Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

This movie had a lot of potential going in, very classic monster movie feel. The relationship between the mother and daughter has great character dynamic as well. However, everything is basically thrown away in the last act. It's a shame that a lot of talented people did so much apparent hard work to make this movie of good quality, only to have it all trashed by terrible writing in the last act. The movie would have been better had they ended it when the ambulance went off the road. That wouldn't be a great ending but it would be better than the trash they tacked on at the end. The whole monster doesn't like light thing is clamy and not consistent in the movie. The Mom suicide/sacrifice is unmotivated. The girl stopping the monster in midair with an aresol can, is just bad all the way around. The monster can stop a moving ambulance, but aerosol yielded by a little girl is too much for it. Then is the monster made of purely flameable material, because it went up like a bonfire with just a kiss of flame? Really? All this throwing away of a good movie for some half baked, backwards message that little girls are empowered to fight the monsters on their own.

Far too often these days we are given a horror film that promises to scare us while delivering very few scares. Sure a well-made movie that doesn't depend on displaying anything on screen can be an unnerving experience. But that seems to be the main rather than the exception these days and thus results in far too many movies that are all atmosphere with no meat on their bones. THE MONSTER combines that with an actual on screen creature that will hold you in it's grip.The story revolves around a young girl named Lizzy (Ella Ballentine) who just wants a normal life. Unfortunately that's not likely to happen. Her mother Kathy (Zoe Kazan) is an alcoholic party girl who has yet to mature and realize this is not a good way of life for herself or her daughter. This lifestyle sets up the deepest narrative of the movie with a love/hate relationship between the two. Lizzy loves her mother and takes care of her more than the reverse but at the same time hates who her mother is. Kathy loves Lizzy but is so entrenched in her own habits that she can't focus enough to provide what she wants for her daughter.The stage is set for a change. Lizzy's father, who left because of Kathy's lifestyle choices, is now taking over Lizzy's life. The pair is set to travel to his house so Lizzy can live there. But of course a late night of drinking means Kathy has woken late and they now must travel at night. Rain kicks on while they are on the road traveling a well wooded area, resulting in a wolf running across the road in front of them and their hitting him. With a slightly damaged car they call a repair service even though it's very late and then sit and wait.Then something happens. Lizzy notices that the wolf who was in the middle of the road is now gone. Having checked it she is certain that it was dead and yet no wolf. While checking things out Lizzy hears a growling in the woods and returns to the car. The tow service arrives and begins working on their car. He's attacked and taken by the monster without the mother-daughter couple noticing. When they do discover him missing Lizzy's worst fears are confirmed. There is indeed something out there.As viewers we're in for a treat. While the monster in question is at first nothing more than a growl or the appearance of perhaps a hand reaching out, we eventually get the payoff of seeing the monster in all of its slimy, glistening glory, big teeth and all. One way or another the pair fend off the attacks of this creature with the hope of prevailing and making it out alive. This is where the true terror kicks in. In the past both would live happily ever after. The current wave of horror films will see both of them torn to bits as the monster awaits another victim. As viewers we sit and wait to find out which of these scenarios will play out. Or will there be something new and original? One thing to consider while watching this is just who the title is referring to. Is it the creature that lurks in the woods killing off unsuspecting travelers who happen by? Is it the mother who should be acting like an adult and raising her child properly rather than behaving like the child in this situation? Or is it the daughter who loves her mother yet at the same time has wished her dead due to her antics? Or is the answer all of the above? Well made, well-crafted and well acted. The movie provides enough scares to keep you on the edge of your seat and enough story to have you thinking about the topics on hand from start to finish. At no time does it opt for an easy way out and that means the end result is a satisfying monster movie that should please fans of the genre more than many films being released these days.

You really just want to punch these characters in the face more and more as the film progresses. With every new instance of whining, cursing and pointless bickering, you feel the anger and frustration swell inside you. I wanted the monster to eat them and get it over with. I have never seen characters that annoyed me so much and made me hate them. And it took less than 30 minutes for that to happen. It's amazing. Add to that the poorly written dialogue and plot, and you get one difficult movie to endure. Forget the terror coming from the threat the monster poses. The real terror is waiting for the characters' mouths to open, as one anticipates the crap that is about to come out. The characters are so poorly written that they are not even consistent in their annoying behaviour. Oh no. The scared girl who five minutes earlier wouldn't even leave the car suddenly enters the woods for no reason. Then she sees something scary, but still doesn't run back to the car, and instead calls to her mother who (as everyone in the audience knows by now) has no intention of paying attention to her. See, if we know she is not going to answer, but the girl (who, as the first act of the film has established, knows how deranged her mother is better than anyone in the world) acts as though she doesn't, that makes the audience angry and frustrated. Unfortunately, almost every round of dialogue between characters and every action they undertake is at best questionable, if not outright nonsensical. I was screaming by the time the monster made its appearance, but not from terror; I was screaming at the characters, hoping they would die.

Bryan Bertino is such a unique voice in this genre. I highly recommend seeing this movie and it will surprise you in more than one way. Everyone in this movie gives great performances and the movie looks fantastic. Without giving anything away, you'd probably be surprised about how character driven this film really is. I just loved it.