This film is part of Rentals

This film is certified

Contains infrequent strong language and moderate horror

I confirm I am over 15

Title of error

Monsters

Gareth Edwards reimagined the monster movie with his highly impressive DIY sci-fi, in which an indie romance blossoms amid the trailing tentacles of an alien invasion.

Science Fiction 2010 94 mins

Director: Gareth Edwards

Rent for £3.50

Overview

Gareth Edwards upended monster movie conventions and presented Hollywood with an irresistible calling card (going on to direct the 2014 remake of Godzilla) with his highly impressive DIY sci-fi. Following an alien invasion, Mexico has become a quarantined zone and an American photographer (Scoot McNairy) has to escort his boss’ stranded daughter (Whitney Able) back across the US border.

As the pair’s initial frostiness thaws, Edwards defies genre conventions by shifting the human drama centre stage and moving the monsters to the margins. But even with its romantic charms this remains a compelling sci-fi film with a hauntingly realistic evocation of benign alien invasion. The story of the film’s production is also a minor miracle of low-budget filmmaking. With a skeleton crew and his two principal actors, effects wizard Edwards journeyed through Mexico in semi-improvised fashion, often casting local residents in minor supporting roles. All of the film’s digital effects were grafted on back in the UK, in the comfort of Edwards’ home studio.

Director

Gareth Edwards

Featuring

Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able

Genres

Science Fiction and Thriller

Certificate

Contains infrequent strong language and moderate horror

Country

United Kingdom

Language

No Dialogue with English subtitles

Rent for £3.50

Arrival Arrival

Science Fiction 2016 116 mins Director: Denis Villeneuve

Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner star as the humans who make first contact with extra-terrestrial visitors in this richly textured sci-fi from director Denis Villeneuve.

Rent for £3.50

The Rover The Rover

Crime 2014 103 mins Director: David Michôd

Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson star in a post-apocalyptic thriller set in the Australian outback, from the director of Animal Kingdom.

Rent for £3.50

Midnight Special Midnight Special

Science Fiction 2015 112 mins Director: Jeff Nichols

Jeff Nichols, the acclaimed chronicler of American delirium, presents an imaginative sci-fi about an otherworldly child pursued by the FBI and a shadowy cult.

Rent for £4.50

The Beast The Beast

Fantasy 2022 145 mins Director: Bertrand Bonello

Léa Seydoux wanders through a maze of past, present and uncertain future in Bertrand Bonello’s audacious blend of period drama and conceptual crystal-gazing.

Rent for £4.50

Robot Dreams Robot Dreams

Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 103 mins Director: Pablo Berger

Spanish director Pablo Berger delivers a rich and emotionally engaging dialogue-free animation about friendship, set in a bustling 1980s New York City.

Rent for £3.50

Demon Seed Demon Seed

Science Fiction 1977 94 mins Director: Donald Cammell

Visionary Scottish filmmaker Donald Cammell directs this claustrophobic ‘home-invasion’ sci-fi thriller based upon Dean Koontz’s best-selling novel.

Rent for £3.50

Drive My Car Drive My Car

Drama 2021 179 mins Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Inspired by Haruki Murakami’s short story, Ryūsuke Hamaguchi takes us on an unpredictable and self-revelatory journey in this serene yet riveting Oscar-winning drama.

Rent for £3.50

Titane Titane

Science Fiction 2021 108 mins Director: Julia Ducournau

Agathe Rousselle makes a ferocious debut as a killer on the run, in Julia Ducournau’s electrifying techno-chiller and Palme d'Or winner.

Rent for £3.50

Triangle of Sadness Triangle of Sadness

Comedy 2022 148 mins Director: Ruben Östlund

Riotously funny with a barbed wire-sharp wit, Academy Award and BAFTA-nominated Triangle of Sadness garnered Ruben Östlund (The Square, Force Majeure) his second Cannes Palme d’Or award.

Rent for £3.50

Corsage Corsage

Biopic 2022 114 mins Director: Marie Kreutzer

Sisi the Empress (Vicky Krieps) gets an irreverent make-over in Austrian director Marie Kreutzer’s exhilarating BAFTA-nominated period drama, winner of Best Film at BFI London Film Festival 2022.

Rent for £3.50

20 Days in Mariupol 20 Days in Mariupol

Documentary 2023 94 mins Director: Mstyslav Chernov

Vivid and harrowing account of life under siege, Ukrainian journalists try to fulfil their mission to capture what later become defining images of the atrocities of the 2022 Russian invasion.

Rent for £4.50

Anatomy of a Fall Anatomy of a Fall

Crime 2023 152 mins Director: Justine Triet

Justine Triet's gripping, Palme d'Or-winning psycho-thriller is deeply intelligent with a spellbinding performance from Sandra Hüller.

Rent for £3.50

The Rover The Rover

Crime 2014 103 mins Director: David Michôd

Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson star in a post-apocalyptic thriller set in the Australian outback, from the director of Animal Kingdom.

Rent for £3.50

Destroyer Destroyer

Thriller 2018 121 mins Director: Karyn Kusama

Nicole Kidman is astonishing – and almost unrecognisable – as a jaded police detective haunted by her past in Karyn Kusama’s brooding thriller.

Rent for £3.50

South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic

Documentary 1919 81 mins Silent Director: Frank Hurley

An extraordinary story of survival in the wastes of Antarctica.

Rent for £4.50

Night Courier (Mandoob) Night Courier (Mandoob)

Comedy 2023 112 mins Director: Ali Kalthami

A desperate delivery driver gets caught up in the dark underworld of Riyadh in Ali Kalthami’s gripping, pitch-black satire.

Rent for £3.50

The Ballymurphy Precedent The Ballymurphy Precedent

Documentary 2018 108 mins Director: Callum Macrae

John Pilger's film on the conflict in Northern Ireland is a skilful mix of investigative journalism, documentary storytelling and reflections on contemporary history.