The directorial feature film debut of Anthony Mandler, from a script by Radha Blank, Colen C. Wiley, and Janece Shaffer, Monster first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018. It’s taken a long time for the film to finally be released and, after seeing it, it’s not hard to understand why. Based on the book by Walter Dean Myers, Monster is a missed opportunity to tell a cohesive, emotionally affecting story about racial injustice. 

Monster tells the story of Steve Harmon (Luce’s Kelvin Harrison, Jr.), a 17-year-old from Harlem who is charged with murdering a convenience store clerk. His entire life is changed, with the film offering glimpses into his life before he was arrested (he was an honor roll student applying for colleges), the events leading up to the long legal battle, and his home life with his mother and father (played by Jennifer Hudson and Jeffrey Wright, respectively). 

Related: Kelvin Harrison Jr. Interview: Monster

Monster 2021 netflix movie review
Kelvin Harrison Jr. in Monster

Monster may have the best of intentions, but it’s heavy-handed, emotionally flat, and aggressively stagnant. It's a dull courtroom drama that wastes the talents of its cast, whose efforts to uplift the material are dashed due to weak dialogue and formulaic execution. It's a shame, too, because the cast — which includes John David Washington (Tenet), Lovie Simone (Selah and the Spades), and Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us) — is tremendous and, as they've proven in other films with better writing, are capable of delivering outstanding and memorable performances. 

Harrison Jr.'s narration is meant to infuse the film with depth while capturing emotion, but it all rings rather hollow. Voice-overs are meant to add to the story already being told visually, but Monster's feels stifling and pointless, taking up space without offering much in the way of further analysis and development. The film's scenes shift between Steve's life before and after his arrest, offering a window into the ways his life has drastically changed. His life, once full of hope and excitement for what the future could hold, is vibrant, worthwhile, and social. These moments are juxtaposed with the sterile, gray courtroom scenes where his life is being debated by people who don't really care about what happens to him, opting to stereotype him as a Black man and call him a monster instead. Again, these are examples of the film being overt in its point, yet excruciatingly empty in the way it's presented. 

monster 2021 movie review
Jeffrey Wright and Jennifer Hudson in Monster

The contrast is obvious, yet uncompelling. The film doesn't get better as it goes on, either, painting a picture of hopelessness and pain that is devoid of nuance, emotion, and an exploration of a young man's life that is forever changed. To that end, Monster is woefully superficial, opting for a straightforward, factual structure rather than delivering a poignant, captivating narrative. It's underdeveloped and underwhelming, with clunky pacing and choppy scene transitions. What could've been a thoughtful, engrossing story unfortunately fails in every way imaginable.

Next: Netflix: Every Movie & TV Show Releasing In May 2021

Monster is currently available to stream on Netflix. The film is 98 minutes long and is rated R for language throughout, some violence and bloody images. 

Let us know what you thought of the film in the comments!

Key Release Dates