"A Monster Calls" is an overly sentimental bore

The dramatic storyline in the fantasy-rich and visually stunning A Monster Calls is a bit too sentimental and sappy even for those who generally don't mind melodramatic fares.  Young Conor O'Malley (Lewis MacDougall) is a troubled boy whose mother is dying from cancer, and whose life at school is burdened by a mean bully (James Melville), a cliche of a character in every imaginable way.  So in order to escape his harsh reality, Conor uses his imagination to create a large tree monster (voiced by Liam Neeson), a creature whose purpose is to obviously mentor and tutor the boy in all the ways of life, and it comes across as an overly obnoxious teacher whose lessons are too old fashioned and preachy.  Director J.A. Bayona - whose creepy The Orphanage (2007) is one of the most under appreciated horror movies of this century - has made a film that is, I suppose, only half decent.  As much as it succeeds with incredible visuals and impressive effects, the film's screenplay drags with one too many tear-jerk moments, trying to leave its thematic imprint on the audience's brain like a scorching hot cattle-brand iron.  Resembling a more grown-up version of Spielberg's The BFG (another ambitious failure), A Monster Calls will likely confuse young audiences with all sorts of out-of-place emotions, all the while boring the adults straight to sleep.
C