دعوة الوحش

Absoute torture! Very very slow. Sad and depressing. I don't know how this movie has such good reviews. It one of those movies that tries to be intelligent but is absolutely a bad one. Good animation though. Don't waste the two hours in your life, especially if its a weekend. Bad acting. Bad story.

My wife and I sat dumbfounded by how awful this movie was for its entire duration entirely sustained by the hope that the praise it received would be shown meritous at some point. Two hours later, at the end of the movie, we just raised our hands in a silent "really?". It's long. It's slow. It's transparent from start to finish. The plot is uninteresting and there is no suspense, there are no good characters, the plot is nearly nonexistent, and the movie inspires no interest in the audience. It wants to tug at your heartstrings so badly that it strains from the effort and falls flat on its face. It then proceeds to ramble on for two hours about nothing particularly specific or even novel while doing it's best to ensure you don't accidentally forget that you should totally be sad and immersed. I give this poop out of five stars. I want my rating to be a poop emoji and I don't even like emojis.

If you have ever lost someone to a terminal illness, do yourself a favor and skip this dark, gut-wrenching movie. It was the most depressing piece I have ever watched. The monster was the only redeeming quality in it. Sorry but I don't find reliving painful memories entertaining.

I don't know who you would market this movie to. It's not a kid's movie, tho it tries very hard to look like one. It's not an adult movie (a boy and a talking tree), tho its themes certainly are mature. Both child and adult will squirm under the relentless emotional requirement with only a faint wisp of humor to lighten things up. Melancholy overload anyone? No? But if you make it to the end, you'll have received an unexpected cathartic cleansing and a life lesson in your pocket that is hard, but beautiful in its truth. Once you stop blubbering, that is.

Having gone to see the film on the recommendation of two renowned film critics, I just had to share my review. This film is not a classic and is nothing like or even close to the beauty, fantasy or story of Pan's Labyrinth which has been a comparison.There are other monster, dragon, fantasy films that are much better.Apart from the last 30 minutes which are admittedly very well acted, tearful and sad, most of the film is a disappointment losing it's story line and identity along the way. The child actor is good but the rest do not not engender warmth into their characters. In short it is a film that does not worthy it's current 7.8 rating.

A MONSTER CALLS is another film centred around the folklore figure of the 'tree man' already thoroughly explored in everything from GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY to LORD OF THE RINGS and THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA. This time around he's a friendly creature who visits a mixed-up young boy to tell him stories in the dead of night. It turns out the kid's mother is dying of cancer, so the tree man is there to help him cope and grieve. Yeah, it's a rather cynical film that goes for the obvious approach throughout, but merely comes across as depressing. The actors fail to really get into their roles and a miscast Sigourney Weaver and her off-putting British accent don't help, although Toby Kebbell comes across well as always. The tree man scenes go overboard on the CGI and Liam Neeson merely reprises his Aslan role with a voice full of gravity. I found the whole thing hugely predictable, copying the likes of THE BFG somewhat shamelessly, and imparting a message that would take 10 minutes tops to film.

(RATING: ☆☆☆☆ out of 5) THIS FILM IS RECOMMENDED. IN BRIEF: A visually stunner caught up in the undergrowth of its own conventional storytelling. GRADE: B SYNOPSIS: A child suffers the harsh realities of life and retreats to another world. JIM'S REVIEW: J. A. Bayona's A Monster Calls is a visually imaginative downer of a tale about a young boy who must learn to cope with grief. Based on the award-winning children's book by Patrick Ness and adapted by the author himself, the film uses animation and live action to tell its tale of woe. The results of this dark tale are enlightened by stylish direction and a highly effective performance by newcomer. Lewis MacDougall. Mr. MacDougall plays Conor O'Malley whose life is filled with too many harsh realities: a mother suffering from terminal cancer (Felicity Jones), a distant grandmother (Sigourney Weaver) and a more distant father (Toby Kebbell), a cruel bully (James Melville). Real life offers no solitude, so Conor retreats to an imaginary world which brings with it a giant yew monster (Liam Neeson). During his visits, the tree creature provides some respite for Conor. He gives him sage advice by telling some stories to help this child through the darkness to find some solace in the real world. A Monster Calls is more of an allegory and the film's narrative structure uses the format of interspersing animated vignettes as parables to the parallel story of Conor and his terminally-ill mother. Yes, the film is manipulative from the start, with its undeniable melodramatic set-up and ultimately tragic conclusion. The real world story is dull and so relentless in its brooding melancholia compared to the free-spirited other worldly realm and, at times, this reviewer wanted to stay in the latter. But the filmmakers treat their serious subject with such dignity and honesty, avoiding the maudlin and sentimental for the most part. There is so much to admire about Mr. Bayona's film. (The subject is not an easy task to sell to the general public. Not surprisingly, the movie is doing lackluster business in the States, although globally it is doing well. Nowadays, American moviegoers are looking to escape reality, such like the main character.) Technically, the film soars. From Oscar Fuura's stunning photography to Fernando Velazquez's haunting music score, the film looks death squarely in the face and celebrates life. Seamlessly edited by Benat Vilplana and Jaume Marti, A Monster Calls uses its sumptuous visuals to its advantage. With swirls of bright watercolor washes adding a vibrancy to the film's story-within- a story format, the film efficiently contrasts the real from the unreal. Kudos to director Bayona and his team of artisans on their handling of this delicate theme. The lead performances are all first-rate, Mr. Neeson voices the Monster perfectly and his motion capture performance is wonderful and so heartfelt. Ms. Jones brings superb understatement to her role as Conor's sickly parent. Her chemistry with Mr. MacDougall seems genuine and authentic. This young actor, in his film debut, is remarkable and runs the full gamut of emotions without one false note. Providing supporting work in their rather stock roles are Ms. Weaver and Mr. Kebbell who are merely serviceable, possibly due to the writing and characters. A Monster Calls is indeed a Grimm tale, but one that deserves your attention. And be forewarned, bring a hankie with you.