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NEW YORK (CNS) Though it s adapted from a book that s over a decade old, Monster (Netflix), director Anthony Mandler s screen version of Walter Dean Myers 1999 novel for young adults, feels remarkably timely. This tale of a Harlem youth caught up in the criminal justice system gains credibility, moreover, by avoiding pat answers.
While uneven, Mandler s drama ultimately proves affecting.
Kelvin Harrison Jr. plays 17-year-old aspiring filmmaker Steve Harmon. With his happy home life Jennifer Hudson and Jeffrey Wright play his caring (but unnamed) parents and his scholastic success as an honors student at New York City s prestigious Stuyvesant High School, college hopeful Steve seems to have everything going for him.
‘Monster’ doesn’t settle for easy answers to complex issue
Kevin Harrison Jr. stars in a scene from the movie “Monster.” The Catholic News Service classification is A-III adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is R restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. (CNS photo/Netflix)
By John Mulderig • Catholic News Service • Posted May 14, 2021
NEW YORK (CNS) Though it’s adapted from a book that’s over a decade old, “Monster” (Netflix), director Anthony Mandler’s screen version of Walter Dean Myers’ 1999 novel for young adults, feels remarkably timely. This tale of a Harlem youth caught up in the criminal justice system gains credibility, moreover, by avoiding pat answers.
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Don’t be put off by its generic and overused if ultimately appropriate title. “Monster” is a terrific film: a strong, absorbing, beautifully performed and crafted social drama that, unfortunately, proves even timelier today than when it was shot in 2017. (The movie, first seen at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival in a somewhat longer version, was once set for a 2019 theatrical release but eventually landed at Netflix, where it premieres Friday.)
Based on the 1999 young adult novel of the same name by Walter Dean Myers, the film follows the travails of 17-year-old Steve Harmon (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), a budding filmmaker who lives with his loving, vigilant parents (Jeffrey Wright, Jennifer Hudson) and younger brother (Nyleek Moore) in Harlem but attends Stuyvesant High, an elite magnet school in Lower Manhattan.