Monster

Name: Monster
Genre: Drama, Crime
Released: May 7, 2021
Duration: 98 min
Rating: 56
Cast: Alejandro Hernández, Carl Johansson, Dorian Missick, Jeffrey Wright, Jennifer Ehle

2021

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Ratings

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6.4

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6.4	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Ratings

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Monster

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Movie Details & Credits

Netflix | Release Date (Streaming): May 7, 2021 | Unrated

Starring: Alejandro Hernández, Carl Johansson, Dorian Missick, Jeffrey Wright, Jennifer Ehle, Jennifer Hudson, Jharrel Jerome, John David Washington, Kelvin Hale, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Mikey Madison, Paul Ben-Victor, Rakim Mayers, Roberto Lopez, Tim Blake Nelson, Willie C. Carpenter

Summary: Steve Harmon (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) is a seventeen-year-old honor student whose world comes crashing down around him when he is charged with felony murder. The film follows his dramatic journey from a smart, likeable film student from Harlem attending an elite high school through a complex legal battle that could leave him spending the restSteve Harmon (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) is a seventeen-year-old honor student whose world comes crashing down around him when he is charged with felony murder. The film follows his dramatic journey from a smart, likeable film student from Harlem attending an elite high school through a complex legal battle that could leave him spending the rest of his life in prison.… Expand

Director: Anthony Mandler

Genre(s): Drama, Crime

Rating: Unrated

Runtime: 98 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Gary Goldstein

May 6, 2021

Monster is a terrific film: a strong, absorbing, beautifully performed and crafted social drama that, unfortunately, proves even timelier today than when it was shot in 2017. Read full review

Richard Roeper

May 7, 2021

This is an A-list cast that consistently elevates the material, even when we’re traveling down some very familiar roads. Read full review

Bill Goodykoontz

May 7, 2021

Monster is a good movie that could have been a better one. Mandler needs to trust both his film and his audience more. Give him points for trying, but he’s just trying too hard. Read full review

Brian Lowry

May 7, 2021

Ultimately, though, the movie feels most notable for the cast assembled, from Harrison -- who subsequently starred in "Waves" and "Luce," and is again very good here -- to smallish roles for Jerome (an Emmy winner for "When They See Us") as a witness and Washington ("Tenet" and "BlacKkKlansman") as James' partner in crime. Read full review

The Playlist Jordan Ruimy

May 7, 2021

Mandler’s background before shooting his narrative feature debut was in music videos and commercials, but the ADD-style filmmaking he uses for Monster suggests he’s not ready to fully command a two-hour movie. Read full review

Nicolas Rapold

May 6, 2021

Based upon a 1999 young-adult novel by Walter Dean Myers, Monster conveys the ache for all that its protagonist could lose, but it can’t escape the dramatic ruts of its own creation. Read full review

Screen Rant Mae Abdulbaki

May 25, 2021

It's underdeveloped and underwhelming, with clunky pacing and choppy scene transitions. What could've been a thoughtful, engrossing story unfortunately fails in every way imaginable. Read full review

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User Reviews

Lachrennie

Jul 17, 2021

As a film maker... Everything in me wants to say that this film is one of the most beautifully shot and crafted films that there has been, but everything in me hopes that the team (David Devlin, Joe Klotz, Anthony Mandler) get together and shoot more amazing films with incredible storiesAs a film maker... Everything in me wants to say that this film is one of the most beautifully shot and crafted films that there has been, but everything in me hopes that the team (David Devlin, Joe Klotz, Anthony Mandler) get together and shoot more amazing films with incredible stories woven throughout.

Well done guys… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

alejandro970

Aug 15, 2021

Innocent until proven otherwise. Or not? Court drama that puts the point on the i about a justice system that does not apply the rules in the same way in all social classes. The effort is noted by its sobriety and the development of the plot.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

DogeGamer2015

May 22, 2021

Es un buen drama legal con una historia bien narrada y la actuación de Kelvin Harrison Jr. es buena; la recomiendo.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

bertobellamy

May 8, 2021

Cheesy in-your-face plot with the most predictable ending. Only a few video music directors successfully made the jump to feature film, and Anthony Mandler is not one of them.

The director tries to bring some of the elements of his work in music, with the editing being the most obvious ofCheesy in-your-face plot with the most predictable ending. Only a few video music directors successfully made the jump to feature film, and Anthony Mandler is not one of them.

The director tries to bring some of the elements of his work in music, with the editing being the most obvious of it, and it kind of works, especially during some courtroom scenes; but there are pretty obnoxious moments that feel like the music video of whatever song's in the background. Did Radha Blank co-write this? If so, she improved tons with 'The 40-Year-Old Version.'… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

mvrts

May 8, 2021

Had the right tools, the right cast, but you had to give the script to some woke SJW rats. Hollywood, the people rejected wokeness, stop trying to cram it down their throats.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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