Hotel Transylvania

I went to see Hotel Transylvania last night in a small group of adults aged 24-30 and I LMAO as did the others. The theater was packed with little children who mostly laughed at not really funny parts and adults who laughed when the children were quite silent. The story is about Count Dracule trying to raise his only child safe and sound away from terrifying humans and invites all the monsters to his hotel to relax and celebrate his very young daughter's 118th birthday which is accompanied by a surprise visitor!

This is a really funny movie with a simple predictable story line and tons of characters that you will love. My favorites were the zombies who were the hotel staff and it took them forever to finish a task. I recommend this movie to anyone who like monsters ( so afraid of a little boy licking ice-cream)and want to have a good laugh and take a break from Disney.

I gave this a complete 10 because both the wife and I (as well as the other movie-goers -going by their reactions) thoroughly enjoyed it from the beginning to the very end.

Was it predictable? Of course. Its an animation geared towards children (what would you expect?) -but like most of the animation movies of today, there were quite a few 'hidden humor' spots as well which would be completely missed by the younger audience (not unexpected since it is the adults, after all, who are forking over the bread and it doesn't hurt to keep THEM entertained as well). The movie is fairly fast-paced and the animation well done. I'm usually a little apprehensive when I've harbored good expectations from a movie based on clips/previews, but in this case I felt it truly delivered. This one will be added to our library when it (eventually) hits the shelves. Too many people look for a great amount of depth and unpredictability in animation movies -but THAT is a bit unrealistic (no pun intended) -think about it: These things USED to be called CARTOON MOVIES for a reason. They weren't intended to fit that kind of expectation. They ARE intended to be fun -and this movie is just that: FUN.

Hotel Transylvania stars: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James and David Spade. It goes for approximately 90 minutes. It fails to deliver GREAT 3D moments although some could be classified as 'GOOD'.

The first half of the movie is what is called 'Jokes Are Failing' Syndrome. Although they do crack in a couple of good laughs in the first half, majority don't live up to expectations that animations nowadays do. Too many slapstick moments and unnecessary forced jokes... NOTE TO FILM-MAKERS: If jokes are forced... Don't even bother with the joke!

The movie has heart though, which kind of makes for it's first half. The second half however is fun, cool, funny and surprisingly a bit thrilling! It does have it's fun moments... I will admit. Although some of the 3D doesn't work I still found it to be a good animation... Is it the best animation of the year? NO WAY! But is it great as an animation? No, not really it is what I call 'A good animation if you just let your mind do nothing!' A B from me.

Hotel Transylvania has a simple concept: classic campy monsters staying in a hotel where humans are not allowed because they think we're evil. It doesn't sound too fresh but it looks fun. Behind this concept is a father-daughter-relationship that seems to follow the footsteps of other great recent animated films. The result is, it's not getting there yet but it's still as delightful as it's suppose to be. It's one of those films that it's so crazy, you'll instantly like it. Most of the gags are clever and ridiculous. Overall, it's an endless fun entertainment.

Though, the film sometimes feels like a mediocre animated kids film. Generic family film elements are there but they are used in a different way. There is often slapstick and toilet humor but the gags are best when it's outrageously absurd. Every set pieces are swift, quirky, and exciting. The voices of the characters sound silly at glance but the actors made them pretty likable.

When the craziness slows down, there's a sweet bit of Dracula's relationship between Mavis and Jonathan, and some brooding. The drama is a little effective. It's not as strong as most recent animated films. It's more focused at being fun and hilarious. It's great when it stays to the roots of a cartoon like showing peculiar looking characters acting like lunatics. The best laughs are when the monsters are expressing their misanthropy in a ludicrously paranoid way, and when they're just making fun of each other. Mainstream pop culture song numbers kind of tone things down, but the song number at the end didn't affect the breathtaking and emotional climax.

Hotel Transylvania is good enough for the whole family even though it's raucous. Fans of the animation genre would enjoy this a lot more. Since it's directed by a cartoon expert, it contains a lot of absurd and exciting scenes that is similar to his shows. Although, some might expect something more since many animated films these days are deeper and powerful, leaving the old habits behind. Hotel Transylvania still has the heart but it's just not as compelling as the others. If you're in for the joys then this will give you a good time. My rating may be too high, but this my thing. I always enjoy this kind of animation.

I went into this movie really with no expectations. I had only seen a few fragments of commercials and got nothing at all interesting from them. So, WOW, was I surprised and impressed when I saw it!! The movie was a creative story, quick moving action, funny, heartwarming, visually interesting and sometimes surprising - this film had a lot of great things going on, and I found myself really engaged and far more interested in the characters than I would have guessed. Sure, there were a few "as if" moments, but for the most part I found it to be fun, funny, and a film I heartily recommend! Kudos to the writers, voice actors and animators.... With a youngster in my home, I'm sure we'll be seeing this again soon.