Fantastic!

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

'A Monster Calls (2017)' is the kind of 'fantasy as allegory' that's so often made all the less ambiguous, one way or the other, precisely because of its format. Film isn't quite able to achieve the kind of unspoken uncertainty that novels often inherently carry, considering the all-encompassing perspective of written fist-person narratives, but not every story is meant to work both literally and figuratively - though many often do and I can't speak to the intentions of the source-material (which I haven't read). My point is that some material perhaps has more impact if it makes itself as definitive as possible. Such is the case with this feature, which never really has any pretences about its more outlandish elements and always frames them as the coping mechanisms of a child - though the occasionally more tangible moment does break this illusion somewhat. While the stranger elements perhaps don't work as well as they would have in a piece totally told from the perspective of our unreliable narrator of a protagonist, the film comes together to tell a tale as old as time in a distinct way that actually allows it to be widely accessible and incredibly emotionally resonant, to boot. 7/10

This film is simply a beautiful masterpiece. It makes you care for the characters, feel sorry for characters. It has style and looks good. Music on point, acting on point, story on point! I've never cried to a movie, I don't get tears in my eyes. This might have gotten a little tear in the corner of my eye. This movie is just, fantastic. Watch it.

Warning spoilers!I passed on this movie when it was released theatrically and then on initial home video release. I found this movie in the 2 for $1 rental (blu-ray) at my local brick and mortar video store. On side note, great bass for home theater when the tree monster (voiced by Liam Neeson) walks and very good video quality.This is a well-acted, well-written and great story about a sad topic (terminal illness of a mother). Much like "Pan's Labyrinth" is not a fantasy movie for young children though both have fantasy elements. Still I think pre-teens on up in age are ok to watch this if they are willing to watch and then discuss this thoughtful movie.Amazing performance all around and especially by the actor playing Connor.Even lIttle touches (easter egg) in movie like blink and you'll miss it serve the story: e.g. old picture of Liam Neeson (as human) with his movie wife (Sigourney Weaver's) character. Too bad this movie "bombed" at the box office. Instead poorly written tent-pole movies like Star Wars 8 The Last Jedi collect the money and fill the theatres.

In fact both the title and the poster of this film are quite misleading. At first I thought it's just another fairy-tale-like story about a boy and a monster. Than I decided it's something more like mild horror story. However this picture is neither.What you'll see on your screens - is a beautiful and sad story about a kid trying to put up with inevitable. The kid with teared apart heart. The kid fighting and reconciling with his inner monster. The way the story line is presented appealed to me a lot. Half-fairy, half-real world shows us the world and situation through the boy's eyes. And no matter how gloomy, dark or sorrowful the atmosphere and plot could seem the end of the film is happy - the boy managed to accept the loss of his mother and to let her go... which was exactly the thing he tried to do all the film.