Master Review: A Monster Calls

A Monster Calls

            I have to be honest and tell you that I’ve been more than a little depressed recently. It’s been preventing me from blogging as I normally do and I have quite a few reviews and projects stacking up. I’m hoping to get to them done before it’s too late and the pile is just too large. I just have not had energy to complete them until now.

            I tell you this because I don’t think I reacted to the movie A Monster Calls the way everyone else did in the theater. First I must also explain that from the earliest trailer of a monster calls I knew this was a movie that would hit me and get to me emotionally. Every time I saw the trailer I’d feel my eye water up with empathy for characters in this film. Especially for Conor. If this was a reaction from a 5 minute trailer, I wondered if this was a movie I should even review.

            Fast forward to the release of the film where I found myself watching it on opening day. I had a scheduling conflict with my family and we decided last minute to see a monster calls. I didn’t prepare them with any information about this film I just thought we’d go in blind.

            The Synopsis is this: A young boy named Conor is struggling to live with his mother who has a terminal illness. On top of that Conor finds himself to have caught the attention of the school bully. Between Getting beat up at school and taking care of his mother Conor uses what little free time he has left to exploring his creative side through drawing. Until One night while He is drawing a tree transforms into a giant Ent-like creature or monster and comes to his house to single Conor out. No one can hear or see the monster except Conor. And the monster has a plan to tell Conor three stories and expects a fourth story in return.

       So what did I think of the film? I thought that it was truly a work of art. There were so many levels of emotions that the film was able to pull out of my heart that I felt at times I had reached the maximum amount of feels anyone could or should have. This film had great pacing and even though I was a fan of the trailer not much of this story is spoiled by it. The film felt fresh and original. I have to warn you that there are some very intense moments in this movie. Some of the most intense moments happen in complete silence. Leaving you demanding a response from the character to break you from almost pure anticipation of a reaction.

            The Movie really starts to movie faster ¾ of the way through the film. It hits you with emotional punches one after the other until you find yourself shaken to the core and wondering if there is any good left in the world at all.

            This movie does make a clean landing at the end delivering a silver lining to all the doom and gloom that occurred throughout this film. And that silvering is enough to make this movie a positive viewing experience. I think you like me would leave this film feeling glad to have experience it. So much of this film should have you in tears and it feels very cathartic and through its journey I was left with a feeling of emotional growth.