FANTASY DRAMA | 'A Monster Calls'
Conor O’Malley (Lewis MacDougall) is a thirteen-year-old boy with a recurring nightmare by night, and by day, the nightmare of his mother’s (Felicity Jones) terminal illness. A giant monster (voiced by Liam Neeson) comes to his window one night to help him through this troubled time. In the meantime, he must deal with the bullies at school, his grandmother's (Sigourney Weaver) visit, and a brief appearance by his father (Toby Kebbell), who lives in the United States.
'A Monster Calls' is based on the book of the same name, written by Patrick Ness. The story is based on an original idea by the late author, Siobhan Dowd. The book is creepy and tense, and the film version amplifies the feeling of unease, leading to despair. This is a very dark film, so children are not advised to watch.
The film follows a journey into and through grief, and yet there are moments of levity here and there. Conor is a snarky young fellow who doesn’t hesitate to tell the monster where to go on more than one occasion. The bright moments were spaced well enough that the entire film didn’t feel too despairing, even as Conor’s emotional journey continued.
As book adaptations go, this one is remarkably faithful – almost to the letter. There are some extra embellishments that are perfect for a visual medium, such as Conor and his mum’s sketches, and seeing the graveyard, the nightmare, the town and the hospital, which bring life to the big screen and add so much more emotion to the story.
Then there are the stories told by the monster – watercolour interludes that take the viewer out of the main story and into a dreamscape. It’s an interesting device, but it’s not clear how the stories relate to Conor’s feelings about his mother’s illness.
The effects are simply brilliant, with the capture of Neeson’s face and his animation into a giant tree-monster being the highlight. He melds into the surrounding settings seamlessly, and MacDougall does an excellent job of acting like there really is a monster in his backyard. Weaver makes a great Grandmother, although her super-posh English accent may have been a little over the top.
'A Monster Calls' is certainly one of the best book-to-film adaptations to be made in a long while. Just make sure you bring the tissues.
'A Monster Calls' is in Australian cinemas July 27th 2017, and is available on DVD and BluRay outside of Australia.
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