Monsterland is an anthology series in which each episode explores a story where one character is a "monster". Since this is an anthology per episode people can watch them in any order, I have only watched 2 episodes, number 1 and 5.
The first one was much better, especially because the monster used in that episode isn't common. Episode 5, on the other hand, provides a very grounded and drama focused approach when comparing it with typical productions where this type of monster is used.
The type of "monster" used in this film is probably the most common of all but I think sharing which is this exact type of "monster" would be a spoiler, in this series, discovering what anomaly we are facing is part of the intrigue. This isn't an action series because at least in the episodes I have watched, the monsters aren't violent although there are a few exceptions in the first episode. The series is about drama with a touch of dark fantasy.
Episode 5 is about a couple of lesbians, one of them has bipolar issues but that doesn't prevent them from deciding to have a life together. They spend several years happily with each other, but eventually, serious issues begin to affect their family life. Until one day, one of them takes a very terrible decision that will change their life forever.
The surprise comes soon after this decision is taken because something inexplicable happens, and this is when the "monster" appears. The fact they just focus on the drama makes the episode lose steam very quickly. There wasn't a sense of danger like in the first episode, and once the "surprise" is revealed it was easy to see where the story was going.
The ending feels absolutely incomplete, but I guess it was difficult to finish this story under 1 hour given the extremely problematic situation the characters were in. The character who should be surprised that all of this is happening didn't give a convincing performance. I appreciated its originality but the final result was underwhelming. The only people who might enjoy watching this episode are those looking for a slow drama with a dark fantasy twist embedded into it.
The best
- Original story with a well-known type of monster.
The worst
- Not entertaining enough for my tastes.
- The ending leaves the character in a very problematic situation. It would have been better to solve that situation before ending the episode.
- The series should be spicier. It feels like there is something missing.
More information: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11489142/?ref_=ttep_ep5 Review: AA In numbers: 6/10