‘A Monster Calls’| Movie Review

ffeat-a-monster-calls“A Monster Calls” is not for kids.

When you see the trailer for “A Monster Calls,” you see a giant tree coming to life and interacting with a young boy. Parents will see this trailer and immediately think it’s a kids movie. It is not.

“A Monster Calls” is a movie about a kid, another coming-of-age movie. The rating of PG-13 is a good one and parents should heed the warning; it’s too upsetting a picture for young folks.

With elements of big-budget films, stunning visuals and wonderful music, “A Monster Calls” means well. The movie goes to great lengths and adds a lot of detail to a truth many of us already know – it’s important to acknowledge our feelings; we should allow ourselves to feel things.

“A Monster Calls” is along the same lines as movies such as “The BFG” and “Pete’s Dragon” but probably not as memorable or large-scale. Our 12-year-old hero of the story, Conor, played by excellent new actor Lewis MacDougall, is dealing with a lot – a long-distance relationship with his father, bullies at school, self-esteem issues, and, worst of all, a mother battling cancer. He has the weight of the world on his shoulders.

With the possibility of eventually living with his cold and harsh grandmother (Sigourney Weaver), Conor retreats into a dream world where he begins interacting with a yew tree (voiced by Liam Neeson) who comes alive one evening and begins to help Conor deal with his torment. Interesting tales are told to Conor that may or may not have happy endings. In the end, Conor is forced to tell his own story and admit some things about himself.

This movie could be much better if it were a bit more organized and thorough. The audience might be confused in parts and left with some questions at the end. I found it a bit strange that Conor had to put up with so many additional issues when the problem of his mother dying would have been enough to make the story compelling.

The locations are great, the special effects are wonderful, and most of the performances were okay. However, I felt that some of the performances in the movie lacked warmth and weren’t personable enough. I also thought Sigourney Weaver, an American actress, was a weird choice for the grandmother. She’s a great actress, but her British accent was a bit too low-key to believable; still, she had some good moments and made the most of her role. Cameo note: It was great to see screen legend Geraldine Chaplin in the role as head-mistress. It was a very short cameo, but fun.

Audiences will either really like it “A Monster Calls” or be a bit indifferent. It’s too dark and heavy to be a kid’s movie and a bit awkward for adults.

This movie certainly makes you think about things.  See it, yes… but later — don’t spend your money on a theater ticket.

My grade: C+

“A Monster Calls” is rated PG-13 for mature themes and runs 1 hour and 48 minutes.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Mark Tullis

Mark is a 25-year veteran teacher teaching in Columbia. Originally from Fairfield, Mark is married with four children. He enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with his family, and has been involved in various aspects of professional and community theater for many years and enjoys appearing in local productions. Mark has also written a "slice of life" style column for the Republic-Times since 2007.
HTC web
MonroeCountyElectric300X15012_19