--- title: "Monos: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/monos/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/monos" critics_score: 76 critics_reviews: 26 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Monos (2019): what the critics said Critics' score 76 from 26 reviews: 21 positive, 2 mixed, 3 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Monos, with praise concentrated on Jasper Wolf’s cinematography, Mica Levi’s unsettling score and the young ensemble’s credible mixture of naivety and cruelty. The reviews repeatedly describe an immersive, disorientating war drama, finding its mountain and jungle landscapes integral to the tension. Admirers also credit Alejandro Landes with capturing the teenage soldiers’ shifting loyalties and improvised rules without reducing them to a straightforward lesson about lost innocence. The spread is nevertheless wide: enthusiasm for the filmmaking does not always extend to what the film says. Reservations centre on thin characterisation, familiar ideas and an abstract setting that can leave the conflict feeling vague. The Times praises the performances but finds the message platitudinous; The New York Times sees unclear themes beneath the sophisticated technique. The Hollywood Reporter dissents more sharply, finding exploitation in the violence where supporters see a troubling examination of children trained to fight. ## The Guardian — Mark Kermode Rating 5/5. 27 October 2019. The film is a hypnotic triumph, a dizzying fable of child soldiery that immerses viewers in a world of war and adolescence. The critic singles out the brilliant youthful ensemble cast and Mica Levi’s breathtaking score for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/oct/27/monos-review-alejandro-landes-teenage-guerrillas) ## Los Angeles Times — Carlos Aguilar Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 September 2019. This visceral, viscerally philosophic film is a towering achievement that examines primal instincts through a sensorial barrage transcending the screen. It singles out the thunderous stylistic panache, cinematography, and hypnotic score for praise. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-09-12/monos-review-julianne-nicholson) ## Sight and Sound — Maria Delgado Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 October 2019. Alejandro Landes's surrealist portrait of child soldiers living in chaos is an anarchic and unpredictable experience right until the end. Monos is one of the year’s most extraordinary films, with feverish visuals creating a disarming, almost surrealist universe where anarchy takes hold. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/monos-review-fever-dream-children-war) ## The AV Club — A.A. Dowd Rating A-. 9 September 2019. The critic praises the superb war drama as a gripping fever dream that builds a compelling social ecosystem among the teenage soldiers and shifts into a primal jungle odyssey. It balances mythic imagery, a haunting Mica Levi score, and a troubling moral dimension about children as weapons. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/it-s-apocalypse-now-for-the-teenage-soldiers-of-the-sup-1837942742) ## Empire — Ian Freer Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 21 October 2019. The critic finds Monos a singular, original work of heavy atmosphere and thrilling set-pieces that blurs morality in a nihilistic world. They single out the memorable images, exciting action, dream-like logic and Mica Levi’s percussive score for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/monos/) ## Variety — Jessica Kiang Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 28 September 2019. Festival review. Alejandro Landes’ astonishing film is a sublimely crafted saga of child soldiers evolving their own mini-society, presenting ugly reality in profoundly paradoxical, surreal terms. It singles out the fever-dream art, DP Jasper Wolf’s imagery, and Mica Levi’s score for praise. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/monos-review-1203351417/) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 25 October 2019. The critic calls Monos the most sensitising film of the year, praising its lucid, fast-paced storytelling and subversive elements despite the grisly content. They highlight the economical and innovative direction, superb acting and immersive stunts. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/monos-review-grisly-subversive-but-sensitising-a4270576.html) ## Film Comment — Devika Girish Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 2019. The critic finds the film an inspired, stylish portrait of teenage paramilitaries whose hyper-stylized antics and Mica Levi score create an intensely watchable, sensually rhythmic experience. She highlights the crisp widescreen compositions and the way the film evokes both abstract inquiry and the shadow of Colombia’s civil conflict. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/the-big-screen-monos/) ## Little White Lies — Josh Slater-Williams Rating 4/4/4. 22 October 2019. The blistering third feature by Colombian-Ecuadorian filmmaker Alejandro Landes starts with training rituals that recall the physicality of Claire Denis’ Beau Travail. It amounts to much more than straightforward moralising over youth and innocence lost to war, with hallucinatory detours enhancing the fever dream quality. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/monos) ## Radio Times — David Parkinson Rating 4/5. Imagine a juddering collision between William Golding's Lord of the Flies and Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, and you get the gist of Alejandro Landes's exceptional study of a group of young soldiers. The juvenile ensemble is uniformly impressive, as Landes captures their naivety and cruelty in a soul-crushing saga that shifts between wrenching realism, terrifying lyricism and disarming surrealism with edgy control and uncompromising potency. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-c72ql8/monos/) ## The Telegraph Rating 4/5. 25 October 2019. Festival review. Monos is a surreal and mesmerising Latin American take on Lord of the Flies, visceral and disquieting with bursts of colour and chaos. The critic praises its conjuration of a surreal experience from tactile reality but notes its festival context. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/monos-review-surreal-mesmerising-latin-american-take-lord-flies/) ## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf Rating 4/5. 