While it doesn't belong in the ranks of classic 1950s sci-fi flicks, The Monolith Monsters is actually a very respectable and quite enjoyable "B" picture. True, it starts off with the kind of cheesily pompous narration that makes modern viewers roll their eyes, but after that the "cheesy" quotient is pretty much kept in check. And while it's true that the story follows a very predictable sci-fi structure, it uses that structure as a framework rather than as a crutch. Monolith also has much more solid "science" than most films of the genre, especially those from this period; it's not 100% successful in that area (e.g., the petrification effect should not continue once a person is removed from the monsters' silicon-sucking range), but it's for the most part on the plausible side. Monolith also deserves points for the monsters themselves. There's no malice in their actions; they're not even alive. They are simply rocks reacting to their new environment in the manner which is expected of them. Clifford Stine does quite well with the special effects (although CGI-addicted viewers will of course find them a bit too fake), and John Sherwood's direction is modest but fine. And Monolith has some of the better "B" actors on hand. All this adds up to a very enjoyable film; never a classic, but a lot of fun.