Review of A Monster Calls (2016) by 43In2014 — 12 Jan 2017
Related media: The film is based on novel of the same name but I have not read it.
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What's it like?: An artistically-talented boy (Louis MacDougall) has to deal with a cancer-stricken mom (Felicity Jones) at home, bullies who beat him up at school and nightmares of losing his mum in a sinkhole at a church/graveyard. At 12:07 am, an old yew tree in the middle of a cemetery turns into a giant (Liam Neeson) and tells the boy that it will tell him one story per night, for three nights, after which it demands that the boy reciprocate with one story of his own. It is a film about growing up but a more central message of the film is a spoiler and would not be mentioned here.
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Pros:
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1. The film tells a touching story about dealing with family member that is about to die. It would greatly appeal to those who have experienced this in real life.
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2. There was generally good acting all around.
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Cons:
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1. Two major distractions are the casting of Sigourney Weaver as the boy's grandmother and Toby Kebbell as the boy's father. Clearly, the film has an English setting. While MacDougall and Jones acted like the English, Weaver and Kebbell, an American and a Brit in real life, only spoke with neutral accents. It is rather likely that Weaver's and Kebbell's characters should have spoken with English accents in the film, or have explanations of why they did not, in the form of their characters' backgrounds. That they did not, felt strange and it was a major distraction.
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2. The premise that a monster would tell you three stories and then demand that you reciprocate with one is somewhat silly. It was not as if the boy needed to cross a bridge and needed to pay with gold or needed to give a password, as in traditional fairy tales, and let's face it, this film is a fairy tale.
> 3. Not all three of the stories told by the monster were particularly special. The third story was told too quickly and was not memorable. >.
4. This film does feel like a cry-bait. It would not work on those who have not lost loved ones before.
> How would the different age groups rate it?
Children: Average.
Teenagers: Average.
Young adults: Average.
Medium age adults: Good.
Old adults: Good.
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My rating: 3/5 (no half scores). Save your money and watch it on TV.
This review of A Monster Calls (2016) was written by 43In2014 on 12 Jan 2017.
A Monster Calls has generally received very positive reviews.
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