Monsters Movie

I watched Monsters the other day and expected another alien invasion thriller with the usual constant explosions and multicolored blood flying in all directions.  Needless to say I was quite incorrect in my initial impression of the film. While not being a traditional alien invasion flick, it seems that Monsters is something better.  The setting is in Mexico several years after a NASA probe introduced extraterrestrial life the Central American environment.  Rather than being shoot em up, the movie turns out to be a Motorcycle Diaries-esque journey of two Americans through the infected zone.  The movie focuses not so much on the fight against the invasive animal like aliens, but more so on the adaptations of ordinary people to their new neighbors. The atmosphere is best described as surreal.  Instead of seeing massive engagements, you see the occasional destroyed tank, an obliterated train, a lone USAF jet engine, as well as the omnipresent military presence that is just barely audible or visible in the distance.  The film uses largely improvised dialogue and locals for the actors, giving the movie a very real and genuine feeling, something that is usually lacking in your standard alien invasion flick. While some will be dissapointed to find that this is not the extraterrestrial bloodbath that the trailer implies, I was completely pleased with the more subtle human drama that is the driving force behind Monsters.