90
J.A. Bayona has created an unforgettable, emotional experience with A Monster Calls, one that lets us grapple with our most basic human fears and worries, while lighting a beacon of hope that can shine through that darkness.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
75
It’s a touching scenario, and one so well-acted and laced with superb special effects that even its more obvious beats cut deep.
60
Screen International by Graham Fuller
The abutting of Conor’s conscious and unconscious states justifies the pullulating images, but the film’s overwrought tone can grate.
83
The Film Stage by Jared Mobarak
This film thankfully isn’t a dramatic piece gunning for awards glory, but rather a heartwarming adventure through the emotional landscape of a child unsure how to live. It is very sentimental, but that’s kind of the point.
90
The Hollywood Reporter by John DeFore
The fact that not every terrible thing can be remedied or appropriately punished is a tough lesson even for adults to learn, but A Monster Calls helps find the sense in it.
100
The Playlist by Kevin Jagernauth
This beautifully structured fable may be focused on the specific pain, of a specific child, during a specific moment in time, but it blows up every fragment of its premise into heart-stirring universal appeal.
91
Consequence of Sound by Marten Carlson
Mixing horror movie imagery with honest, heart-wrenching human truths, Bayona has created a dark, coming-of-age masterpiece.
60
Ultimately, it tries a little too hard to wring those tears.
50
We’ve heard the same lesson countless times before in other movies, and though it’s certainly impressive to see Conor’s anxieties manifest themselves in such a stunning Ent-like being, as monsters go, Bayona’s creation is all bark and no bite.
60
Time Out London by Tom Huddleston
There's a gripping, dark, truly monstrous film lurking in here somewhere, but Bayona seems hell-bent on keeping it at bay.