Random Movie Series Review - Hotel Transylvania

Yes I know it's not Halloween yet, but give that the third film is set on a cruise ship, I felt it be appropriate to do a review of these films now even though at the time of writing this not many of us are on said cruise ships. So this franchise was originally set out as a package deal which would see films made, video games made and lots of theme park attractions too. So far we have kind of got some of that which is good I guess. Most of you know that I don't particularly like Adam Sandler and pals because his jokes are pretty much the same as they have always been with no hope of him joining the band wagon of other comedians who have adapted their jokes towards modern times. On the other hand, I really like the director Genndy Tartakovsky who made his directorial debut with these films, but most of us actually know him more as one of the pioneers of Cartoon Network's original programming back in its early days. His work includes Dexter's Laboratory, the first cartoon about the Clone Wars in Star Wars and by far his most famous and beloved one of all, Samurai Jack. So it seems to be a match that surely should not work, but at the same time we have to remember that this is an animated series of films so maybe Adam Sandler and pals may actually be good animated. Well we shall see as I review the three Hotel Transylvania films:

Hotel Transylvania

Following the death of his wife, Count Dracula (voiced by Sandler) goes about making a monsters only five-star hotel as a means to provide the monsters a safe haven from the rest of the world. There he raises his daughter Mavis (voiced by Selena Gomez) and caters for many monsters including Frankienstien's monster (voiced by Kevin James), a mummy (voiced by CeeLo Green in this film, then by Keegan-Michael Key in the later films), an invisible man (voiced by David Spade) and a werewolf (voiced by Steve Buscemi) along with their respective wives and families. But during Mavis's 118th birthday, a human called Johnny (voiced by Adam Samberg) enters the hotel while oblivious to it being all monsters and no humans. His presence of course panics Dracula and he tries to get him out. But little does he know that his perspective may change forever. Sony Pictures Animation have been known to make fast paced CGI films which actually works well for this film in terms of the gags and various moments that lie within. Its definitely funny and has moments where it can shine. But as with most Adam Sandler films, it has some lazy writing and is also a little loud with perhaps too much pop music towards its end. 7/10

2

Seven years have passed and the titular hotel has since become a hotel that welcomes humans as well as monsters. Johnny and Mavis have a son called Dennis (voiced by Asher Blinkoff) which Dracula desperately wants to see become a vampire like himself and makes efforts to try just that while Mavis and Johnny explore the latter's world to see if it would be a suitable place to raise Dennis. Tensions brew among vampires and things soon get worse when an old school and human hating being from Dracula's past arrives at the hotel. While certainly an improvement over its predecessor, this film feels a bit predictable. We all know things will get bad between the main characters and we know that the main villain may turn out good in the end. But as for the fast paced action and jokes, they are alright. Again some work better than others, but at least this time the director was involved in the whole thing rather than nearing its completion like the first film. 8/10

3: Summer Vacation/A Monster Vacation

Many years before his hotel was even a thing, Dracula and company spend an eternity evading his arch-nemesis Van Helsing (voiced by Jim Gaffigan) on many occasions. But after many years of trying and failing, Van Helsing cooks up an elaborate plan to be rid of all monsters with help from his great-granddaughter Ericka (voiced by Kathryn Hahn) as Mavis brings Dracula and company onto a cruise ship to finally relax. What follows is some much-needed character development and all the things people do on a cruise. This film is once again an improvement and according to Rotten Tomatoes, it's the best reviewed film of the series so far. Faced paced action and colourful animation are all here. I also like that even though the main setting is not the hotel, it's nice to see the characters in something other than the hotel. All the things you could do in a new setting and environment and it's great. 8/10

The series so far is not perfect in any way. But it has charm, good comedy and great animation. It may not be the first time we have seen these iconic monsters as loveable comedy characters, but they are all good fun to watch even if the series borrows heavily from old school gags and other things. 8/10