Nostalgic Adventure Film Monster Summer Attempts to Recapture ’90s Magic but Falls Short

People who grew up in the ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s know well the family adventure films from that time. These movies usually show a group of young teens going on exciting adventures.

Classic examples include The Goonies, The Monster Squad, and The Sandlot. Some of these films influenced the new movie in this genre, Monster Summer.

Monster Summer is the second movie directed by David Henrie, who is known for his role in Wizards of Waverly Place. This film aims to bring back the feel of a ’90s family movie. It includes several stars from the 1990s, such as Lorraine Bracco from Goodfellas, Patrick Renna from The Sandlot, and Mel Gibson from Lethal Weapon.

The promise of some good ’90s nostalgia should attract viewers, but sadly, Monster Summer tells a story we have heard many times before.

What is Monster Summer About?

Monster Summer takes place in 1997 in Martha’s Vineyard, California. It follows a young baseball player named Noah (played by Mason Thames) who dreams of being a journalist like his late father.

He wants to enjoy a fun summer with his friends, but everything changes when some kids go missing and return with blank personalities, as if their souls are gone. Noah wants to find out what is happening, so he gets help from his creepy neighbor, Gene “Old Man” Carruthers (played by Mel Gibson), to solve the mystery.

Most of Monster Summer focuses on Noah and Gene building a father-son bond, which is one of the film’s strongest parts. Mason Thames shows he is a rising star in the horror genre after his strong performance in The Black Phone.

His acting here proves he can also lead lighter adventures, which is good news for fans wanting to see him in the live-action How to Train Your Dragon reboot. Mel Gibson does a decent job as Gene, even though his character’s emotional moments feel simple. However, Gene’s sad backstory adds a refreshing touch and is one of the few interesting elements in the film.

The friendship between Noah and Gene is good, but it feels like there is too much of it. A lot of the second act shows Noah and Gene arguing with each other while not achieving much.

At the same time, Noah’s friends ignore him even when he has real evidence that a monster is haunting Martha’s Vineyard. Thankfully, the third act picks up with some entertaining monster action and even a few effective jump scares.

Monster Summer Doesn’t Use Its Supporting Cast Well

Mason Thames is a great main character, and Mel Gibson fits well as a grumpy man with a good heart. Patrick Renna also has some fun scenes that nod to his role as Ham in The Sandlot. However, the rest of the supporting cast does not shine.

The marketing suggests that Noah’s friends, Sammy (Abby James Witherspoon) and Eugene (Julian Lerner), play big roles, but they mostly just make fun of Noah’s ideas about witches until the end of the film.

Bigger stars like Lorraine Bracco and Kevin James do not fare well either. Bracco’s role serves almost no purpose in the story, making her talents feel wasted.

Kevin James plays a typical skeptic who talks with an unconvincing Southern accent. In general, the supporting cast in Monster Summer seems to only exist as suspects or distractions rather than fully developed characters.

The Writing of Monster Summer Is Very Predictable

Mel Gibson’s character, “Old Man Carruthers,” is just one example of the film’s biggest issue: the writing. This name is one of the most boring for an old man. The generic nature of Monster Summer’s script is obvious.

It mixes clichés and familiar tropes from many inspiring films, but the result feels very unoriginal. Everything from the plot to the dialogue feels overly familiar, which can be frustrating.

Even though Monster Summer tries to copy the structure and elements of movies like The Goonies, it lacks what made those films timeless.

Those older movies had a gritty feel, and their characters had realistic and relatable writing. Even modern films like The Black Phone and Stranger Things know how to add depth to nostalgic settings with unique characters and strong stories. However, Monster Summer gets lost in being too generic.

Stranger Things shows that a throwback monster story like Monster Summer can work, but it needs enough originality to stand out. Sadly, Monster Summer does not have this, making it a missed chance to show a beloved time in filmmaking. While the films it copies are now classics. WhileMonster Summer will likely be forgotten by audiences in a year.

Monster Summer is a family adventure film set in 1997 in Martha’s Vineyard, California. It follows Noah, a young baseball player who dreams of becoming a journalist like his late father. His summer plans change when kids in the area go missing and return with blank personalities.

Still from Monster Summer (Credit: Pastime Pictures)

Determined to uncover the mystery, Noah seeks help from his creepy neighbor, Gene “Old Man” Carruthers, played by Mel Gibson. While the film showcases a developing father-son bond between Noah and Gene, it suffers from a predictable story and underutilized supporting characters, including Lorraine Bracco and Kevin James.

The writing feels generic, lacking the depth and grit that made classic ’90s films memorable. Although the movie has some nostalgic elements and entertaining monster action in the third act, it ultimately falls short of its potential. Monster Summer may not stand out among the timeless classics it tries to emulate.

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