Are we seeing a resurgence of Amblin-style movies about kids and their encounters with alien creatures or friendly monsters? It sure seems that way with Jeff Nichols' Midnight Special and Steven Spielberg's The BFG. And there's one more you can throw at the end of that list, and it's A Monster Calls, an adaptation of Patrick Ness' novel, and an impressive new trailer for it is here.
Directed by J.A. Bayona, who helmed the disaster drama The Impossible, the film stars Lewis MacDougall, Felicity Jones, Sigourney Weaver, Toby Kebbell, and Liam Neeson as the voice of the titular monster. The dark tale centers on a troubled young boy who copes with his mother's illness and bullying at school by venturing into a world where monsters exist and other fairy tale creatures exist. There he learns about bravery, faith, and courage, in order to deal with his problems in the real world.
Bayona was able to pull off some impressive visual feats in The Impossible and his breakout film, The Orphanage, but he's really outdone himself here. A Monster Calls opens October 14th.
