Book Review: A Monster Calls: The Art and Vision Behind the Film

I was taken aback by how thick this hardcover book is. It's one thing to know that it has 328 pages and another thing to actually see it. Turns out there are 82 pages of screenplay included.

This book is a very detailed companion to the making of the film. It has interviews with the actors, analysis of the themes, production process, cinematography, artworks, how they made the sounds, special effects, storyboards and of course the script as written by Patrick Ness. It even talks about make up, how the physical props like parts of the monsters were created, and the miniatures used.

The visuals included in the book are split between film stills, behind-the-scenes photos and the artworks. The photos are fantastic. As for the artworks, they look good too. They are mostly designs for the monsters. I love the art for the animated sequence that's created by Headless, an independent animation studio based in Barcelona. The colour choice is wonderful. Anyway, this is not so much of an art-of book since the film isn't an animation or based on some video games.

Overall, it's an insightful book that will give you a sense of appreciation into how films are are made, and also a deeper understanding to the themes portrayed in the film.

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This book was borrowed from Basheer Graphic Books for review purposes. You can order the book from them. Check with Basheer on Facebook.

A Monster Calls: The Art and Vision Behind the Film is available at Amazon (US | CA | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | JP | CN)

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This book was borrowed from Basheer Graphic Books for review purposes. You can order the book from them. Check with Basheer on Facebook.