Ah, here we have another university press film book that reads like a term paper. Monstrous Nature purports to analyze and dissect films that deal with nature-gone-wrong, but it has less to do with looking at actual films than in examining different trendy theories. Monstrous Nature is typical of film books in which the authors are not that "film-aware," and not that interested in how movies are put together, nor the different elements that make these films great or poor. The movies mentioned in the book are only a springboard for discussions on such as climate change (giving examples of what they call "Cli-Fi cinema), feminism, and even cannibalism! It's not that these discussions are necessarily without interest, nor that the authors on occasion don't make interesting observations, but the writing is dry and often pretentious. However, the book may alert you to some films you were unaware of and may want to check out.
Verdict: A college thesis masquerading as a book. **.
Thanks for reading and critiquing our book.
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