'Monster Summer' Reviews: "it's not a bad way for kids to be introduced to Mel Gibson before they're old enough to watch him in more grown-up fare"

Photo by Simon Ray on Unsplash

         On October 4, 2024, Pastime Pictures released 'Monster Summer', which has received a predominantly positive reception from critics. In the film, which is directed by David Henrie, who is having quite a year, "When a mysterious force begins to disrupt their big summer fun, Noah and his friends team up with a retired police detective to embark on a monstrous adventure to save their island." The ensemble cast includes Mel Gibson, Mason Thames, Julian Lerner, Abby James Witherspoon, and Lorraine Bracco. Read the full review round-up below.

        Avi Offer of NYC Movie Guru says, "Noah (Mason Thames), a young teenager and aspiring journalist, investigates a mysterious evil force that that's haunting his town and possessing one of his friends, Ben (Noah Cottrell), in Monster Summer, directed by David Henrie. Could it have something to do with Miss Halverson (Lorraine Bracco), his new neighbor who's acting suspiciously? Ben (Noah Cottrell), a retired cop, helps him to get to the bottom of the mystery. The screenplay by co-writers Bryan Schulz and Cornelius Uliano doesn't score any points for imagination, surprises or originality for that matter. It's a harmless, pleasantly diverting albeit forgettable sci-fi mystery made for younger audiences without being too scary or too intense for kids. If only it were more engaging for adults, though, because most adults find the movie to be dull. That said, it's not a bad way for kids to be introduced to Mel Gibson before they're old enough to watch him in more grown-up fare like Braveheart, Signs and Lethal Weapon. How many live action Mel Gibson films are there for kids? Well, now there's finally one."

        Brian Orndorf of Blu-ray.com notes, "Familiarity doesn’t hurt “Monster Summer,” which remains mostly appealing due to its cast and effort to add a little spookiness for younger viewers not ready to see people turned inside out on the big screen just yet." Continuing, "Monster Summer” tries to keep sinister business in play, dealing with PG-13 attacks from the invader, but it’s not especially intense. Henrie looks to boost scary events in the finale, which does well with classic fairy tale visuals and panic, but, again, the endeavor isn’t out to horrify, sticking to a case of the creeps instead. The material seeks to merge creature menace with character entanglements and big feelings, and it mostly gets there. The acting certainly helps the cause, with Thames suitably excitable for most of the run time, and Gibson brings authority to the feature as Gene, a man who’s experienced too much pain, finding some therapy as he tries to make sense of a bewildering situation, which gets his detective juices flowing again. It’s a nicely weathered, deep performance, and it helps “Monster Summer” find the dramatic gravity it needs as a pre-teen genre option."