Bad

Rating: 2/10 (14 September 2008)

Monster may have been a passable film had it been good art, or at least attempted to portray the true story of Aileen Wuornos. Instead, it fails miserably on both scores, content to have an ABC Afterschool Special like patina in its approach. I also, after viewing this film, know another reason why I wanted to not see it, and that's because after two years of this unjust and wasteful war of invasion President Bush launched in Iraq I did not want to be reminded that sometimes even the reactionary Right Wing Radicals can still be right about something; and that is only a deluded out of touch Hollywood Feminazi sympathizers could serve up such crap, and then fete it ceaselessly. This is one of those films and performances that in ten or so years people will cringe at as being one of the worst selections ever. Let me be the first to say it- Theron's award winning performance is one of the worst to ever win an Oscar- it is not deep, nor scary, and even lacks the essential redeeming silliness of a Hannibal Lecter or Freddy Krueger. This film is one of those that people are just agog at, and so at odds with the Hollywood machine and its fawning parade of acolyte critics, that no one has the guts to say it's terrible. And, worst of all, every time I think about the film, and Theron's performance, it slides down another notch in my mind, just like so-called feminists who see a hero in Aileen Wuornos. That said, the Monster referred to in the title of the film most aptly applies to the film itself. Avoid this tripe!