A MONSTER CALLS REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

In 2012, director J.A. Bayona released The Impossible, which was a drama that focused on a family who, whilst on holiday in Thailand, were caught in the destruction and chaotic aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The majority of the film focused on a young boy trying to help his mother and relocate his family. Bayona managed to successfully create an engaging and emotional motion picture. He returns to direct A Monster Calls which is similar to The Impossible because the lead character, Conor O'Malley (Lewis MacDougall), is helping his mother (Felicity Jones) who has terminal cancer. However, while the latter is based on a true story, this latest drama is based on a fictional children's novel written by Patrick Ness published in 2011. The idea for Ness' book came from Siobhan Dowd who, unfortunately, passed away from cancer before she could write the book. 

Conor is unhappy and alone. At 12 years old, he is, as the narration states, 'too old to be a kid, too young to be a man.' His mother has a terminal illness, his father (Toby Kebbell) lives across the Atlantic and rarely sees his son and ex-wife and his grandmother (Sigourney Weaver) is cold and strict. His days at school aren't made better by bullies. In short, Conor has a life no one would envy. Then, one night, The Monster (Liam Neeson) comes calling. "I have come for you, Conor," he booms. Made from the bark, roots, and branches of a giant yew tree that stands in a nearby churchyard, The Monster arrives at 12:07 and informs the frightened boy that he will return four more times. On each of the next three visits, he will tell Conor a story. Then Conor must reciprocate and reveal his darkest nightmare to the Monster.

What impressed me most about this film was MacDougall's leading performance. He captures Conor's true emotions and makes him a sympathetic character. The whole film revolves around him so if his portrayal wasn't any good, the film wouldn't work. Fortunately, that's not the case. Neeson is perfect as The Monster. His presence may be scary to younger viewers, however, it doesn't take long for us to connect with him. He's one of the very few monsters we wish we had as he's always there for Conor and wants to help him. Another strong performance comes from Jones as the cancer stricken mother. It's hard to believe this is the same actress who portrayed the lead character, Jyn Erso, in the latest installment in the Star Wars franchise, Rogue One. Weaver gives a solid performance as the grandmother looking after Conor. The two don't get along at first, fortunately, towards the film's climax, they become closer. 

The Monster is created by melding special effects-enhanced live action with "paper cutout" animation. This results in him looking as realistic as any of the other characters in the film. His eyes stand out from his yew tree-like body as they burn fiery red. Comparisons have been made to Groot from the 2014 superhero film Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Ents from the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. 

Two of the stories that The Monster tells are shown using some of the most beautiful animation I've seen. One is illustrated using watercolour-like splashes while the second is created using figures that seem to be made of crinkled paper and tuffs of cloth and fur. For me, this is where the film was at its most engaging. I had never seen animation like this before. The stories themselves are really interesting too as they play an important part in Conor's life. They also illustrate the ambiguity of human nature - good and evil; anger and kindness and fear and brutality and show the folly of believing in a cliche 'happily ever after'. The first story involves a dying king, an evil stepmother, a prince and true love. However, when expectations turn out to be untrue, they are all turned upside down and the truth is soon revealed. The second story is about a fight between a apothecary and a parson where the shortsightedness of one and selfishness of the other results in a tragedy. The Monster's final story is about an invisible man who wants to be seen. It is then up to Conor to reveal his truth which he's sure will destroy him. 

Bayona successfully brings Ness' novel to life and, like with The Impossible, creates a deeply emotional picture that'll even bring the most hardcore viewer to tears. It's hard to feel nothing but sympathy for Conor. Throughout the film, we're hoping that The Monster will save his mother but, deep down, we know the inevitable is yet to come.

A Monster Calls succeeds in balancing dark themes with fantastical elements to deliver an engrossing and moving entry in the crowded coming-of-age genre. 

8/10