While we all love a great monster story, we know for the most part that they are nothing more than products of our human imagination. But what if they are not? What if they actually exist and even live among us? This is the possibility that the Randal Kamradt-directed film Monsters Without explores extensively and in great detail.
Set in the rural Philippines, this Fantasy/Adventure film is a classic exposition of the intrigues that follow a failed attempt at the coexistence of humans and monsters. The film is centered around the sinister plan of an ancient creature called Nameless to gather and restore all other monsters of his kind back to a dimension of their own. However, this move spells a potential disaster for human beings as well.
As a result, a team of soldiers and scientists led by one of the characters, Setsuko, sets out to stop the ancient Yablo from wreaking havoc on their loved ones. Collectively known as P.H.A.S.E, Setsuko along with her fiancée Romero and friends April, Richard, Wonder and Miranda embark on a noble quest to save everyone else around them from the consequences of the monster’s selfish goal. Their quest is full of struggles and dangers but their strong resolve to stop Nameless keeps them going even through the direst situations.
While the plot gets fairly complicated at certain points during the film’s runtime, the director does a great job of marrying the themes of conflict, adventure, love and sexuality into the storyline. The film also draws inspiration from real aspects of Filipino folklore, thus giving it substantial cultural significance. Kamradt skillfully manages to inject plenty of good humor into the plot, which helps to give the otherwise wonderfully eerie film a good dose of comical quality.
When it comes to the audio-visual production of the film, the producers do a great job of creating compelling visuals that aptly illustrate the film’s storyline. Kamradt employs FX effects deftly to create a ravishing cinematic experience that keeps the viewer glued to the screen. The choice of different scenic locations for shooting various scenes from the green farms and the jungle to the resorts also adds much needed visual variety.
All in all, The Monsters Without not only offers some quality entertainment but also a glimpse into the Filipino way of life. The film’s content does not clearly define the audience it was intended for but that is compensated for by the vibrant visuals and intriguing plot twists.
This makes it a riveting film that all Fantasy fans should definitely get to watch.
