So yes the film does look excellent at times, it is highly realistic, at times punishing and brutal and its well made. I'd also like to ask why everyone calls these creatures monsters when they're clearly space aliens or extraterrestrial life. R (Nudity|Graphic War Violence|Drug Use|Pervasive Language|Some Strong Sexual Content), mystery and thriller, A teen gang in South London defend their block from an alien invasion. The evidence suggests director Tom Green is more a fan of Kathryn Bigelow and Terrence Malick than of Ray Harryhausen; that's not a bad thing, unless your Bigelow-influenced monster movie is pretentious and dreary. On their first mission, they investigate a farm house and interrogate the owner. Monsters: Dark Continent 2014 R 1h 59m Independent Movies An American platoon stationed in the We want to hear what you have to say but need to verify your email. Monsters: Dark Continent Strange lights descend on the city of Los Angeles, drawing people outside like moths to a flame where an extraterrestrial force threatens to swallow the entire human population off the face of the Earth. Coming Soon. | Rating: 1/5 They briefly debate euthanising him until they are rescued by locals, who feed them and give them water in gratitude for saving the boy's life. Regal |, May 15, 2015 [5] The film was eventually released in the US on 17 April 2015 and in the UK on 1 May 2015. In the Middle East a new insurgency has begun. At the same time there are new breeds that are more like horses or buffalo, they gallop across the desert in packs, almost in a 'Jurassic Park'-like stampede. they are literately a background element, window dressing. That night, Frater uses the distraction of an approaching creature to disarm and kill one of their guards, and the two of them escape on motorcycles, determined to finish their mission. It is also quite clear that the director is trying way way too hard, I get what you're wanting to do here but dude seriously, back off, all you have achieved is making me not like any of your characters. This has nothing to do with the monsters at all, the monsters aren't a threat, so to that degree you can understand why the native folk are so angry with the US soldiers, the aliens aren't doing anything, the Americans are causing mass destruction. Oh you might have thought I forgot about the monsters, you remember them? Set in riot-torn, near-future Los Angeles, 'Hotel Artemis' follows the Nurse, who runs a secret, members-only emergency room for criminals. and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango. Don't have an account? To top that the guys then embark on a final night out with prostitutes, booze and cocaine! All Critics (35) Please reference “Error Code 2121” when contacting customer service. Approaching his 18th birthday, David drops out of school and runs away from home and from a conflicting relationship with his mother Elena. The group is then set under fire by insurgents. It looks like a cheesy B-movie but it looks fun, false advertising much? Sidney Poitier’s 7 Most Memorable Performances, All Harry Potter Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer, People’s Choice Awards 2020 Winners: Will Smith Wins Big As. There are some inventive moments along the way, but these are interspersed with lots of posturing, yelling and brawling. |, April 29, 2015 The percentage of users who rated this 3.5 stars or higher. | Rotten (29). What a load of pretentious, art w*nk nonsense this film really is.It's bad enough that the story is paper thin and the characters are as unlikeable as an upset stomach (one minute gangsta tough, the next screaming like babies) but the direction is shocking.It's like a frustrated art student trying out every possible style of image capture. |, October 29, 2015 [4] Taking inspiration from the military presence in the first film, the two decided to make a war film that explored what Green termed "socially relevant themes". Innocents getting killed, children starving and living in bombed out shacks, towns destroyed, infrastructure gone etc...Its all here filmed in the most predictable cliched way possible, shaky cam, moments of deafening loudness, moments of shell shocking induced silence, slow motion, overexposed shots, lots of shouting, grimacing and a bucket load of man tears. The filming location of Jordan helps ten fold offering some exquisite natural beauty which in turn gave the director the opportunity to capture some truly spiritual scenes. Alas its suppose to be a sequel to 'Monsters' and clearly this isn't. Cinemark Three months into their tour, the team receives a search and rescue mission for four soldiers who have gone missing along a particularly active area. After the bikes run out of gas, they continue eastward until they encounter a destroyed school bus. Forgot your password? They clearly wanted to make a gritty, contemporary war film chock full with the horrors of war, morals, human values...and then bolted on the space monsters as an after thought (in the background). Looking for something to watch? The aliens (or monsters) in the movie are rendered faithfully in CGI and do look terrific I must say. