret it.