The early stages pandemic saw a huge number of movies that were definitely worth watching slip through the cracks, with Love and Monsters one of the most notable casualties. In an ideal world, the apocalyptic adventure would have done big business at the box office and had a sequel announced by now, but it instead wound up as one of 2020’s most sorely underseen gems.
Originally scheduled for a theatrical release in March 2020, the offbeat road trip action comedy was moved to April, and then even further back to February 2021. In the summer of 2020, Paramount decided to launch Love and Monsters on VOD to coincide with a very limited big screen release, while Netflix secured the international distribution rights last April.
As a result, the $30 million monster mash barely scraped by $1 million at the box office, despite near-universal acclaim. Director Michael Matthews’ heartfelt, humorous, exciting, and action-packed bout of charming whimsy landed a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score, not to mention an 89% user rating.
Led by a winning Dylan O’Brien performance, the actor stars as Joel Dawson, one of the dwindling number of survivors to have so far avoided being eaten by mutated beasts that took over the planet in the wake of a nuclear disaster. Opting to venture out into a world he’s woefully unprepared to handle, the intrepid explorer sets off on an 80-mile journey across dangerous terrain to reconnect with his high school sweetheart.
It’s a phenomenal piece of work that should hopefully endure as a coming-of-age fantasy classic, with Prime Video subscribers in the United States finally beginning to catch on. As per FlixPatrol, Love and Monsters has reached the Top 10, and it could rise higher as we head into the weekend.
