X
  • 2021
  • Unrated
  • Netflix
  • 1 h 38 m
  • 2021
  • Unrated
  • Netflix
  • 1 h 38 m

Summary Steve Harmon (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) is a seventeen-year-old honor student whose world comes crashing down around him when he is charged with felony murder. The film follows his dramatic journey from a smart, likeable film student from Harlem attending an elite high school through a complex legal battle that could leave him spending the r...

Directed By: Anthony Mandler

Written By: Colen C. Wiley, Janece Shaffer, Walter Dean Myers, Radha Blank

  • 2021
  • Unrated
  • Netflix
  • 1 h 38 m
  • 2021
  • Unrated
  • Netflix
  • 1 h 38 m

Monster

Metascore Mixed or Average Based on 18 Critic Reviews
56
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 10 User Ratings
6.4
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary Steve Harmon (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) is a seventeen-year-old honor student whose world comes crashing down around him when he is charged with felony murder. The film follows his dramatic journey from a smart, likeable film student from Harlem attending an elite high school through a complex legal battle that could leave him spending the r...

Directed By: Anthony Mandler

Written By: Colen C. Wiley, Janece Shaffer, Walter Dean Myers, Radha Blank

Where to Watch

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 18 Critic Reviews
56
39% Positive
7 Reviews
50% Mixed
9 Reviews
11% Negative
2 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 18 Critic Reviews
56
39% Positive
7 Reviews
50% Mixed
9 Reviews
11% Negative
2 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
May 6, 2021
Monster is a terrific film: a strong, absorbing, beautifully performed and crafted social drama that, unfortunately, proves even timelier today than when it was shot in 2017.
By Gary Goldstein FULL REVIEW
75
May 6, 2021
If Monster occasionally shows its YA roots with flashes of simplicity, it also tells a lean, propulsive story with style and grace.
By Chris Vognar FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 10 User Ratings
6.4
50% Positive
5 Ratings
40% Mixed
4 Ratings
10% Negative
1 Rating

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 10 User Ratings
6.4
50% Positive
5 Ratings
40% Mixed
4 Ratings
10% Negative
1 Rating

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
10
Lachrennie
Jul 17, 2021
As a film maker... Everything in me wants to say that this film is one of the most beautifully shot and crafted films that there has been, but everything in me hopes that the team (David Devlin, Joe Klotz, Anthony Mandler) get together and shoot more amazing films with incredible stories woven throughout. Well done guys
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8
alejandro970
Aug 15, 2021
Innocent until proven otherwise. Or not? Court drama that puts the point on the i about a justice system that does not apply the rules in the same way in all social classes. The effort is noted by its sobriety and the development of the plot.
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63
May 7, 2021
It’s solid, well-acted, thought-provoking fare, if rarely rising to the level of inspired.
By Ty Burr FULL REVIEW
55
May 7, 2021
Ultimately, though, the movie feels most notable for the cast assembled, from Harrison -- who subsequently starred in "Waves" and "Luce," and is again very good here -- to smallish roles for Jerome (an Emmy winner for "When They See Us") as a witness and Washington ("Tenet" and "BlacKkKlansman") as James' partner in crime.
By Brian Lowry FULL REVIEW
50
May 7, 2021
Mandler’s background before shooting his narrative feature debut was in music videos and commercials, but the ADD-style filmmaking he uses for Monster suggests he’s not ready to fully command a two-hour movie.
By Jordan Ruimy FULL REVIEW
42
May 13, 2021
In telling the story of the after-school life of a young, Black, and talented creative living in Harlem attempting to find his vision, the film feels like a missed opportunity to shine a light on lives scarcely seen in cinema.
By Erik Nielsen FULL REVIEW
30
May 25, 2021
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.
By Mae Abdulbaki FULL REVIEW
See All 18 Critic Reviews
7
DogeGamer2015
May 22, 2021
Es un buen drama legal con una historia bien narrada y la actuación de Kelvin Harrison Jr. es buena; la recomiendo.
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4
bertobellamy
May 8, 2021
Cheesy in-your-face plot with the most predictable ending. Only a few video music directors successfully made the jump to feature film, and Anthony Mandler is not one of them. The director tries to bring some of the elements of his work in music, with the editing being the most obvious of it, and it kind of works, especially during some courtroom scenes; but there are pretty obnoxious moments that feel like the music video of whatever song's in the background. Did Radha Blank co-write this? If so, she improved tons with 'The 40-Year-Old Version.'
Report
3
mvrts
May 8, 2021
Had the right tools, the right cast, but you had to give the script to some woke SJW rats. Hollywood, the people rejected wokeness, stop trying to cram it down their throats.
Report
See All 5 User Reviews

Details

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Production Company Tonik Productions, Charlevoix Entertainment, BRON Studios, Creative Wealth Media Finance, Get Lifted Film Company
Release Date May 7, 2021
Duration 1 h 38 m
Rating Unrated
Genres
Tagline No one has any idea who I am.
Website https://www.netflix.com/title/81121351/
View All Details

Awards

Sundance Film Festival
• 1 Nomination

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