Love and Monsters (2020)
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In a world overrun by mutated monsters, a timid man embarks on a perilous journey to reunite with his long-lost love.
The story
Following the destruction of an asteroid that caused animals to mutate into giant monsters, humanity has been decimated. Seven years after the initial catastrophe, Joel Dawson lives in an underground bunker with a small group of survivors. While the others focus on survival, Joel is relegated to maintenance duties. When a giant ant breaches their colony, Joel decides to risk his life to travel across the wasteland to find his former girlfriend, Aimee. Accompanied by a stray dog named Boy, Joel must navigate a dangerous landscape filled with hostile creatures and treacherous terrain to reach her, hoping to find a sense of belonging in a world that has become increasingly hostile.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a mutation-driven apocalypse, Joel Dawson lives in a bunker and decides to travel across the wasteland to find his former girlfriend, Aimee. He is joined by a loyal dog named Boy. Along the way, he meets other survivors like Clyde and Minnow, who teach him survival skills. He eventually finds Aimee in a beach colony, but she has changed and is mourning her past. The situation turns dire when a pirate ship captain, Cap, attempts to seize the colony's resources. Joel and Aimee must fight off the pirates and a massive crab monster. Joel ultimately chooses to free the crab rather than harm it, leading to the destruction of the pirate ship. The film ends with Joel and Aimee promising to find each other as they both head toward the mountains, while Joel broadcasts a message of hope to other survivors to come to the surface.
- Original title
- Monster Problems
- First release year
- 2020
- Runtime (minutes)
- 109
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Michael Matthews
- Writers
- Brian Duffield · screenplay; Matthew Robinson · screenplay; Brian Duffield · story
- Cast and characters
- Dylan O'Brien · Joel Dawson; Jessica Henwick · Aimee; Dan Ewing · Clyde Dutton; Michael Rooker · unknown
- Genres
- monster adventure; action adventure; monster movies; coming-of-age films; post-apocalyptic films
- Themes
- survival; romance; hope
- Tone and mood
- adventure; action
- Premise and plot tags
- post-apocalyptic; road movie; monster
- Source material / true-story basis
- original script
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 63 · scale: 100 · review count: 14
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Visual Effects · 93rd Academy Awards · nominated; Critics' Choice Super Awards · Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Movie · nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was originally titled Monster Problems.; The production was inspired by Mad Max and Zombieland.; The main dog used in the film was named Hero.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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