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Due to commitments with Godzilla, Edwards did not return to direct, but served as an executive producer. Which of these debut films would you most like to watch (or watch again, if you've already seen them)? At the same time there has also been a proliferation of Monsters in that region. The huge leggy creatures slowly stomp across the desert terrain with grace and actually look beautiful in the process, like a herd of slow moving elephants. And when it's finished all you can contemplate is the utter pointlessness of the whole film.I know many complain of studio execs interfering with a film but you really have to question who greenlit this laughable project or signed off the finished product for general release.Whoever it was can't tell the difference between a movie and a flickerbook of cool filtered Instagram pics. The image is an example of a ticket confirmation email that AMC sent you when you purchased your ticket. | Rating: D If the idea is to show that war makes monsters of us all, then writer-director Tom Green can't quite seem to bring his film to say it. they're suppose to be the main focal point of the plot. However, they discover there that the soldiers they were meant to rescue had all been killed prior to their arrival. Don’t worry, it won’t take long. In the Middle East a new insurgency has begun. Rushing Williams to safety, Inkelaar is unable to stabilise Williams, who dies shortly after. The film premiered at the BFI London Film Festival on 9 October 2014. Eventually I realised the director is kinda trying to make his own modern day Nam flick with modern day tunes. And the characters are underwritten and unmemorable. Sign up here. Vertigo Films. Long shots, close shots, lens flare, angled, shaky cam, slow mo and none of them working.One pointless scene of a helicopter taking off showed it's ascent from at least 10 different angles - outside looking up, inside looking out, inside looking inside, outside different angle etc etc.Every character must have had at least two shots of them silent screaming from the Dummies Guide to filming internal angst.Things aren't explained, geography is not established and you can almost feel the makers telegraphing their contempt to the audience that 'if you don't get this, you're too stupid'.It's not engaging, thought provoking or entertaining. The problem is the monsters don't actually feature in this movie!! Monsters' reign continues to spread throughout the Earth. |, April 30, 2015 The long distant shots of these herds of huge aliens set against the desert dawn, dusk or brilliant daylight, are stunning, some shots reminded me of 'Halo' honesty. It is the sequel to 2010's Monsters, directed by Gareth Edwards. [4] Gareth Edwards served as the film's executive producer, but the film's production ran concurrently with Edwards' own Godzilla, thus he could not contribute much to the actual film. |. The original small budget British sci-fi was pretty much made entirely by Gareth Edwards, unfortunately he went on to much bigger things with 'Godzilla' (and now a Star Wars spin-off), so he couldn't direct this sequel. As Frater searches for water, Michael encounters a boy still alive. Frater, who has already gone through nine tours, has become estranged from his wife and daughter, who he says is afraid of him. Monsters' reign continues to spread throughout the Earth. With Johnny Harris, Sam Keeley, Joe Dempsie, Sofia Boutella. | Rating: 2/5 Williams, disoriented by the explosion, wanders onto another IED, which detonates, blowing his legs off. Thing is I don't think the director/writer actually intended that, its just how the story came out. Basically it's a war movie with four or five shots of giant monsters. Although Edwards is onboard for the new "Monsters: Dark Continent" as an executive producer, the sequel bears no resemblance to his original, thematically or stylistically. Six years after Earth has suffered an alien invasion, a cynical journalist agrees to escort a shaken American tourist through an infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the U.S. border. Forced to abandon his body, the four remaining escape on foot. and the Terms and Policies, Deprived of sympathetic characters, thrills, and Edwards' skilled touch, the film makes for a disappointing follow-up to some impressive sci-fi cinema. Ten years on from the events of "Monsters", and