[7]
A twelve-year-old boy (Lewis MacDougall) is visited by a towering tree monster (voiced by Liam Neeson) who helps him deal with school bullies and his mother’s terminal cancer. A Monster Calls is a beautifully crafted film directed by J.A. Bayona (The Impossible) and featuring a phenomenal child performance from MacDougall, whose own mother passed away just before filming. The monster, brought to life by Neeson’s resonant tones and convincing computer animation, imparts his wisdom to the boy through a series of fairy tales that take unexpected twists — the kind life likes to throw at us. These stories are brought to life through striking, watercolor-like animation that, rather than detracting from the main storyline, are actually highlights of the film.
The supporting cast isn’t quite up to the standard set by its young star. Felicity Jones (Rogue One) phones in another bland, colorless performance as MacDougall’s dying mother, and Sigourney Weaver is off-key as the boy’s stern grandmother, hindered by a very unconvincing British accent. The film’s dark, psychological underpinnings and inevitable ending make for a glum, melancholy affair, so don’t expect a colorful Harry Potter-like family fantasy film. A Monster Calls asks of its audience the same thing the monster asks of MacDougall’s character: “It will be hard, it will be more than hard. But you will make it through.”
With Toby Kebbell and Geraldine Chaplin. Based on a book by Patrick Ness and Siobhan Dowd.