Review of Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018) by Illerateduck — 26 Mar 2020

TL;DR Mediocre but likable film.

Hotel Transylvania 3 will probably keep young children entertained for its runtime but anyone else should go in with low expectations and try to enjoy the film for what it is, rather than what it is missing.

The plot revolves around Dracula and his family taking a holiday on a cruiseship and it does not grow or evolve past that in the slightest. There is a theme of acceptance but it is touched on in a superficial way.

The characters are fine. Dracula easily has the most screen time and has a fun little character arc about finding love. His daughter Mavis pops up every now and then but doesn't have much to do (apart from one scene in the latter third of the film) and doesn't have a character arc at all. The relationship her and Dracula have is easily the most enjoyable aspect of the entire film.

Animation is crisp and competent, nothing really stands out though. Likewise with the soundtrack (the songs at the very end are something I imagine most people would have heard ad nauseam).

The are quite a few visual jokes with the monsters which mostly fall flat. Maybe that time would have been better spent developing the themes or the characters instead of bland jokes.

Overall, the film is not bad but it is entirely forgettable. It is inoffensive, like a cold bowl of porridge. I would only recommend it as a way to kill time.