Warning: SPOILERS for Love & Monsters.
The Love & Monsters movie ends on a satisfying note, but it leaves the door open for sequels. Directed by Michael Matthews, Love & Monsters takes place in a world where the radiation resulting from a nuked asteroid has caused animals to mutate into dangerous monsters. In this terrifying climate, where large creatures roam free on land, humans have taken to living underground. However, there aren’t too many humans left, as the battles between the monsters and various militaries ultimately wiped out 95% of the population.
Joel Dawson (Dylan O’Brien) is one of the lucky few to survive. Notoriously ineffectual, with a bad habit of freezing up at the slightest hint of danger, Joel decides to leave his colony in order to be with his high school girlfriend Aimee (Jessica Henwick). She lives in another colony, more than 80 miles away, and other members of Joel’s makeshift society don’t believe he has what it takes to make it through the week-long journey. Love & Monsters provides resolution for its central story. With the help of a loyal dog, a talking robot, and two fellow survivors played by Michael Rooker and Ariana Greenblatt, Joel reunites with Aimee. He learns a lot about himself along the way, as well. It’s a fitting, straightforward conclusion which would seem to suggest a standalone story.
Matthews, and screenwriters Brian Duffield and Matthew Robinson, do leave room for further exploration, though. The most obvious direction for Love & Monsters 2 to take is simply to continue the plots established in the first film. Love & Monsters devotes a lot of its running time to making sure that viewers are invested in Joel’s history, in addition to his interactions with Aimee. It would make sense for a potential Love & Monsters 2 to build on that basis. But the narrative could also be expanded in other directions. The next movie could take the form of a prequel, unveiling to audiences just how humanity lost its war against the mutated animals. This approach could be comedic and light in tone, following an unlikely group of characters as they band together to form a colony. Based on what was established in Love & Monsters, though, the Love & Monsters 2 story could be presented through a more serious lens.
The movie has been rightfully compared to Zombieland, with Joel listing a number of rules for survival. In the same vein, Rooker and Gleenblatt’s characters are clearly reminiscent of the Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). This is no accident, as Love & Monsters was initially pitched as being similar to Zombieland. In execution, however, Love & Monsters is less of a laugh riot; its funniest scenes illicit mere smiles or a soft chuckle. This isn’t a slight, as Matthews manages to sneak in a few moments of genuine sadness. The premise of Love & Monsters might be outlandish, but the script and direction respects how grueling the war with monsters ultimately was for the characters. Those aspects could be more deeply examined in a prequel.
Alternatively, Love & Monsters 2 could be more anthological. The film ends with humans deciding to live on land, in spite of the risks. Armed with Joel’s survival guide, and the knowledge that not all monsters are malicious, humanity looks to begin the rebuilding process. Love & Monsters 2 could focus on a new colony, slotting Joel into more of a supporting role, while introducing a new hero. Given that the movie was released via premium video on-demand, the metrics of determining whether Love & Monsters is successful enough to warrant discussions of a second installment might be different than a typical theatrical release. Reviews have been largely positive, nonetheless, with particular praise given to O’Brien for his performance. So, it’s possible that Joel could return for a fresh round of adventures.