The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Three dangerous vixens, one giant tentacle monster.. it's a recipe for a good old fashioned disaster. In a good way, of course. In this brand new ozploitation flick, the glorious classic elements of the exploitation and the input of several characteristics of the monster genre collide. It's the best of both worlds. I wasn't expecting much, but the first few minutes caused my jaw to drop and my drool to escape. Just a figure of speech..It starts off with the three ladies hanging around in the middle of the desert in their broken down car, all shot in classy black/white, steady photography. Australian director Stuart Simpson is obviously paying a tribute to Russ Meyer's monumental classic 'Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!'. It's an effective start and it immediately brings a certain attitude and vibe to it that fans of the traditional action/crime genre will definitely love.The happy, cheery vibe changes as we witness a terrible crime committed by the, apparently, hit-man-chicks. Monstro Del Mar shows a serious side, but at the same time it will never forget the essence of a great monster flick; taking a breath every once in a while and have a laugh. Plenty of room for silly activities, exploiting the female presence without getting to sexual or cheap.With only 75 minutes on the clock there will be little time to get distracted or bored with the ladies, the monster or the epic combination of both. The ending is one to remember and the fact that they used practical effects for the most part is something that made me smile from cheek to cheek. Stuart Simpson knows what's right, resulting in a mixture of genres that will entertain you in a way that most other modern exploitation revivals fail to do.It's not easy to point out exactly what makes Monstro del Mar that much different from the rest. We've all seen it before for as long as we can remember. Maybe it's the lack of convincing new material that makes this traditionally built piece of horror worth your while. Why change a killer recipe, right? The three vixens, Beretta, Blondie and Snowball are all played by first time actresses, making their part even more impressive. They play their roles as if they are having a good time, not as if they're trying to act.I could just repeat the above and call it an end, but I'd like to point out that it really is a refreshing film in the midst of all the crap released lately. Stuart Gordon, who began his career at Troma (where else?), has convinced me of his talent in a way that very few are capable of nowadays. Check this Australian masterpiece out whenever you can, it will be worth your time!

MONSTRO! is another grindhouse-style movie that came out in the wake of the Tarantino/Rodriguez collaboration. This sub-genre of films typically harks back to the cheapo B-movies of yesteryear, throwing in copious sex and violence and not worrying too much about strong production values. MONSTRO!, an Australian addition to the genre, isn't as bad as the last one I watched - DEAR GOD NO! - but it's hardly the stuff of greatness.The template this time around is the cinema of Russ Meyer, with a trio of 'super vixens' parading around in their tattoos and bikinis, although the film is surprisingly coy when it comes to actual nudity. The loose storyline sees the trio hole up in a run-down seaside village, where they encounter the titular menace, the Kraken no less, which proceeds to give them a run for their money.Sadly the truth is that MONSTRO! just isn't very good. The paucity of the budget is evident in the cheapjack special effects - there's plenty of REALLY bad CGI here when the monster eventually shows up - and the general poor standard of acting from the main cast members. The script is also sub-par, and that opening murder sequence is pointless and actually had me hating the central trio after that. As ever, fans of these productions should just go and watch the original inspirations, because they're invariably much better.

Three delinquent young women find themselves battling a sea monster in a small Australian seaside town while swearing a great deal.Bad acting meets cheap and shoddy effects in a film which is such appalling rubbish that it gives appalling rubbish a bad name. The script is one of those which believes that the more profanity you spout, the harder you are. Like so many before it, it is incorrect in this assumption.I can't award lower than one star, and then I'll award another for the use of tripod to avoid the ubiquitous wobblycam. Nothing else merits praise. The monster's tentacles are arms in long socks. Oh, please.

Wow. I really don't know what to say about El monstro del mar!My jaw is still dropped. You can listen to all the nonsense about how this is a rip off of this or that but really, this is Austrailia's answer to The HostDuring every moment of this film I expected to be disappointed by clichés but instead I sat at the edge of my seat astounded by the originality.Yeah it's like a collage of other movies but it does it so well, it's Thelma and Louise against Jaws, but not played for humor.Yes, watch it.