A Monster Calls: reviews

What the critics say average 8.6 from 5 outlets

• 10 The PlaylistKevin 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. Read
• 9.0 The Hollywood ReporterJohn 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. Read
• 9.0 The WrapSteve Pond Bayona?s take treads on territory that is more emotional and less fantastical, with the wallop that comes when we learn what?s behind those child?s fantasies. Read
• 8.0 IndiewireEric Kohn It's a touching scenario, and one so well-acted and laced with superb special effects that even its more obvious beats cut deep. Read
• 7.0 SlashfilmAngie Han "'A Monster Calls' is a story about the power of stories to help us process emotions and events too big to grapple with any other way. The film's refreshing honesty makes up for a lot of its less subtle manipulations". Read
• The VergeBryan Bishop "So good you won't care that you're crying (...) 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" Read
• ColliderAdam Chitwood "A wonderfully imaginative tearjerker (...) The filmmaker's ability to balance the fantastical imagery with the deadly serious real-life drama is swell, as neither feels like it's hindering the other. Read
• JoBloChris Bumbray "he's back with a complex, fantasy-drama that'll no doubt dazzle receptive audiences with its storytelling and world-building (...) Bayona's made an uncommonly intelligent family movie" Read