A Monster Calls | Film Review

I walked into my first theater movie of 2017 knowing very little about what I was about to witness. All I knew about “A Monster Calls” was that it had surprisingly high review scores and quite a few recognizable actors, both of which piqued my curiosity. Then I had an odd experience before the opening credits began. Almost every one of the trailers I saw before the film was geared very much towards a younger audience. My heart sank thinking that I had unwittingly stumbled into a children’s movie, and that I was going to be seeing nothing more than a cute fairy tale story about a boy’s imagination. Boy, was I wrong. This was far from cutesy and had a much darker and far deeper theme than I anticipated. And I was pleasantly surprised.

Conor is a young boy coping with his mother’s terminal illness. Forced to grow up a bit faster than most children, he spends the majority of his time taking care of the household duties and his mother, who is physically unable to do so herself. A monster visits Conor in the middle of the night and tells him that over the course of a few days, he will be sharing three different stories with the boy. On top of that, the monster expects Conor to tell him a story of his own. The young boy, obviously confused by this request, reluctantly agrees, but (like the audience) has no idea why. What unfolds is a heavy-handed, yet beautiful life lesson that forces Conor to discover and face his own personal demons.

I found this film to be such an unexpected delight, which is strange to say considering its dark and depressing theme. It portrays its tale in a fantastical manner that I have to imagine wouldn’t work on paper, but it completely does with an added emotional punch that resonated with me hours after the credits rolled. I appreciate stories that make you think, but this one does while also making you feel at the same time. That is difficult to pull off well, but “A Monster Calls” succeed admirably.

There are three stages of storytelling present here. You have Conor dealing with his sick mother and unsympathetic grandmother, while also struggling to put up with a bully at school. The entrance of the monster introduces us to the second setting, which feels very much like a dream sequence. But what truly captured me were the beautiful animations portrayed of the stories the monster tells Conor, which have a watercolor theme which adds a spectacular flourish to the grim and twisted parables. The mixture of all three of these elements come together in a wonderful package that makes its message clear without being an overbearing mess. It’s clear from the beginning that the destination isn’t going to be a happy one, but it’s all about journey here. One that even strong-willed adults shouldn’t have to endure, but seeing it through the eyes of our main character is both sad and joyous at the same time.

My only real complaint is that its hard to differentiate who this film is for. On the surface, this seems like a great movie to take your kids to see, but it feels far too dark and scary for young children. On the flip side, I think a lot of adult audiences might be turned off by its whimsical nature. The dichotomy worked well for me, though. It’s just a very odd film to market.

One reason I took on this film was to see Felicity Jones in something else after her great performance in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”. It was a pleasure to see this other side of her, a broken woman with a heart full of love for her son. Sigourney Weaver plays Conor’s grandmother, and while she delivers as a worried mother, I think she forgot that she was supposed to use a British accent on more than a couple occasions. Liam Neeson lends his voice as the monster with a bit of vocal effects to give him a more ominous demeanor, and I can’t imagine anyone else taking the role. He just exudes power and warmth at the same time, and is simply incredible to hear.

While I came to see and hear the actors I mentioned above, I walked out of the theater most impressed with Lewis MacDougall’s portrayal of Conor. He reminds me of a young Edward Furlong with better acting chops. I was blown away by his ability to make me feel and understand everything he was going through, and at times he really looked like an adult trapped in a child’s body. Rarely have I seen a child actor with the ability to convey his own thoughts with subtle facial expressions, but this kid nails it.

This isn’t the feel-good movie of the year, but don’t miss “A Monster Calls”. It’s gorgeous, thought provoking, emotional, and wondrous all at the same time. These unexpected gems are why I venture to the theater as often as I do. What a great film to kick of the new year.