It’s October, andan onslaught of horror movies are coming. While most of them will be too intense or brooding for the whole family, that demographic gap is filled effectively by the new film,Monster Summer. A winning cast leads a summery throwback flick that brings to mind Steven Spielberg (and his Amblin Entertainment) and titles likeHocus Pocus.This isn’t a film for young horror fans who crave some genuine jump scares and gore (there’sTerrifier 3andSmile 2for that), but rather anyone or any family that wants to get into the Halloween spirit this month without catching some nightmares.
Mason Thames (incredible inThe Black Phone) is charming and comes across as a darker Finn Wolfhard inMonster Summer. He leads the film as Noah, a teenager spending his summer playing baseball, riding his bike with his friends, and typing away in his treehouse. Noah’s a budding journalist and wants to be an investigative reporter like his deceased father, so when strange things begin occurring in town, he immediately jumps to sniff them out and understand the story.
Balancing Spooks and Summer in a Throwback Adventure
Monster Summer
6.0 out of 10
When a mysterious force begins to disrupt their big summer fun, Noah and his friends team up with a retired police detective to embark on a monstrous adventure to save their island.
Specifications
The mysteries begin after one of Noah’s friends, Ben (Noah Cottrell), suffers a life-altering event after going swimming with his girlfriend at night. As they enjoy the moonlit water, they realize that they’re being watched by a woman standing on the dock. Before they can do anything, she jumps into the water and disappears. Soon, we get a direct nod toJawsand Spielberg’s work, with one of the two youngsters getting pulled beneath the water and dragged around. This isn’t a shark, though. When the kids are found, Ben is practically catatonic. There’s a soul-sucking monster on the loose.
Mel Gibson & Mason Thames on Making Monster Summer and Gibson’s Siege of Malta Show
Monster Summer stars Mason Thames & Mel Gibson talk about making each other better actors and Gibson’s next project.
This scene in the water is probably about as unnerving and creepy as the film gets until its final 20 minutes, and is a gripping way to introduce the terror in the area. Director David Henrie knows how to approach kid-friendly entertainment, having starred inWizards of Waverly PlaceandThat’s So Raven. He strikes a good balance between spookiness and adventurous fun, with a bit of melancholy and coming-of-age sweetness mixed in between.
That mainly comes from Mel Gibson’s character, Gene, a retired police officer who has been considered a kind of boogeyman by the kids. They ride by his house on their bicycles and peek through the fences, speculating about who Gene may have killed and buried. He’s a loner, and there are good reasons for that. When Noah apologizes for trespassing and realizes he needs some adult help to save his friend and others, a friendship blossoms between the young man and the old man. Gene lost his child; Noah lost his father. They each find a missing puzzle piece in each other’s being, and the bond between the actors feels genuine and refreshing.
Mel Gibson & Mason Thames Bond Well
From there,Monster Summermainly focuses on Gene and Noah’s adventures together as they get closer to finding the monster and discovering what’s really happening in the town. Gibson does more good, small-scale character work here, the latest in a massive string of smaller films. Perhaps he’s trying to amass enough money to make thatPassion of the Christsequel, or a limited seriesaboutThe Siege of Malta. After all, some of his latest movies have been direct-to-video-style duds. But here (and in his recent filmDesperation Road), Gibson exhibits a soulful wisdom and is gruffly handsome. They’re quieter, nicer performances.
Go Behind the Scenes of Monster Summer Before the Spooktacular Movie Premieres
Check out a short making-of featurette for the new movie Monster Summer, starring Mason Thames and Mel Gibson, out Oct. 4.
Thames is very committed to the role, which is good considering how much gung-ho gumption Noah has. Even though he seems to have aged out of this kind of character, Thames is still a joy to watch. Unfortunately,Monster Summerkind of ignores everybody else. Noah has two more young friends who are immensely forgettable; his mother, played by the infinitely underrated Norah Zehetner, is only seen a few times, and the same for Norah Zehetner; Kevin James comes out of nowhere and plays it straight for two short scenes. A small world is established, but only in tiny bits and pieces.
There is a fun cameo from Patrick Renna, playing the umpire in Noah’s baseball games. It’s a reference (toThe Sandlot, a kids' baseball movie that starred Renna 30 years ago) that helps define the modus operandi ofMonster Summer— a simple and fun throwback to more innocent movie classics. Cynics are recommended to keep their distance.From Pastime Pictures,Monster Summeris now in theaters.
