Everyone knows someone who takes their beliefs in conspiracy theories to obsessive levels, having a seemingly encyclopedic amount of knowledge based on endless amounts of research. They’re the ones who believe so passionately in the existence of something that others deem foolish, that they can convince even the most hardened skeptics through their enthusiasm alone. For teenager Dallas Edwards (Jack Samson), his steadfast dedication to uncover the truths surrounding paranormal events leads him and his friends down a dangerous path in Monsters of California. 

Directed by Blink 182 member Tom DeLonge in his debut behind the film camera, it follows Dallas and fellow SoCal skater friends Toe (Jack Lancaster) and Riley (Jared Scott) and their adventures in attempting to capture paranormal events on camera. When Dallas begins to dig deeper into the mysterious circumstances surrounding his father’s disappearance, his love for the unexplained and the harsh truths that lie buried beneath begin to connect in startling ways. As they get further involved, Dallas and his friends learn that truth is stranger than fiction, and that no one, including our own government, can be trusted.

Monsters of California is dripping with Southern California teen punk rock skate culture, thanks mostly to DeLonge’s love for, and connection to, the scene itself. Dallas, Toe, and Riley are the quintessential suburban stoner teens, taking every opportunity to throw pot shots at one another while attempting to get into (mostly) harmless trouble. Their camaraderie on camera is infectious, if not slightly over-the-top and irritating – but that’s exactly how teen boys should be.

Once we’re introduced to Dallas’ potential love interest, Kelly (Gabrielle Haugh), the dynamic of the group begins to shift, right at the precise time when the tension begins to heighten. She provides a sense of levity, with a dash of turbulence, to their manic and impulsive ways. This helps them focus on the real task at hand, which quickly evolves into not just solving mysteries, but surviving to tell the tale.

Monsters of California’s biggest downfall is its elongated runtime, which slogs the movie down at points in the beginning, middle, and end. Much of these moments are extraneous, and thirty minutes or so could be easily trimmed to make for a more concise story, even when taking into consideration the dense plot. Performance-wise, the bulk of the film is carried easily on the shoulders of Samson, who shines with likability and relatable vulnerability. He’s on the cusp of adulthood, and still young enough to make dumb decisions from time to time, but also mature enough to put his head down and focus on the task at hand.

Monsters of California is much more than what it seems. On the surface, it could easily be classified as your typical alien/government conspiracy flick, but it proves itself to be much more. There’s deep conversations about religion vs science, the paranormal, and how it all fits together. For every scene of the three boys being boneheads, there’s just as many of them showing insightfulness. In that regard, the bloated run time and slower moments don’t feel as overwhelming as they could, thanks to the complex plot, which helps round this out to be a nice little coming of age tale wrapped in an outer layer of aliens and mystery.

7 out of 10