A truly great fantasy fairy tale movie is a rare thing. In the ‘80s, films like The Dark Crystal, The Neverending Story and Labyrinth made the cut. Guillermo del Toro’s early films, The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth, are worthy additions. And next year, we may need to add a new one to the pantheon.
It’s called A Monster Calls, directed by Juan Antonio Bayona (who did The Impossible and The Orphanage) based on the book by Patrick Ness, who also wrote the screenplay. Despite it not being released until October 2016, this first teaser trailer just came out and it looks fantastic.
That’s a hell of a cast too. Felicity Jones, Liam Neeson and Sigourney Weaver, plus Toby Kebbel is in there as well. So what’s this about? Well, a young boy (Lewis MacDougall) is dealing with not just his classmates bullying him, but his mother (Jones) being ill. This really messes with his head and, to cope, he “escapes into a fantastical world of monsters and fairy tales that explore courage, loss, and faith.”
A Monster Calls opens October 14, 2016.
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