South Korea has absolutely been killing it in the genre scene. Bong Joon-Ho just won Best Picture and it seems like there is a lot of money being poured into their film divisions. Speaking of Bong, he made the well-loved Kaiju film of recent memory with 2006’s The Host. 2018’s Monstrum seems to take a lot of inspiration from The Host but with a more optimistic outlook. Humanity’s greed has once again led to the creation of a creature but our cast of characters have a less cynical edge to them. It’s further differentiated by its period setting. Set in Joseon era of South Korea, this movie is, to mince no words, an absolute blast from start to finish.
This is the exact kind of giant monster movie you want to watch right now. These characters are just so damn likable that you’re devoted to watching them succeed. The titular Monstrum doesn’t show up for a good chunk of the movie and there was a time when I half expected the monster to not even show up at all. You see this is a political thriller movie and for a large part of the running time the idea of the ‘Monstrum’ is an evil plot concocted by a nefarious Minister who is attempting to overthrow the kingdom. He has created the idea of the Monstrum to raise fear in the populace and to distract the palace. This is where our titular band of heroes come in. Our main hero used to be the right-hand man of the King, until he was banished after disobeying the orders to kill a child under a false plague which was again instrumented by the same Minister responsible for the Monstrum reports. The King trusts only his old faithful friend to take down the monster and save the kingdom. The guard is joined by the now nearing adulthood child he saved from the plague all those years ago and a loyal companion who at first appears to be the average comic relief character but ends up being a lot more.
The human antagonist helps to get you fully engrossed in the person to person conflict that I would have still enjoyed the movie had the Monstrum been merely a plot device. Thankfully for this article series, the monster does indeed appear and once he does it’s glorious. They showcase the monster extensively. He has scenes of such wanton destruction that any a monster movie geek should be absolutely delighted. The monster has a lot of personality as such he feels like a real character. Once you finally figure out his tragic backstory you really grow to feel for the poor guy. He wasn’t born a monster, he was made one. Again, this concept is not anything new for the monster genre as most often monsters are tragic figures but the implementation and the setting make it a step above the rest.
Monstrum does not reinvent the wheel. We’ve seen period piece Kaiju films like the Daimajin series (1966) and we’ve seen monsters run amok in feudal-era South Korea in The Kingdom (2019) but the execution is where the movie succeeds. The final half of this movie is a constant series of escalations. Given the size of the titular beast, his battles with armies seem more personal. The Monstrum is about 12 to 18 feet tall and while he still towers over humans his attacks are more direct in nature. Godzilla can’t really have a one on one duel with another human. They try it occasionally but it never really works. Here the monster can get into true grudge matches.
Monster movies are, for many, an escape. A way to watch regular humans go up against insurmountable odds and their own hubris. Monstrum keeps to that model. Fair warning, there is a lot of plague talk during this film, as not only is that the origin of the initial conflict between our main character and his king, but it is also quite integral to Monstrum himself. When bitten by the creature you are immediately stricken with a plague that kills you incredibly quickly. It would be understandable if you plan on waiting a few months before checking this out due to that subplot. However, I can assure you it has a happy ending with a focus on love and family. The finale of the film features a character surviving some truly unlikely odds and yet I was so invested I opted to throw out all levels of believability in order to celebrate with the characters. That’s the real power of Monstrum. Making the unbelievable believable because you are so engrossed in the main cast.
If you’re looking for a modern monster movie that brings you thrills and a smile, then this is the film for you. Few movies in recent memory have led me to elicit so big of a cheer at the finish. South Korea continues to be one of the most impressive countries for genre cinema and I cannot wait to see what they come up with next.
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