the 'Infected Zones' have now spread worldwide. By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie. Monsters are few and far between, and Dark Continent was an offensive name given to Africa by 19th century Europeans, so why exactly this film is called "Monsters: Dark Continent" is anyone's guess. As the raid progresses, their frenzied world ... See full summary ». After giving their goodbyes to various family members (and visiting a dog fight featuring an infant creature), four closely knit friends from Detroit—Michael, Frankie, Inkelaar and new father Williams—are U.S. Army soldiers deployed to the Middle East for their first tour as they must deal with the creatures (dubbed "monsters" by the military) and a new insurgency on the rise. Monsters: Dark Continent (also known as Monsters 2: Dark Continent or simply Monsters 2) is a 2014 British science fiction monster film written by Jay Basu and English director Tom Green. Two men, two survivors, one kid, and hatred that separates them. By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy Their hometown area in Detroit is basically a ghetto which the lead youngster claims to hate (through much solemn narration), but he seems to love being a ghetto boy to me, with his homies. | Rating: D+ They meet their team leaders, Forrest and Frater. I enjoyed this and it turns that this is the official sequel to Monsters which I loved. Bottom line, this movie is all about this team of soldiers and their harrowing fight for survival against the insurgents after they get ambushed (not the monsters/aliens...whatever). During the encounter, one of the gigantic creatures wanders past the group and they gun it down. despite one of them recently having a baby with his wife!! Monsters: Dark Continent (also known as Monsters 2: Dark Continent or simply Monsters 2) is a 2014 British science fiction monster film written by Jay Basu and English director Tom Green. "[10] Neil Smith of Total Film awarded the film three out of five stars and said, "Ambitiously staged and impressively shot, Monsters: Dark Continent makes a bold stab at mounting a franchise but lacks the vision and surprise of its predecessor. The film would be exactly the same without them. The only thing that matters for him is break ... See full summary ». Filming began in March 2013, taking place in Jordan and Detroit (U.S.). Written by Its also around now when every time these guys do anything, some rock music kicks in, every time. [9] Kim Newman of Empire awarded it four stars, remarking, "In its fantastical way, this is one of the most believable, pointed and sober films about the wars of the 21st century. 52 of 64 people found this review helpful. |, February 23, 2016 Now enraged by the futility of their mission and the lives lost, Frater snaps and kills one of the villagers. Filming began in March 2013, taking place in Jordan and Detroit (U.S.). Frater leads the others into surrendering. | Rating: 2/4 Two mercenaries ride a wave of pitch-black camaraderie as they travel through the desert night on their way to carry out a kidnapping in Iraq. Ten years on from the events of "Monsters", and the 'Infected Zones' have now spread worldwide. Rated R for graphic war violence, pervasive language, some strong sexual content/nudity and drug use, Rogue One Disney+ Series Brings in Stellan Skarsgard and Kyle Soller, Battlestar Galactica Movie Brings in Labyrinth 2 Writer, Gareth Edwards’ Monsters is being developed as a TV series. Please enter your email address and we will email you a new password. Search for "Monsters: Dark Continent" on Amazon.com, Title: After finding another shelter and while recovering from what has happened, Inkelaar is killed by a sniper while Frankie is wounded before a group of insurgents surrounds them. When they encounter fellow survivor Abira, their lives are forever changed as they fight off the remnants of the infected. (2014). This in turn has caused an insurgence against American forces, so now the troops have to deal with aliens AND angry Middle Eastern countrymen that all look remarkably like terrorists. Choose an adventure below and discover your next favorite movie or TV show. K so the story follows a group of US soldiers from their rough neighbourhood in Detroit to their new post somewhere in the Middle East, think Iraq, just don't say it. Cinemark Monsters: Dark Continent lacks the fresh approach and thought-provoking subtext of its predecessor, settling instead for tired war movie clichés. | Rating: 2/5 The film does actually look really slick, the whole thing has been well shot with plenty of care and attention to detail. |, May 4, 2015 Think 'Black Hawk Down' thrown into a blender with 'Cloverfield', but the aliens don't do anything. [6][7], The film received mostly negative reviews. The film is the first feature to be directed by Green, who previously had directed episodes of the Channel 4 television programme Misfits. [4] Green wrote the screenplay with Jay Basu and the two had free rein to make what type of movie they wanted as long as it included monsters. Coming Soon. A glum, ear-splitting rehash of familiar elements from The Hurt Locker and Saving Private Ryan with the slippery aliens as a side dish rather than a great threat. Due to commitments with Godzilla, Edwards did not return to direct, but served as an executive producer. This was probably the main cause of this movies downfall, the next would be everything else the new director and writer decided to do, or not do. Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates Jr. Fall TV First Look: Find Out What’s Coming, The Best Peacock Original Shows and Movies, All Upcoming Disney Movies: New Disney Live-Action, Animation, Pixar, Marvel, and More. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? This 10-digit number is your confirmation number. Once in the mystery Middle Eastern country of Iraq the young new recruits are introduced to their stereotypical, ultra masculine squad leaders. The Best TV Shows About Being in Your 30s, Militant Leader The sub-Apocalypse Now existential/colonial angst lacks any form of grounding, despite committed performances from the core cast who engage in much tooth-baring, breast-beating, and shouty soul-searching. Frustrated at their failure to save the boy, Frater angrily reminds Michael of their mission, and the two continue east toward a settlement their men would have gone to. this leads me to wonder why the Yanks are so intent on wiping them out (stupid question). They do appear more than in the first movie but they don't actually do anything, a bit of sniffing around, knocking down the odd building or structure, the odd lurch at a human. Michael is forced to shoot him to keep him from killing the rest of the family. Joshua and Penelope are survivors of a deadly infection that laid waste to humanity 25 years ago. A tough-as-nails detective embarks on a relentless pursuit to free his son from a nightmarish alien warship. | Rating: 2/5 (as Uriel Emill Pollack). The director has clearly gotten lost and carried away with his own pet project. The percentage of Approved Tomatometer Critics who have given this movie a positive review. | Rating: 2/5 Verified reviews are considered more trustworthy by fellow moviegoers. |, May 1, 2015 Monsters are few and far between, and Dark Continent was an offensive name given to Africa by 19th century Europeans, so why exactly this film is called "Monsters: Dark Continent" is anyone's guess. After being captured, Michael and Frater are bound and forced to watch as Frankie bleeds to death in front of them. They start to follow a mysterious hunter, learning that he is actually a troll hunter. You're almost there! An early scene showing the guys at an underground illegal dog fight between a dog and baby monster (alien) is pretty grim, right there I no longer gave a fuck about these guys. | Fresh (6) If the wait for No Time to Die feels endless, we have three titles to make the time go by faster. Add the first question. The whole theme is very obviously an analogy for the war in Iraq. As an enormous creature emerges from the sands in front of them, Frater collapses and dies from his injury. [12], https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Monsters-Dark-Continent#tab=summary, "Monsters: Dark Continent UK Release Date Finally Confirmed for May 2015", "Monsters: Dark Continent director recalls scary, hellish, amazing shoot", "Monsters: Dark Continent UK Release Date Pushed to February 2015", "Fear Evolves On 'Monsters: Dark Continent, "Monsters: Dark Continent review – ruin-porn, war-porn and porn-porn", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Monsters:_Dark_Continent&oldid=986359779, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 31 October 2020, at 10:41. Had this been the directors own stand alone war flick (and nothing to do with 'Monsters'), I'd be giving a different write up. On that front its very good, its not very original now but like I said, its well made. Apparently the US has been bombing the living snot outta these space monsters trying to keep them under control, unfortunately, and rather amusingly (and typical of humans), they have also been accidentally bombing the living snot outta the locals too. There are no approved quotes yet for this movie. Just below that it reads "Ticket Confirmation#:" followed by a 10-digit number. In a terrifying care-free future, a young man, Guy Montag, whose job as a fireman is to burn all books, questions his actions after meeting a young woman - and begins to rebel against society.