Monster - Special Edition

To empathise with a serial-killer: an exercise in cinematic manipulation. Terrence Malick’s Badlands of ’73 managed to effectively sympathise with a duo of killers. Just as Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers of ’94 tried desperately, but ultimately failed. Patty Jenkins has now presented us with yet another sympathetic view of a serial-killer, which succeeds and fails on a number of different levels.

It's Wednesday Addams!

Aileen Wuornos was one of the very first known female serial-killers, responsible for the lives of seven men. Growing up in a dysfunctional home, Aileen fell pregnant at sixteen and then fled her hometown to become a highway prostitute. She then moved through a lesbian love affair to eventually be captured, tried and convicted at the hands of the Florida Police Department. Aileen then spent 12 years on death row to be finally executed in late 2002, just under a year before Monster was released. Patty Jenkins, newcomer to directing/screenwriting, has taken quite an interesting look at the life of Aileen. Typically more sympathetic and sentimental than realistic, but very powerful and stirring.

No doubt everyone has heard the buzz surrounding Charlize Theron’s performance in Monster, receiving scores of awards and praise from critics and fans worldwide. Thankfully, Theron manages to overcome this hype with a truly astounding performance. Perhaps lurking under Theron’s mighty shadows, Christina Ricci delivers an exceptional supporting effort – demonstrating effectively that she’s grown from her days in Casper.

To combat the amazing performances Monster affords, Patty Jenkins (co-screenwriter) has slapped an unfortunate ‘I’m a first-time filmmaker’ flag all over Monster’s forced and contrived screenplay. Shying away from the poetic, yet authentic, dialogue normally associated with films similar to Monster; Jenkins takes a far more brutal, or forced, approach to her screenwriting. At times conversation seems far too contrived which, for a film of this nature, doesn’t lend any favours. The over-used voiceover from Theron is superfluous and plain cheesy. As a director, Jenkins obviously aims for authenticity, but her abilities as a screenwriter limit her output significantly.

Having said that, Theron manages to pull her way through this poorly written dialogue to deliver a monumental performance. The amazing plethora of awards and recognition Theron has received from this film is thoroughly deserved. Her portrayal of Aileen Wuornos is truly one of the greatest in recent history, and will surely be remembered for years to come.

Ohh.. that's certainly not Wednesday Addams.

While Monster has its flaws, it is still a reasonable film featuring stunning performances from its lead actors. The subject matter is quite dark, and you’ll leave this film feeling nothing but a depressing sense of depravity; however for those that want to have their emotions toyed you will find the experience fulfilling. This is a devastating and powerful film, pushed with a brilliant performance and a heartbreaking tale of loss, and more loss. Monster is certainly no Shawshank Redemption!

Note: After watching Monster for the first time I was surprised to see it had received the ‘MA15+’ certificate from the OFLC. Due to the subject matter, considerable language and the sexual assault depicted on-screen I feel it’s more than worthy of the ‘R18+’ banner. This is just a warning to those with children, or who are sensitive to sexual violence and the like.

This film is set in the 80s, and deals with quite a ‘dirty’ subject matter. To suit the vibe of the film, the video transfer is quite dull – lacking the clarity and colours you’d normally expect from a film set in Florida. With some considerable grain and an unsteady palate, this isn’t a typically pretty film to look at.

DEJ’s transfer is decent, but not great. There are quite noticeable and frequent artefacts, that while don’t distract, aren’t intended. The general level of detail could have been improved, however this is probably because of the heavy grain throughout. Black levels are solid, but won’t blend into the natural black of your monitor, appearing as a dark brown rather than a black.

DEJ have presented us with both a DTS 5.1 and a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack (on the first-disc of this set). Both soundtracks are very good, but as normal the DTS mix has an edge.

'Aileen's Reflections' at the crack of dawn.

This film doesn’t have the dynamic soundstage comparable to the likes of Spider-man 2 or similar, relying primarily on pure dialogue rather than razzy sound-effects. To suit this style, both DTS and Dolby mixes are predominantly front oriented, with little effects or dialogue coming through the rear speakers. At times, bar-room ambience or outdoor crickets filter their way in to the surrounds, but apart from that they remain quite unused.

However, the excellent mixing of BT’s score makes brilliant use of all six channels – adding amazing depth to some quite simple music. Surprisingly, this all remains very faithful to the main mix and doesn’t seem to feel artificial at all. This is where the DTS and Dolby mixes separate, as the DTS mix uses the rear two channels far more independently than the Dolby mix.

Normally the relative low use of the surrounds would disappoint however with a film of this nature it is perfectly fitting.

The Monster: Special Edition is quite an interesting set. The first disc contains the feature, with Dolby 5.1 and DTS 5.1 soundtracks but no subtitles. There are also three featurettes as well as a few trailers. The second disc also contains the feature, but this time with an audio commentary and English subtitles. To round off the second disc, we have a featurette and a bunch of deleted scenes. Why the commentary and subtitles don’t swap spots with the featurettes on the first disc is beyond me entirely.

Director/screenwriter Patty Jenkins, actress/producer Charlize Theron and producer Clark Peterson do their bit in a fantastic audio-commentary featured on the second-disc. They all provide great insight behind the characters, writing and production of the film. Each one of them seems to be so enthusiastic towards the project, which helps make this commentary very easy to listen to. It’s also interesting to note the comments Jenkins makes concerning the authenticity of the film, often commenting on scenes that were either created for dramatic value or a very raw re-enactment of Aileen’s life. This commentary will prove rewarding for any listener, and comes highly recommended.

Spanning over the two discs are a number of interesting featurettes and interviews. ‘Monster: The Vision and the Journey’ (from the second disc) is a look at the real serial-killer Aileen Wuornos, and how the film tried to present an accurate, rather than overtly sympathetic, view of her life. This 25-minute featurette includes real footage of Aileen’s trial, as well as interviews from Jenkins and Theron. ‘Making of Monster Featurette’ (from the first disc) is your more conventional production-based featurette that proves interesting and informative. Similar to the extended featurette found on disc two, the authenticity of the film is briefly discussed. An interview between Patty Jenkins and BT (composer) is also found on disc one, will delight those interested in film scores and home theatre mastering. BT (of Fast and Furious fame) explores how he used all six channels of the conventional home theatre to add depth and emotion to the film, which proves extremely interesting.

Five deleted-scenes make their way on to the second disc, with a commentary from Patty Jenkins. Unfortunately this is a forced commentary (there’s no regular audio track), and the scenes aren’t 16:9 enhanced.

Both theatrical and international trailers for the film are found on the first disc. Neither one of them is 16:9 enhanced.

To round the set off is a film mixing demo, featuring the same two-minute clip from the film but with optional audio tracks: one dialogue only, one music only and one final mix soundtrack.

Unfortunately none of the extras contain any subtitles.

This is a film that you probably won’t want to watch frequently (to put it bluntly!). Considering Theron’s fantastic performance, it’s certainly a film that deserves to be watched.

DEJ have put together quite an interesting set here, featuring a great commentary as well as a few other nice featurettes and such. The audio quality and surround mix is fantastic, and while it won’t blow your home theatre away, it will certainly will heighten the experience of the film.