17 October 2019. ‘Monos’ is the strangest, most unsettling piece of survival warfare you’ll see all year – yes, including ‘Love Island’ – but it’s also one of the most mesmerising. There’s no moralising here: these are dead-eyed survivors in a gorgeously atmospheric film that infiltrates a place inside you – an anxiety about our future that lingers. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/monos-2019) ## RogerEbert.com — Sheila O'Malley Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 13 September 2019. The film is fascinating but sometimes frustrating, with a story of child soldiers that lacks depth compared to other works on the subject. It is elevated into epic territory by the superb cinematography capturing powerful landscapes and light. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/monos-movie-review-2019) ## IndieWire — Eric Kohn Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 27 January 2019. Festival review. The critic describes the film as a thrilling, fast-paced survivalist saga that distills guerrilla warfare into sheer anarchy, akin to a Lord of the Flies scenario with added guerrilla elements. Landes captures the anarchic energy of the young soldiers' world effectively at Sundance. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/monos-review-alejandro-landes-sundance-1202038495/) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 13 September 2019. The film revises the premise of Lord of the Flies with child soldiers in an abstract setting, delivering striking images and an extraordinary score while shifting focus in its second half. It is most compelling when verging on abstraction but some magic evaporates at jungle level. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/09/23/ad-astra-will-leave-you-awed-confused-and-sad) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating 3/5. 25 October 2019. Lord of the Flies meets Apocalypse Now in this riveting drama about teenage revolutionaries succumbing to violent power struggles. The vivid and credible performances from the young cast are praised, but the message is deemed too familiar and platitudinous. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/monos-review-engaging-but-message-feels-too-familiar-dh2x3qvbm) ## Slant Magazine Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2019. The critic views the film as a superficial, hedonistic riff on Lord of the Flies that depicts amorality with minimal curiosity and relies on numbing stylistic verve rather than deeper insight. Conflict remains purely aesthetic, with meaning largely derived from Mica Levi's score. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review-monos-is-a-superficial-hedonistic-riff-on-lord-of-the-flies/) ## The New York Times — Glenn Kenny Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 12 September 2019. This sophisticated-looking allegory is cagey about what it allegorizes and ultimately frustrating in its muddled half-ideas. The critic singles out the use of a sophisticated cinematic apparatus in service of unclear themes for complaint. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/12/movies/monos-review.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Keith Uhlich Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 26 January 2019. Festival review. The critic finds the film a bleak and ghastly jungle thriller about child soldiers descending into depravity and violence, comparing it unfavorably to a version of Kids or Lord of the Flies. Landes's attempt at an abstract fever dream is undermined by exploitative elements and a shameless final shot. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/monos-review-1179460/) ## Den of Geek — Lou Thomas Rating 5/5. 25 October 2019. The review calls Monos an extraordinary, singular piece of world cinema and one of 2019’s most distinctive films. It singles out the hallucinatory splendour of its mountain-and-jungle setting and the way it stands alone as a wild, surprising ride. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/monos-review-an-extraordinary-piece-of-world-cinema/) ## /Film — Kalyn Corrigan Rating 9/10. 13 September 2019. The critic finds the film unsettling and authentic, calling it one of the best of 2019 and an experience that demands to be seen. They single out its intimate portrayal of the group's dynamics and its bold, experimental approach to the war drama genre. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/569070/monos-review/) ## The Playlist — Joe Blessing Rating A-. 27 January 2019. Festival review. The critic sees the film as a philosophical exploration of group dynamics and freedom from civilization's constraints. They single out its powerful images and feelings that examine timeless ideas through the teens' attempts to create their own rules. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/monos-guerillas-sundance-review-20190127/) ## Polygon — Andy Crump Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 September 2019. The critic describes the film as a ferocious action drama that blends Lord of the Flies with Apocalypse Now, praising its unsettling commentary on civilization through the story of child soldiers. Cinematography and the film's experiential portrayal of the harsh environment and shifting group dynamics are singled out as strengths. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/2019/9/13/20861894/monos-review-moises-arias-alejandro-landes/) ## The Skinny — Jamie Dunn Rating 4/5. 15 February 2019. Festival review. The critic describes Monos as a thrilling, dreamy and impressionistic survivalist movie whose surreal beauty and humanity shine through even its most brutal moments. It singles out the distinct cinematic style and Mica Levi’s bewitching score for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/berlinale-2019-monos) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 11 March 2019. Festival review. The critic describes the film as having a queasy, uneasy nightmare feel from the start. They single out its focus on drilling the chaotic emotions of the kids and captive deep into the viewer. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/monos-2019-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 12 September 2019. The film is a fascinating but sometimes vague coming-of-age story, one the critic has grown to admire more than enjoy. The critic singles out the stunning imagery from Landes and cinematographer Jasper Wolf for praise. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/monos-film-review-alejandro-landes-julianne-nicholson/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/monos.md