Monolith

Monolith follows Katrina Bowden’s Sandra as she and her small son (Krew and Nixon Hodges’ David) embark on a trip to a relative’s house within a state-of-the-art new SUV, with the movie detailing the terror that ensues after David is left trapped in the seemingly impenetrable automobile after a crash. It’s a decent setup that’s employed to terrifically terrible and flat-out interminable effect by filmmaker Ivan Silvestrini, as the movie suffers from, at its core, a central protagonist that couldn’t possibly be less interesting or sympathetic – with Bowden’s flat, one-dimensional performance certainly amplifying the various problems with the somewhat detestable character. The viewer’s inability to work up an ounce of interest in Sandra’s exploits paves the way for an often shockingly dull midsection, as Silvestrini places an ongoing emphasis on his so-called hero’s increasingly frantic efforts at freeing David from the car – with the almost episodic nature of these attempts certainly elevating the already-dull atmosphere. It’s ultimately rather apparent that Monolith‘s spare premise demands a far more dynamic and personable presence than Bowden, given that so much of the narrative is devoted to her dogged (yet tiresome) escapades around the stranded title object (eg Sandra tries breaking into the car with a wrench, Sandra must avoid the advances of a wolf, etc, etc). The needless third-act fake-out, included solely to pad out the already endless running time, no doubt, ultimately confirms Monolith‘s place as a seriously useless piece of work, which is too bad, surely, given the somewhat palpable potential afforded by the seemingly can’t-miss setup.

1/2* out of ****