A Monster Calls: Trailer Review

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Director: A.J Bayona
Starring: Liam Neeson, Lewis MacDougall, Felicity Jones, Sigourney Weaver

The bewitching trailer for A Monster Calls leads one to believe it could be the rarest of beasts, most coveted by many a filmmaker; a movie that executes stunning visual effects whilst maintaining a
beating heart.

The plot hinges on a young boy, Conor, (MacDougall) as he struggles to carry an emotional mass as his mother (Jones) deteriorates from terminal illness, and he is forced to live with his stony grandmother (Weaver), meanwhile suffering at the hands of bullies at school. He finds unlikely solace in a monster (Neeson); a brobdingnagian anthropomorphic tree.

The movie appears to be a far cry from the litany of light-hearted family-friendly films that champion style over substance; this one could be a balance of the two. A home video shows us a mother and her young son, water-colour painting together in what was once an abundantly simpler time in contrast to the present. The shot fades to the son, now knocking at the door of adolescence, sitting with his mother on a bed, who is now short-haired and pallid from terminal illness. There is a close up of the water colour painting from the past- a haunting picture of a black figure, not quite human, but possessing a penetrating gaze. The image is more Babadook than children’s fantasy. Seeing as director A.J Bayona is the man behind 2007’s celebrated horror film The Orphanage, it won’t come as a shock to witness a liberal injection of chilling imagery and emotional themes once more.

Just as Conor’s family and school issues begin to take an unbearable toll, the very ground tears open to produce a monster with the physical appearance of a middle aged Groot times 100,000 in size. He will act as the boy’s unorthodox companion and ersatz guardian. Liam Neeson’s voice is a sublime choice for the monster, sounding like an affable version of Tom Hardy’s Bane.

Sigourney Weaver is promoted as the Academy Award Nominee, but shows up only fleetingly to fill her quota as the bitch Grandmother with the clinically delivered line ‘You’re coming to live with me, don’t touch anything’. Disappointed that she fucked off for the rest of the trailer.  
  
Glimpses of enchanting animation tease us too, and along with the awe-inspiring special effects and coldly charming cinematography, it looks like it will make for a well stylised film. There are evident similarities to other movies, not necessarily damaging however; BFG revolving around a child befriending a giant whom opens the door to escape her problems, Iron Giant featuring a single mother with a young boy who discovers a mysterious behemoth, both of them interchangeably educating the other, and lastly Pan’s Labyrinth- focusing on a child who deals with family issues (including an ill mother) by turning to a world of fantasy.

A Monster Calls comes across as incredibly mature, breaching the gap between age-based audiences by harbouring themes that ring true for all. Felicity Jones’ character profoundly tells her son, ‘if you need to break things, by God you break them!’. It is refreshing to hear a message stressing the importance of going through these challenging experiences, these tragedies, and coming out the other side as a stronger individual. It will be a sure-fire tearjerker for children and adults alike.

 MS

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