Typically when Hollywood produces fantasy films, they are fraught with amazing visual effects and sweeping photography in order to convey their stories to audiences. We seen the likes of "Pan's Labyrinth", "A Winter's Tale", "The BFG" to mention a few. Now we are offered "A Monster Calls" to add to that much desired list.
A visually spectacular drama about a 12-year-old Conor (Lewis MacDougall), dealing with the terminal cancer illness of his mother (Felicity Jones), a less-than-sympathetic grandmother (Sigourney Weaver), a non-committing father (Toby Kebbell) and bullying classmates, finds a most unlikely ally when a tree Monster (voiced by Liam Neeson) appears at Conor's bedroom window. Ancient, wild and relentless, the Monster guides Conor on a journey of courage, faith and truth in order for him to be able to cope with life at all. Will he ultimately find freedom through this Monster so he can finally be free of pain, guilt and anger once and for all?
Others to round out the cast are Ben Moor as Mr. Clark, James Melville as Harry, Oliver Steer as Sully and Dominic Boyle as Anton.
This was stunningly directed by J.A. Bayona ("The Orphanage" '07, "The Impossible" '12) plus TV and shorts. Surely this filmmaker doesn't have an extensive resume to his credit, however what he has created in the rich characters and stunning surroundings is incredibly visual and captivating including this film. He evidently brings these characters to life in ways that will keep its audience on the edge of their seats. The determination, pathos and compassion he was able to convey from the Monster was amazing, although having Neeson voicing that character certainly didn't hurt. It was creatively written by Patrick Ness (TV and novels) which is based from an original idea by Siobhan Dowd. This being written by the novelist helped allow this story to unfold with finesse and cohesiveness which was a feather in this production's cap. Other than a couple of very small places of slowness in script, this writer is a natural for writing screenplays and should pursue a career in screenwriting. The visual effects predominantly designed by MPC (Moving Picture Company) were absolutely seamless and certainly enhanced the story on many levels.
If the storyline doesn't cut it for you, the visuals certainly will. But, unless you are as cold as ice, this story teaches us all about despair, anger, fear and what can be done to overcome them through discovery and redemption. This is a must see for all!
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: PG-13 108mins.
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