MONSTRO! is another grindhouse-style movie that came out in the wake of the Tarantino/Rodriguez collaboration. This sub-genre of films typically harks back to the cheapo B-movies of yesteryear, throwing in copious sex and violence and not worrying too much about strong production values. MONSTRO!, an Australian addition to the genre, isn't as bad as the last one I watched - DEAR GOD NO! - but it's hardly the stuff of greatness.The template this time around is the cinema of Russ Meyer, with a trio of 'super vixens' parading around in their tattoos and bikinis, although the film is surprisingly coy when it comes to actual nudity. The loose storyline sees the trio hole up in a run-down seaside village, where they encounter the titular menace, the Kraken no less, which proceeds to give them a run for their money.Sadly the truth is that MONSTRO! just isn't very good. The paucity of the budget is evident in the cheapjack special effects - there's plenty of REALLY bad CGI here when the monster eventually shows up - and the general poor standard of acting from the main cast members. The script is also sub-par, and that opening murder sequence is pointless and actually had me hating the central trio after that. As ever, fans of these productions should just go and watch the original inspirations, because they're invariably much better.

Three delinquent young women find themselves battling a sea monster in a small Australian seaside town while swearing a great deal.Bad acting meets cheap and shoddy effects in a film which is such appalling rubbish that it gives appalling rubbish a bad name. The script is one of those which believes that the more profanity you spout, the harder you are. Like so many before it, it is incorrect in this assumption.I can't award lower than one star, and then I'll award another for the use of tripod to avoid the ubiquitous wobblycam. Nothing else merits praise. The monster's tentacles are arms in long socks. Oh, please.

They were told to never go into the water. Now the sea will rise in a tide of blood.I entered this with some pretty low expectations but an open mind. I did not know the plot and only knew I was going to see a "monster movie". I ended up being pleasantly surprised by this unique, artistic and inventive film.While the character of Hannah (Kyrie Capri) stands out as the heroine, and Capri could have a future in films, everyone involved deserves credit. This did not come off as an amateur production, despite the fact I am certain most of these people had never been in front of a camera before. Whether the auditions were thorough or lucky I do not know, but they came out with a top-notch cast.The visuals are appealing, with a nice blend of black and white with color, a twisted little homage to "Wizard of Oz" (whether intentional or not). The grindhouse effects of frames skipping was unnecessary, but well executed. And the soundtrack is phenomenal, really giving the whole production a western feel when it was anything but.I do wish the sound was mixed better. As an American, the accents were hard for me to take in at times. This was not helped by the dialogue being drowned in the music. A bit more emphasis on speech and less on music (at least during the talking) and I think this would be more digestible for American audiences, if that is a goal.

Wow. I really don't know what to say about El monstro del mar!My jaw is still dropped. You can listen to all the nonsense about how this is a rip off of this or that but really, this is Austrailia's answer to The HostDuring every moment of this film I expected to be disappointed by clichés but instead I sat at the edge of my seat astounded by the originality.Yeah it's like a collage of other movies but it does it so well, it's Thelma and Louise against Jaws, but not played for humor.Yes, watch it.