“There is not always a good guy. Nor is there always a bad one. Most people are somewhere in between.”
Before seeing the movie, I didn't know much about "A Monster Calls". The only information I got from it is that it's based on Patrick Ness novel and the trailer had a "Iron Giant" vibe to it. I also liked the director (Juan Antonio Bayona) previous movies, so I guess that's what peaked my interest in seeing it. And I came out pretty surprised of how good it was. Not just that, but how moving and heartfelt it was.
Juan Antonio Bayona is the type of director that knows how to tell a compelling story in his films. To screw lose the sentiment, until your eyes are filled with water to the point where you can't help but spill out. And in this movie he dose exactly that and how smart he was with it's decisions of the emotional scenes.
There's a lot of great actors in this and none of them are put to waste. Liam Nesson was excellent as The Monster. Sigourney Weaver was great as the Grandma. Felicity Jones and Toby Kebbell were also great as Connor parents. But I think the real stand is Lewis MacDougall as (Connor). Even at the age of 14 this kid literally carries this movie and really dose reflect Connor's inner conflict.
That's what I notice in Bayona movies. All of the kid actors in his movies are pretty solid and I would go as far to say that they better than the adults. This is very rare for me to say that, because most kid actors suck. Yes there are good ones out there, but only some, as most of them don't fully bring their all.
The visual effect's were pretty stunning and impressive of how it interacted with the real environment that it was in. In all honesty, I was pretty surprised. And what I mean by "surprise" is that I was expecting The Monster itself to be the only effect in the movie. Because The Monster tells three stories to Conner and all three are done in a visual dye artwork that's beautiful to look at. It's good to be surprise.
For problems I had with the movie are slim, but if I had to pick, I would probably say that films message can be a little repetitive and oblivious towards the end. I think that may bug some people. But still, it's a great message that's speaks the truth and actually sticks to it. I mean, if the message was terrible or nothing special, then this might be a big complaint. The film doesn't have an happy ending and neither a sad one. There's no Hollywood ending or anything like that. It would say it's mixed.
Overall rating: "A Monster Calls" is entertaining, sad, and unforgettable tale that sticks with you after it's over. The film tells the truth and nothing but the truth of life. You want everything to be alright for this kid, but you're left with a feeling of stillness. Like you can't do anything about it, even with all the magical things that's happening. It just gotta let it happen....that's life.
A Monster Calls is a film that tackles a difficult and very emotional subject and wraps it up in a fantasy-monster tale. It could be awful, really bad, but in this case, thankfully the topic and the way it is portrayed and told to the viewer is handled admirably. As is always the case with these type of films that acting is paramount to how you feel about the whole thing. Liam Neeson brings the right tone of menace with a purpose to fantastically animated tree-monster. He was both scary and angry when he needs to be but just by voice acting alone showed his whole reason for being was to help Conor from the very beginning.
Lewis MacDougall is basically perfect in the role of Conor and never plays for out-and-out sympathy even though he gets it from the audience. Totally believable and if he doesn’t make you cry then you must get that stone you have for a heart seen to. Ably supported by the great acting of Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell and Sigourney Weaver as his immediate family the performances slot together to produce the perfect storm of emotions.
Make no mistake this is a film about a serious topic, particularly for youngsters watching the film. It’s about life, death, how we deal with strong emotions, how we affect other people, how we have to accept the finality of situations beyond our control. This list goes on and is simple and yet complex enough for any audience. Each story, or parable if you like, is not a sugar-coated fairy tale but points out little truths to Conor and therefore to us all.
Although fantastical in its approach A Monster Calls manages to present a serious topic in a realistic and somehow entertaining way. If nothing else younger viewers with perhaps no understanding of death and the grief process might just get an insight into something that they hopefully never experience until later in life.
This could have been maudlin, manipulative and even dark but thanks to the skill of the writing, directing and acting you have a film that certainly makes you think about it long after it has finished.
