Max is lonely. He lives with his Mum and his older sister who has just reached her teens. She doesn't have time for him anymore. What makes life even harder to handle is the fact that his Mum is seeing a new man.

He's had enough. He decides to run away while dressed in a monster costume. He find a row boat, crosses an ocean and ends up on a strange island where he meets some very odd monsters.

They aren't friendly monsters, but he tricks them into thinking he's a monster too - their promised King, in fact. All doesn't go well though, as one of the monsters is a bit short tempered, not unlike Max himself.

This is a clever psychological film. Each of the monsters on the island represent a part of his personality and the family members. Its hard to explain, because if I'm honest, I found it hard to follow.

This is not exactly a fast paced film, either. Some kids are likely to get bored. So although it is based on a children's book of the same name, I'm not totally convinced that its all that suitable for children.

For that reason, I'm giving it just 3 smileys. Some people will love and appreciate this film for what it is, but I'm sadly not one of them.

see also:
Arthur Christmas, Up, Flushed Away, Cloudy with a chance of meatballs

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