A zom-rom-com directed by Abe Forsythe (slated to helm the upcoming Robocop reboot sequel, if it ever happens), Little Monsters is a 2019 horror comedy. When Dave (Alexander England) breaks up with his girlfriend, he begins to take an active role in the life of his nephew Felix (Diesel La Torraca), including Felix’s kindergarten teacher, ‘Miss Caroline’ (Lupita Nyong’o). On a class trip to a wildlife reserve, Dave and Miss Caroline, as well as all their kids, are stuck in the middle of a zombie outbreak, with only children’s entertainer Teddy McGiggles (Josh Gad) left alive.
+ all three of the core adult cast are great. Nyong’o’s playing off the children makes her immediately lovable, and as much as Dave is a giant screw up you can’t help but be enthralled by his charm. Gad is the darkhorse, especially as in general I am not a fan of his at all, but his take on a Wiggles/Sesame Street-style children’s host in this situation is a genuine highlight
+ believe it or not, the kids aren’t annoying as hell, either. Main ward Felix is adorable and has some killer comedic timing, and one kid in particular is intentionally so annoying you will be hoping to see him get chomped on by the end of the film
+ the zombies are gross and gruesome, and this obscene gore juxtaposes perfectly with the upbeat teachings of Miss Caroline and her musical antics. The mixture of comedy/horror would fit in perfectly with something like Shaun of the Dead
– a few ‘deep’ and/or would-be meaningful lines near the end of the film from some supporting characters are seemingly there just for drama, but they leave a few plot threads dangling which always annoys me. It would be just as easy to not have those lines in the film in the first place — unless, of course, they were intended as satirical of the zombie genre, in which case it went right over my head
> I know that Mulch Diggums won’t be swearing up a storm in Artemis Fowl, but Gad’s performance here has at least rekindled a bit of joy to what I consider a horrendous cast for that upcoming adaption
Should you see this film: I really, really enjoyed this. It’s adorable, gruesome and relateable to some degree (minus the zombies… maybe), but Nyong’o’s killer performance puts this among Shaun of the Dead and Dance of the Dead (from 2008, look it up) as some of my favourite zombie movies.
MoshFish Reviews 