Film Review: Monolith (1993)

A long time ago, the author of this review watched the documentary series Cosmos. In one of the episodes, its narrator Carl Sagan conducted an interesting experiment. He collected samples of all the chemical elements that make up the human body and mixed them together in an attempt to create a man. Unfortunately, he failed. Regrettably, the creators of Monolith seemingly missed this particular episode, as their movie turned out to be utterly disappointing. Like Sagan, they had all the necessary elements for an intriguing science fiction action thriller - talented, or at the very least, capable actors; impressive special effects; and a few engaging action scenes. However, they failed to weave these elements together into a coherent film.

The plot, as is the case with many others, is set in Los Angeles. Tucker (played by Bill Paxton) and Terri Flynn (played by Lindsay Frost) are a pair of tough LAPD detectives investigating the murder of a young boy. The killer is an emotionally disturbed scientist, but before Tucker and Flynn can uncover any motive behind the killing, the suspect and all the evidence are taken over by the Department of Historical Research, led by the menacing Villano (played by John Hurt). Determined to uncover the truth, Tucker and Flynn delve deeper into their investigation, discovering a series of violent incidents in the city that involve a malevolent alien force capable of inhabiting human bodies. However, before they can do anything about it, they must confront Villano and his henchmen, who will stop at nothing to suppress the truth.

While the concept of this film may bear resemblance to The X-Files (which premiered in the same year), it lacks originality. The idea of a malevolent alien descending upon Los Angeles and being unstoppable until a dedicated group of LAPD members take it down has been seen before in films like I Come in Peace and The Hidden. Steven Lister's screenplay is simply awful, failing to connect the dots between obligatory action scenes. The characters are unappealing and one-dimensional, and the plot is riddled with plot holes the size of Nebraska. Furthermore, there are glaring implausibilities, such as an organization called the Department of Historical Research taking over murder suspects from the LAPD, which insult the viewer's intelligence. If Lister and director Eyres intended to turn this film into a self-parody, they failed, as Monolith comes across as dead serious. While actors like Louis Gossett Jr. and John Hurt deliver strong performances, they cannot breathe life into poorly written, stereotypical roles. On the other hand, Paxton and Frost lack any chemistry between their characters, be it romantic or the classic "buddy buddy" model. Some action scenes may appear interesting, but the abundance of pyrotechnics and special effects cannot change the fact that Monolith is a failed film that should be avoided.

Rating: 2/10 (-)

Watch the Trailer Here

(Note: The original version of this text was posted in the Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on September 12th, 1999)

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