There's a lot to be said about a film that relies on in-camera effects and and not CGI based monstrosities. Not only that, but when a film decides to go with practical effects and it actually works is something to behold.
The Monster is a modern day creature feature that focuses on a road trip of mother and daughter to transfer the daughter back to her father's house after another rough stay with her mother. As they drive through a heavily forested area at night in the middle of a downpour, something bolts from the shadows of the treeline and their car hits it head on. From there it's a race for survival against the creature hunting them and preying on their unfortunate situation.
The film is well shot, the actors give great performances, and the creature effects are top notch. But what this film fails to do is stand out. The set up is nice. A dark road in the forest in the middle of a thunderstorm, and an unknown creature is on the prowl; even the cliched can be nice if you do it well. But it feels like it's been done before. Even though it has, one can still create something new out an old premise. If there were a little less or a little more in the story, the film could have been saved from its own mediocrity.
Half the story takes place in flashbacks to explain the stressed relationship between said mother and daughter. It makes sense what they're trying to say, how we are all monsters if we choose to be, but if they had more back story in the flashbacks or if they had cut them entirely it would have made for a better film. You never see the father or his relationship with either one of them. You never really see what starts the animosity between the mother and daughter, only the fighting as its already progressed.
As it sits, The Monster is lukewarm homage to the creature features of yesteryear. Proof of the possibilities for future cinema and the strengths of practical effects. But like the Grimm fairy tales of old and the films of Ed Wood, there's still something to be learned from the inhuman and the terrible.