Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

A Monster Calls Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 28, 2017

A Monster Calls succeeds at striking a seemingly unobtainable balance between two narrative extremes. On one hand, the movie is deeply metaphoric. On the other, it's very direct. It's in how the story fuses these two disparate extremes that it finds its ability to explore the dichotomies, complexities, pains, and realities that is life for the human species, a species simultaneously blessed and cursed with awareness of emotional pains and physical sufferings and an understanding of how things work but not always why things happen. The film, which is based on a story conceived by the terminally ill Siobhan Dowd and penned by Patrick Ness after her death, deals in the most fundamental of human pains, the pain of loss (or pending loss, as the case may be) and the resultant physical lethargy and grief and emotional turbulence and weariness that accompanies it. It's certainly not a subject that's a stranger to the dramatic arts -- literature, cinema, stage -- but A Monster Calls handles it with a direct grace that serves as a comfort through hardship without dismissing life's very real and inescapable pains.

Conor (Lewis MacDougall) is at that age when he's too old to be a boy, too young to be a man. But a man he must be. His mother (Felicity Jones) is dying. Various treatments are not working, and she's largely bedridden, leaving Conor the head of the house and responsible for keeping it up. He receives little help -- only condemnation -- from his grandmother (Sigourney Weaver), and he dreads a plan that would see him move in with her. Conor, however, is a dreamer and an artist. He sleeps little, and every night, at the same time -- a few minutes past midnight -- a large, living tree (Liam Neeson) interacts with him. The tree tells Conor three stories and expects Conor to tell it a story on the fourth night. As Conor hears its tales, his life takes further shape as his mother's deteriorates.

The film is not a traditional entertainment vessel, a Fantasy film with rousing adventure. It's instead a Drama with a resounding message. It uses the fantastical as a device to define the human condition and the response to its greatest challenges. The titular monster -- the big, hulking tree, Groot on steroids and with a substantially greater vocabulary -- is less a character and more a symbol, representative of one's inner voice, not necessarily of logical reason but of understanding, a mechanism for coping with pain and understanding suffering at the emotional level. The tree tells Conor three stories, each of which reflects his place in the world and outlook on life. When it's time for Conor to tell his story to the tree, it's not all roses. The film doesn't handhold, pretend, or dismiss raw emotion. It's about preparing to face trial and coming to terms with pain, not dismissing it. The story pulls no punches. It's raw, it hurts, it's sometimes hard to watch. The reward isn't finding pleasure in it. The reward is understanding its purpose.

A Monster Calls is well versed in the cinematic arts. It's elegantly constructed, making use of grand, but seamless, visual effects and deep, but well defined, sonic intensity. But more than its eyes-and-ears support is a film that finely blends its grander pieces with its finer, more fragile elements. The contrast between the emotional intimacy and the tree's size, appearance, and the movie's occasionally frenzied sound design is striking. That the film manages to maintain an emotional balance between tenderness and body blows is truly amazing. Director J. A. Bayona (The Orphanage) and Cinematographer Óscar Faura (The Imitation Game) shoot the movie a little softly, a bit darkly. It's a mood that reinforces the story, harsh on one hand, welcoming on the other. Performances are excellent, particularly in the camaraderie between Lewis MacDougall and Liam Neeson's digital/vocal performance. Sigourney Weaver's accent is forced, but Felicity Jones is superb as Conor's dying mother.

A Monster Calls Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

A Monster Calls was digital photographed but enjoys a texturing more akin to a mildly soft filmed presentation. A few smudgy edges are apparent, but the image is otherwise clean and stable, nicely dimensional even in 2D. Detailing is never extraordinary. The film is mildly soft by its nature. Neither facial nor clothing details are of standout quality, but they fit the film's intended texturing nicely. Basic definition and clarity under the 1080p engine are noticeable, and the image is attractively complimentary. Colors are never striking beyond some flashes of fiery oranges within the tree as it springs to life. The palette is largely reserved with the movie favoring a bleaker, darker tone but not shying away from revealing its bolder colors with commendable accuracy and ease. Black levels, critical to so much of the film, are terrifically deep and revealing. Skin tones appear accurate within the film's intended stylings. Digital or encode artifacts are few and far between. This is a very good presentation from Universal.

A Monster Calls Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

A Monster Calls features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack that's fairly straightforward with the notable, and powerful, exceptions of several key moments with dreams and the tree. Each of the moments, and the bookend examples in particular, are awash in sonic mayhem. Bass is insanely powerful and the stage becomes swept up in major destruction that sends any number of distinctive pieces cracking, splitting, crashing, and rushing through the soundstage. It's all-encompassing and seriously active. Surrounds are occasionally engaged for other bits, including blowing winds and the resultant rustling leaves and grasses in a scene in the final act; the effect nicely saturates the stage and proves incredibly lifelike. Music is well defined and nicely spaced. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized, with the tree's booming voice the rumbly highlight. As with the film proper, this track is one of parallels and contrasts, with much subtlety often giving way to incredible sonic mayhem.

A Monster Calls Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

A Monster Calls contains two commentary tracks (in two languages), several featurettes, and several deleted scenes. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are included with purchase.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 6:22 total runtime): Conor and Dad, Conor and Grandma, Conor and Mom, Lily Forgives Conor, and We Used to Be Friends.
• The Making of A Monster Calls (1080p): A five-part feature. Each segment is partially in English and partially in Spanish.
• Introduction (1:21): Cast and crew quickly discuss the film and its essence.
• Building the Story (5:38): A look back at the original story concept and transitioning it to the original novel, the story's most crucial scene, story themes, characters and performances, actor research, and transitioning the story to the screen.
• Bringing the Monster to Life (6:40): A closer look at Liam Neeson's casting and performance, the character's real-life legend, creature design, and visual effects.
• The Perfect Cast (4:53): A discussion of characters and the cast that portrays them.
• Working with J.A. Bayona (2:00): Cast and crew discuss the pleasures of working with the director and the qualities he brought to the set and the film.
• Making of the Tales (1080p, 8:14): A look at the physical and digital construction processes of the film's unique animated tales, set to score.
• Audio Commentary: Writer Patrick Ness delivers the English language commentary track and covers the original author and outline, his involvement in the writing process both for the book and the screenplay, characters, actors and performances, inspirations, plot mechanics, and plenty more. There are some gaps in commentary. It's soft spoken but nicely informative.
• Audio Commentary: Director J.A. Bayonne delivers the Spanish language track. Track subtitles do not turn on automatically. This is obviously a more technically oriented commentary track that still covers plot mechanics, themes, characters, and performances, among other specifics.

A Monster Calls Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A Monster Calls is a difficult film to watch, and that's a large part what makes it a success. Tonally dark but hopeful, the movie is made of contrasts that center around the harsh realities of life but the process of grief and acceptance and understanding. It pulls no punches, never makes light of emotion, and doesn't pretend to offer a miracle, upbeat cure. It's a steady, honest film and one that will prove relevant for all at some point in their lives. Universal's Blu-ray is excellent, providing high-end video, reference 5.1 lossless audio, and a quality assortment of extra content. Very highly recommended.