Review of Hotel Transylvania (2012) by Thomas B — 05 Jun 2018

Animation: Some scenes were well executed, such as the flashback and the table riding scene, however some were fairly poor, such as the "monster granny" whenever she ate anything, and it seemed very rushed. Would give animation a 3/5.

Characters & Their Development: There is a wide range of characters in this movie, and in my opinion the amount chosen to be frontline characters was adequate and fitted the plot well. The main band of monsters, including Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster , The Invisible Man, the Mummy and the Werewolf were well portrayed as everyday people (for then being monsters). Johnathan and Mavis were a good choice as main protagonists, Johnny being the modern, hipster traveller and Mavis being the curious, eccentric young lady. Johnathan's shock after his introduction was probably, despite being rather childish, one of the funnier parts of the film. Overall character development was good for main characters, not much for other frontliners in the film, although this is understandable as they are based on their original mythological selves. An example of this is Frankie's (Frankenstein) fear of fire and his rage at encountering it. Also featured in the same scene are the humans dressed as monsters. These characters were very predictable, and their actions upon encountering the monsters were rather unlikely, to put it simply. Some characters had great potential that wasn't exploited. Would give character diversity and development a 4/5.

Plot, Events and Themes: The plot is very simple with a lack of story. I do, however basic, enjoy the principle of the Zing (a.k.a. Love at first sight) which was the primary theme of the movie, of course featured between Johnny and Mavis. This is my favourite notion of romance in a movie. I think it could have been better portrayed, as it didn't have much to offer during the film except for the scenes including their meeting and the first party scene. As a matter of fact, the characters that featured this love at first sight had good coinciding features; one wants to explore the world, the other already has etc. The plot could have been better. It was slightly interesting but seemed very average in terms of complexity. It completely lacked side plots, which did put me off. The most outstanding theme is the father-teen daughter tension, with Mavis being a very outgoing, curious character and Dracula being a very overprotective parent. This was a very typical theme, but it would seem rather atypical for a monster movie. The Halloween theme of the movie was very tame, with monsters lacking any real scare factor whatsoever, with the exception of Drac's sudden outbursts, which would only scare young children. Events during this movie were lacking a variety of setting. The general themes present in each place in the film are very monotonous. I understand this is set in a giant castle built for monsters but surely there could be more. Plot holes are present throughout the movie, however this is typical of children's movies. Would rate plot and themes a 2.5/5.

Comedy: For certain aimed at younger audiences. There was the occasional instance of comedy directed at older audiences but it was very rare. I could tell when it was aimed for older audiences as I watched it with my 5 year old brother. Whenever I let out a slight chuckle (again, rarely) he showed no signs of understanding the gag. It mostly consisted of fart jokes and toilet humour, implying it's aim at younger audiences. Is good comedy for said audiences however, as I can say for certain my little brother enjoyed it in that sense. If looking for a laugh, would not recommend for 11+. Rating comedy a 2/5.

Music: The songs performed were autotuned beyond imagination. It does fit with the subject of its use however. Monsters are supposed to have inhuman capabilities. Prior to encountering Johnny, the music the monsters performed was becoming of a bunch of folks that live to scare people. The sudden introduction of Johnathan's take on music gave rise to their own use of said music, and therefore I think that the autotune was intentional. Nevertheless, the lyrics are cheesy for every song and the final scene probably put most enjoyment of the movie to a tumbling halt. It was very cringe worthy music and the use of a rap from a vampire? Very stupid idea. The background music during other sequences was unnoticeable unless listened for. Giving music a 2/5.

Final notes: Above was my critical view of the movie. I personally enjoyed it. To restate, I love the notion of the Zing, which made me able to stand through the bad jokes and the up-down animation. The characters were well-fitting in the plot and the addition of Dracula's backstory as well as the introduction to the movie was a good move. Gave it a very family friendly feeling. For families I would rate this film a 4/5 as it has a great family feel and a happy ending, but would probably not be such a good movie for parents, unless they needed a feel-good film. Would rate 2/5 for non-family audiences, as the film was definitely not made for said group, however it does have relatable elements. I myself am 15 but I do enjoy the movie, so I will give it a personal rating of 4/5.