Movie · 2020 · Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Science Fiction · 1h 49m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 3.6/10 (496.6K ratings)
An apocalyptic love story.
Overview
Seven years since the Monsterpocalypse began, Joel Dawson has been living underground in order to survive. But after reconnecting over radio with his high school girlfriend Aimee, Joel decides to venture out to reunite with her, despite all the dangerous monsters that stand in his way.
Ratings
Curator score: 3.6/10
IMDb: 6.9/10
Letterboxd: 3.18/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Metacritic: 63
TMDB: 7.3/10
Director
Michael Matthews
Production
21 Laps Entertainment
Cast
Dylan O'Brien, Jessica Henwick, Michael Rooker, Dan Ewing, Ariana Greenblatt, Ellen Hollman, Tre Hale, Pacharo Mzembe, Senie Priti, Amali Golden, Te Kohe Tuhaka, Tasneem Roc, Thomas Campbell, Joel Pierce, Melanie Zanetti, Bruce Spence, Hazel Phillips, Miriama Smith, Andrew Buchanan, Tandi Wright
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A breezy, post-apocalyptic quest movie with real charm: part monster adventure, part coming-of-age road trip, and part dog-lover’s dream. It’s not especially deep, but its creature design, warm humor, and sincere emotional arc make it an easy recommendation for viewers who want a lighter spin on end-times survival.
Best for
fans of upbeat apocalypse stories
viewers who like creature-feature adventure
people who enjoy earnest underdog protagonists
audiences looking for a fun, family-friendly genre blend
dog lovers
Skip if
you want hard sci-fi or grim survival realism
you prefer darker, more intense monster movies
you need especially complex worldbuilding
you dislike sentimental or YA-adjacent storytelling
Overview
Love and Monsters is the kind of post-apocalyptic movie that remembers survival stories can be playful. It builds a world of oversized threats and scrappy ingenuity, then keeps the tone light enough to feel like a quest rather than a punishment. The creature effects do a lot of the heavy lifting, but the movie’s real asset is its sincerity: it wants you to root for a nervous, decent guy who is trying to grow up in the middle of a disaster.
Worth noting
The film works best as an adventure with heart. It has the rhythm of a road movie, the texture of a monster romp, and the emotional simplicity of a coming-of-age story. That combination makes it easy to watch, even when the plotting is familiar, and it gives the movie a pleasant, handmade quality that stands out from more cynical studio genre fare.
Bottom line
It’s also one of those rare pandemic-era releases that feels a little underseen relative to how crowd-pleasing it is. If you’re in the mood for something optimistic, creature-heavy, and gently funny, this is a strong pick. If you want apocalypse cinema with teeth, dread, or thematic weight, it may feel too soft around the edges.
Top Letterboxd reviews
cait (3★) · 3474 likes
letterboxd need to start including animals in cast lists. i NEED to know more about that dog. who is he? what’s his name? how can i get him an oscar? he carries the entire film, he deserves his name next to dylan o’brien’s!!
Rendy Jones (4★) · 1842 likes
The most wholesome and heartwarming apocalypse movie of all time? Also, Boy is the best boy.
davidehrlich (3.5★) · 1533 likes
Michael Matthews’ “Love and Monsters” is the rarest kind of movie these days: A fun, imaginative, genre-mashing adventure that was made with a modest amount of big studio money and destined for a theatrical release despite not being adapted from a comic book or carried by a major star. Well, maybe “destined” isn’t the right word, as a certain pandemic (you know the one) came along and compelled Paramount to scuttle a multiplex release in favor of a VOD play.… more Michael Matthews’ “Love and Monsters” is the rarest kind of movie these days: A fun, imaginative, genre-mashing adventure that was made with a modest amount of big studio money and destined for a theatrical release despite not being adapted from a comic book or carried by a major star. Well, maybe “destined” isn’t the right word, as a certain pandemic (you know the one) came along and compelled Paramount to scuttle a multiplex release in favor of a VOD play.… more
maya (3★) · 1446 likes
this movie definitely belongs in 2014 but i’m not mad at it
🌻 lindsay 🌻 (4.5★) · 1276 likes
Dylan O’Brien crying to a robot was the best cinematic moment of 2020 and lives in my mind rent free.