Oh yes. This one's special. There's been so many awesome comedy horror films in 2019 (Ready or Not, Piercing, Extra Ordinary, Dave Made a Maze), but Little Monsters takes the absolute cake. I think every year as I stay up to date with movies, I find new go-tos. Films that worm their way into my heart, that I know I can watch over and over again. And with so many things coming out on screens big and small, I think having that experience is really, really important. Booksmart is my favourite movie of the year for a number of reasons, but the main one is that it's just so fun in a way that I can definitely see myself going back to again and again. I liked spending time with those characters, I liked being in their world and watching their adventures. That to me is one of the best things a movie can be. Little Monsters is very much that as well, blending comedy and horror with a huge amount of sweetness that I really didn't expect. This is the most heartwarming movie of the year so far, and that kind of surprises me. The trailer was awesome, but it set it up as a blackly comic gorefest about a washed up musician, a cheerful teacher, a cynical children's entertainer and a class of five year olds trying to survive in a petting zoo during an outbreak of zombies. Don't get me wrong, that stuff is there too, but, for me at least, this is the feel-good film of the year, and it left me in such a good mood skipping out of the cinema. Actually, when I went to see it the other night, I was the only one there, which was a) a pretty big shame considering how awesome and fresh it is and b) kind of really awesome because it let me just sit in the cinema and have fun with it. I laughed a lot at this one, and it's definitely one of the funniest movies this year. The humour ranges from very crass, to very dark, to very silly, often in the same scene. The absurdity of the situation is hilarious, and they get absolutely everything they can out of it. Awesome one-liners, awesome exchanges, awesome sight gags (Frogsy!), and a surprisingly great Josh Gad, who most of the time I find kind of very unfunny mean that its an absolute riot first minute to last. Add to that some pleasing gore (if not quite scares), and you've got a fun ride.
But that's not why I loved it. I love optimistic films. Not schmaltzy oversweetness, but genuine positivity and happiness. I love cinema that can find kindness and joy, that disarms any cynicism with the power of sheer upbeat energy. True, there's a lot of dark humour in this movie, but there's something here that's much stronger: pure, unashamed optimism. Lupita Nyong'o's Miss Caroline is easily my favourite character from a 2019 movie. She's a badass with one mission: protect her class from the onslaught of zombies. She's an amazingly positive hero, and it's obvious that Nyong'o (who's already having an incredible 2019 with Us) is having a great time playing her. She embodies the movie's message of kindness and positivity, and offers Dave an alternative to his miserable life, and watching him go from a cynical bastard to a happy, dedicated uncle is an awesome arc. The joy she brings in this film is what makes this film so damn special. The world's kind of a chaotic place right now, and although cinema is in great shape, I feel like sometimes there's a bit of a fear of fun. Not just in big studio productions where everything is manufactured to be just so, but even in genre cinema. Look at The Dead Don't Die, a film that was too cool to be a good time, because that's not hipster enough. Maybe it's just me, but the thrill of Little Monsters was how unafraid it was to be warm hearted and joyful, to be fun and uncynical. It was pure, sunny, unapologetically gory fun. One fun ride and very telling of what I love about cinema. It's also got the best ending of the year. This was just what I needed.
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