O Podcast

Monolith borrows the core idea of Tony Burgess's novel Pontypool Changes Everything - as filtered and focused through the film adaptation, Pontypool (which, I would argue is better than the novel, which is needlessly overwritten and self-consciously haphazard) -and takes it in a very different direction. To be more specific about Monolith's story beyond what you've read in Letterboxd or IMDb plot summaries would spoil things. I've read some reviews that don't seem to like the ending, but I think these viewers have missed the point of the movie. It is heavily thematic, rooted in the sins of the past, whether terrible things thought or terrible things done, and the suppression of the related guilt. In one sense, everything in Monolith is overtly symbolic in how it relates to our world outside of the movie; but, within the movie's own world, there is no symbolism and suppressed guilt is literalized, shockingly so in at least one scene, in which a quotation from The Merchant of Venice mentioned at the beginning - "The truth will out" - is physically manifested. In the movie's world each person has their own hidden language - hidden even from the individual them self, or maybe hidden by them.

Well, I am being pretty opaque to avoid spoilers. The movie makes perfect sense within the above context and turns out to be very clever. About 2/3 of the way through I thought the movie was losing itself in a subplot, but no, everything that happens is integral to the story and themes, and essential to where the story ends up. Also impressive is the sustained sense of mystery and suspense, given that there is only one setting and that only one character appears outside of some very brief video snippets, texts, emails, and phone calls. The lead actress has to carry 90% of the movie.

Monolith is an impressive movie. It isn't as opaque or inconclusive has some viewers have said. Being very easy to miss amid the thousands of direct to streaming movies that drop each year, Monolith is worth seeking out for fans of sci-fi drama / suspense. It would make a great double feature with Pontypool.

Monolith is a tricky one, an eerie one location thriller that tries a pretty ballsy bait and switch manoeuvre with its ending that I'm not altogether sure about being effective or not. A semi-famous radio journalist (Lily Sullivan) from a wealthy family sits alone in a fancy secluded manor, doing interviews over the phone for her podcast that probes into various obscure conspiracy theories. Her latest fixation is on some shred of evidence over the years that objects of alien origin have somehow made their way into human households, and she tries to track down accounts that back this up. What she really finds is some half forgotten secret closer to home that might even relate to her own past and this is where the film attempts a prompt and jarring turn right into left field that, although fascinating, grounds what could have been a spooky extraterrestrial horror experience into something very, how should I put it, socioeconomic and decidedly "of this world." It's a shame because I felt like the former option would have made for the better, stronger film. In any case it's still creepy, atmospheric, well acted and makes good use of its single location trappings.

This is one of those movies that is surprisingly well done for a miniscule budget and, basically, one charachter on screen.

We have a tendency, these days, to watch movies with other things going on around us, this is not that kind of movie.

It would be great in a cinema but I doubt it will get a release there. Instead, be prepared to set up the room with no distractions, lower the lights and get into it. Remember Blair Witch, you need to be immersed.

If you do that then you will find a good story, well acted, some good clues but not much truly revealed, too early, and a pretty reasonable ending that ties it all together.

Whilst it is scifi, that is all in the concept rather than the action so its closer to a thriller than anything else.

With the cinematography, it was all too mono and dark. I guess they were trying to set a mood but it was the same throughout with no light and shade, just grey. This didn't suit the surroundings of a house with massive windows, in the open, and lost the chance to convey any passing of time from day to night and vice versa. With only one charachter for 90 minutes, it needed something more to vary the pace so they could have done a hell of a lot better with that and it would have driven the story.

If nothing else, I just love the house that the movie is set in.

With all that said, on the whole, it is well worth watching and deserving of a decent rating if it is watched as a movie should be. Its definitely not a 10 but is worth and hour and half of your life.

Here's The 4K Lowedown on "Monolith" (R - 2022 - VOD)

Genre: Drama/Sci-Fi

My Score: 6.8 Cast=5 Acting=8 Trailer=7 Ending=5 Story=8 Visual=6 Direct=8 Sound=7 Genre=5 Sub-genre=9

A headstrong journalist whose investigative podcast uncovers a strange artifact, an alien conspiracy, and the lies at the heart of her own story.

"You have to stop what you're doing...you are in danger." What starts out slow begins to build...in intensity and suspense. When the sci-fi stuff started to kick in, I was fully on board...I couldn't wait for the ending. I think this just went a little too long and that caused the ending to be a little flat. This is available to rent on Prime for 3.99 and I feel this is worth a watch. I'll leave it up to you if you want to rent it or wait for it to appear on a streaming service.

Again, this goes to show you don't need huge budgets to create good sci-fi. Absolute props to Lily Sullivan who's crushing it carrying the whole thing as a one-woman show. Now you have to know before you go in that it is extremely slow paced sci-fi with little to no special effects, and everything hinges on the atmosphere, closer to a psychological thriller in that way. In fact I find the poster for the movie a tad misleading. While it kept me engaged for the vast majority of the time, there are some pacing problems in certain places so that was unfortunate.

But overall it's definitely something I would recommend for people who can appreciate "non-flashy sci-fi".