If JA Bayona can helm the next Jurassic Park film with the perfect balance of spectacle and drama on display in A Monster Calls, then it’l be a vast improvement on Jurassic World, where plot and characters took the back seat as spectacle drove it towards mediocrity.
Anywho, here’s the adaptation of the fantasy-drama book of the same name, pitting young boy Conor against the hardships of his mother’s (Felicity Jones) cancer and an ancient tree creature determined to teach him a lesson through three beautifully animated fables. After the third, Conor must tell his own. 14 year-old Scot Lewis MacDougall does an astonishing job of a.) putting on an accent and b.) showcasing the tormented feelings as genuinely as any actor could whilst remaining childishly innocent, flicking between impatiently questioning the fables and unleashing alarmingly furious beatings on inanimate objects. He’s certainly a young one to watch.
Conor’s emotionally distant, strict Grandmother (Sigourney Weaver) and separated father (Toby Kebbell) offer him little help, but Weaver does offer a fine performance as he walls are broken down by her daughter’s condition and grandson’s destructive behaviour. Kebbell is nothing to shout about, but it’s nice to see him in something that isn’t god awful for a change, while Jones is given virtually nothing to do save for an impassioned and serviceable speech, enhanced by MacDougall’s reaction.
And of course, there’s The Monster. Armed with the sensual, dulcet tones of Liam Nesson, a message about grief and an effectively applied CGI budget, The Monster is extremely watchable without any of the charm of Groot. It’s intimidating and serious, but good lord can Neeson regale us with a well-told story within the story. The fantasy never overshadows the drama – or vice versa – so Conor’s journey is always centre stage, and it’s one that will undoubtedly resonate with most who see it.
By the end of the film, if your eye isn’t moistened by the impactful last shot, you are a stone cold bastard. Bear in mind this is coming from a stone cold bastard.
FOUR STARS – Luke’s just going to go tell his mum he loves her now.
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