Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

Harockerce What a beautiful movie!

MonsterPerfect Good idea lost in the noise

SpecialsTarget Disturbing yet enthralling

Bumfree Based on a novel of the same name A MONSTER CALLS was criminally under viewed in cinemas, bringing in less than 4 million dollars domestically at the box office - which might be why you haven't heard of it, because it certainly isn't down to its quality. The movie stars Liam Neeson voicing the monster, Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything), Sigourney Weaver (Aliens), and breakout star Lewis MacDougall. Conor is struggling at home while looking after his mother, struggling at school with bullies, and feeling trapped in his own head - the burdens of his life weighing him down. Until the monster calls. It is important to understand that this isn't a kid's film (I'd suggest ages 11+). The film explores grief and pain through the lens of a child. That child, Conor, whose mother is suffering from a serious illness which is apparent from the very beginning, is played brilliantly by Lewis MacDougall. For people who have dealt with family members with severe illness in the house, this film will be a very tough watch, but beautiful all the same.I hope you enjoy the film as much as I did. While some may consider it to be overly sentimental, I believe it is deeply meaningful and imaginative, with a poignant end.

Yusuf Torun This was a outstanding movie,I have zero clue why this movie was not nominated at Oscars.First of all,Its tells life of a little kid who was alone and her mother was seriosuly ill,and guy was helpless and tree came to his aid out of nowhere.Why would they call him monster is also another mystery to meIn his nightmare's he saw that her mother tumble down the cliff in a graveyard.Towards to end of the movie he did see that her mother dies in dream.When her mother finally dies tree was behind him , and later on same tree was his mother's friend as she send off her father's to his death.We didnt see that Liam Neelson's acting but his voice made this movie amazing.

xearmadman Your monster may be cancer, it may be sickness, it may be losing someone close to you, or not being pretty enough, not having enough money, not good enough in some way... we all have monsters.Sometimes if we just tell the truth about our monsters they don't seem so scary. If we just admit to them we can have a bit of compassion for our fears and worries and the human condition we find ourselves in. Conor O'Malley finds a place within himself of telling the truth about one of his monsters... something so hideous he could never admit it to himself or anyone else before (wanting his mother dead).Telling the truth frees him just as it frees all of us when we can find a place of acceptance for how we actually are without hiding or putting on pretensions. This film is deep and touching and I would like to somehow reward every person involved in the making of it.

Gavin Purtell 'A Monster Calls' has almost nothing to do with a monster - at it's heart, it's a straightforward story about a 12-year-old boy dealing with grief, with help from an imaginary friend. It's from Bayona, the director of 'The Impossible' (another very good survival drama), so it will be interesting to see what he does with 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom'. The film centers around Conor (MacDougall), a quiet kid who loves to draw, who has a sick Mum (Jones) and a stern Grandma (Weaver). At 12:07am each night, he has a dream/nightmare where he hears a tree-monster calling him.Filmed in Manchester, there's plenty of rain and opportunities for spooky shadows and scares, but the beauty is in the benevolent twist taken on the Groot-like "monster" (Neeson), who is obviously Conor's way of dealing with his mum's cancer. The watercolour animations set to Neeson's storytelling is excellently done, with some nice morals thrown in to the "dreams" Conor has when the "monster" is present.It never gets too fantastic or unrealistic, with MacDougall successfully carrying a great load for such a young actor. He's helped expertly by Jones & Weaver, who have very significant, but relatively small, roles. It's not sad the entire film, but it really hits home for the final 15min and did not leave a dry eye in the cinema.