Uncork’d Entertainment
VOD Release Date: Nov 14, 2023
There’s a maelstrom coming to assault the US Eastern Seaboard, and when nearly every single beast from the sea has been sucked up by a waterspout, just where it’s headed is Miami! The Monsternado should be feared, and only Matt (Derek Miller, who also wrote this film) realises just how dangerous it is; despite his best attempts to warn FEMA, and anyone else who’ll listen, nobody believes him.
It’s easy to recognize this film is a fever dream of Tyler-James‘ (director). He’s married everything fans of SyFy’s Creature Feature movie block with Don’t Go In The Water, along with some spice from The Horror for good measure. I won’t even try to explain why a Megalodon got sucked up, but if you’re a believer in Hollow Earth theory, it’s possible! But as for scary aliens, that’s because the first few minutes concern some giant humanoid / crab type monster making landfall and attacking some poor soul. It’s even included in the trailer. However, after the title card, the story moves back to events 10 hours ago, and that’s the last I see of it.
Others may want to compare his presentation to Sharknado, but as I’ve not followed this franchise all the way through, I will make no comparisons. One fact is certain, this riff on the concept bears similar tropes. That is, it’s made-for-television schlock that only fans of B-movies can like. Had there been a bigger budget, I’m sure the CGI monsters would look more realistic. As for whether the performers had ideas on how to react, I suspect not.
The crazy hodgepodge mix of science fiction, disaster, and conspiracies got me curious. Had Miller delved more with the latter, I’d be wanting to connect the dots, much like Matt! Yes, I’m a sucker for Ancient Alien theories, and to suggest that old civilizations knew this Monsternado was coming was enough to catch my interest. And as for whether he is as convincing as Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, at least the enthusiasm is there. But before people can accept him, he needs to earn his cred. When he’s teaming up with Floyd (Nick Adamson) to warn the world, maybe he should be careful in whom he considers a friend. The sudden switch didn’t come as a surprise.
There’s also a bit of a gangster element that’s included. Here, the story takes place at a hotel where Feds (all of whom are conveniently women) trying to convict a human trafficker (Jase Rivers). It’s a story that doesn’t support the overall film, but it exists to make the situation much worse.
Perhaps that’s okay for a spec script. But as for why watch? Well, I’m a sucker for monster movies, and when the first few minutes sold it for me, I had hoped this movie would return to that bit. Unfortunately, there’s no proper followup and that’s a plot hole that needs resolving. I do not believe this alien came from the sea. It may well be an alien from Atlantis that’s controlling this Monsternado. It’s here to do away with some pesky humans it recognizes as capable to ruin its plans.
Although this film is not a high stakes action, the idea is something I could buy. Had I been offered a chance to pitch a part two, I’d focus more on the fact the Bermuda Triangle plays a huge factor, creating more than vortexes, and one of them is transport tube to some alternate world, where we discover some strange species is orchestrating everything going on ala Pacific Rim. It’d be the ultimate nod I’d approve of!
3 Stars out of 5
Monsternado Movie Trailer
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