Trailer
Adapted from Patrick Ness’ acclaimed novel, J. A. Bayona’s latest sees the Spanish director’s partial return to the horror roots of his terrific debut The Orphanage. A Monster Calls is a family-friendly but decidedly dark magical-realist fable about a 12-year-old lad (terrific newcomer Lewis MacDougall) who is visited by a monster (voiced by Liam Neeson) while he struggles to come to terms with the imminent passing of his terminally ill mother (Felicity Jones). It owes a lot to Guillermo del Toro’s far-superior Pan’s Labyrinth, and some aspects feel too didactic. There are also moments that nakedly target the tear ducts, at times too insistently. The end result isn’t exactly a must-see, but it works as a potent weepie about grief, and features some enchanting animated sequences.
A Monster Calls | Directed by J. A. Bayona (Spain, USA 2016) with Lewis MacDougall, Felicity Jones
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