Humanity Hallows Issue 4 Out Now!
Pick up your copy on campus or read online
By Joanna Shaw
Illustration by Jim Kay
Based on the original idea of the late children’s writer Siobhan Dowd, and brought to life by popular Young Adult author Patrick Ness, A Monster Calls is the heart wrenching tale of twelve year old Conor O’ Malley, and his slowly ailing mother. Conor knows that his mother will get better somehow, that’s what she keeps telling him. There will be a medicine or a cure. One night, at 12:07am, a monster arrives at his window, and proceeds to tell Conor three stories that will change his life forever.
Without a doubt, this book caused me the most pain I have felt when reading a book in a very long time. As an adult, you know the true ending of the story, but you certainly aren’t prepared for what the monster tells you as the reader. To see the heart-breaking story brought to life was a cinematic triumph. As Patrick Ness himself wrote the screenplay, anyone with the knowledge of the story will know that not one single detail will be missed out.
The animation of the monster itself and the watercolour effects of the three stories he tells are flawless. The blending of nature and folklore perfectly weaves itself into the plot of a young boy struggling with his emotions. The monster teaches him to control them and manipulate them, and finally, to release them.
The casting was so accurate. Newcomer Lewis MacDougall is certainly going places in his acting career. He perfectly portrays the tormented teenager, who really cannot understand why he is being lied to. The additions of Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones and Toby Kebbell to the cast make such a believable on screen family, all dealing with the situation in their own ways. Liam Neeson makes the perfect monster. His deep growling tone voicing the terrifying, yet strangely comforting, presence, pulls the viewer into listening to what he has to say.
Overall, this film is beautiful and painful. It wouldn’t be surprising if it was nominated and wins in the upcoming awards season. However, be warned, this film is enlightening, yet it has a beautifully awful, bittersweet ending.
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