It pulls a lot from the Guillermo del Toro/Alfonso Cuaron playbook in the way it portrays fantasy, but instead of being focussed on worldbuilding and set pieces, this is more story driven. I just don’t find that story all that interesting, and I don’t get who it’s made for. It’s too dark and abstract for kids, but as an adult I find it too simplistic and obvious. In terms of themes (5 stages of grief; complexity of the world) or the way that it portrays characters it’s not all that complex. For example, the bully character is so one dimensional and cliché that it feels like the character is ripped from an 80s movie. The emotional beats are somewhat effective, but they don’t hit as hard as they should because we’re not invested in this parental relationship beyond: it’s his mum, she has cancer, therefore you should feel stuff now. The visual effects are a little hit and miss; Liam Neeson’s monster is well realized, but some of the other stuff looks on the cheaper side. Bayona is certainly not the visual stylist that Cuaron and Del Toro are because the cinematography could also be a lot sharper. The animated bits are probably the most striking part of the film, both in terms of direction and visuals those scenes really stand out. Then there’s the acting, which is hard to discuss. Lewis MacDougall is given an impossible task here, and while he overacts like a lot of kid actors, the amount of range he displays still makes it a decent performance. Toby Kebbell, Felicity Jones and Liam Neeson are good, however Sigourney Weaver probably should’ve been recast with a British actress because the accent’s noticeably bad.
4/10
Wow. This was so not what I was expecting, and really something to chew on. The story was really moving, even though you could say that actually there is not much happening. But even so, it keeps you captivated throughout the movie - you wouldn't feel any drags. On the other hand it is really depressing and no feelgood movie, and I am not sure if you do your kids a treat (you'd rather make them cry :D ). The movie is made really good, however I was so captivated, that I did not have any time to analyse the movie in more detail (which normally I do, when watching movies) - all I can say that in the first 20 minutes I was not really immerged, so it took a shot while. In this time I had the feeling that it would be a lot like Pan's Labyrinth. However this movie stands on it's own and any resemblence to del Torrors movie that you might get in the beginning, will soon be whiped away: while Torrors movie are more on the dreamy-fantasy side, this movie is more direct and more depressing on the reality side of things.
Additional information: My girlfriend read the book and she thinks, this movie is a perfect adaption that stays true to the novel. So whoever liked the book will also like the movie ;)
Review by DeletedBlockedParent2017-02-24T01:39:23Z
“There is not always a good guy. Nor is there always a bad one. Most people are somewhere in between.”
Before seeing the movie, I didn't know much about "A Monster Calls". The only information I got from it is that it's based on Patrick Ness novel and the trailer had a "Iron Giant" vibe to it. I also liked the director (Juan Antonio Bayona) previous movies, so I guess that's what peaked my interest in seeing it. And I came out pretty surprised of how good it was. Not just that, but how moving and heartfelt it was.
Juan Antonio Bayona is the type of director that knows how to tell a compelling story in his films. To screw lose the sentiment, until your eyes are filled with water to the point where you can't help but spill out. And in this movie he dose exactly that and how smart he was with it's decisions of the emotional scenes.
There's a lot of great actors in this and none of them are put to waste. Liam Nesson was excellent as The Monster. Sigourney Weaver was great as the Grandma. Felicity Jones and Toby Kebbell were also great as Connor parents. But I think the real stand is Lewis MacDougall as (Connor). Even at the age of 14 this kid literally carries this movie and really dose reflect Connor's inner conflict.
That's what I notice in Bayona movies. All of the kid actors in his movies are pretty solid and I would go as far to say that they better than the adults. This is very rare for me to say that, because most kid actors suck. Yes there are good ones out there, but only some, as most of them don't fully bring their all.
The visual effect's were pretty stunning and impressive of how it interacted with the real environment that it was in. In all honesty, I was pretty surprised. And what I mean by "surprise" is that I was expecting The Monster itself to be the only effect in the movie. Because The Monster tells three stories to Conner and all three are done in a visual dye artwork that's beautiful to look at. It's good to be surprise.
For problems I had with the movie are slim, but if I had to pick, I would probably say that films message can be a little repetitive and oblivious towards the end. I think that may bug some people. But still, it's a great message that's speaks the truth and actually sticks to it. I mean, if the message was terrible or nothing special, then this might be a big complaint. The film doesn't have an happy ending and neither a sad one. There's no Hollywood ending or anything like that. It would say it's mixed.
Overall rating: "A Monster Calls" is entertaining, sad, and unforgettable tale that sticks with you after it's over. The film tells the truth and nothing but the truth of life. You want everything to be alright for this kid, but you're left with a feeling of stillness. Like you can't do anything about it, even with all the magical things that's happening. It just gotta let it happen....
that's life.