Hotel Transilvânia 2

Just got back from seeing it in theaters, and let me tell you, there were several moments when just the kids would laugh, and moments when just the adults would laugh, and even moments when everybody laughed. This is coming from a guy who doesn't watch a lot of "kid" movies, and I can tell Adam Sandler wanted more than just kids to enjoy it, so he threw in child-raising jokes, nipple jokes, and a few other jokes and themes that go right over your average kid's head. And of course there's silliness plentiful for the kiddies to enjoy.

If you're reading reviews, you should already be familiar with the plot, which in a nutshell for those who aren't, is basically the two kids from the first one are older and married and have a kid, who the grandfather, Count Dracula, hopes is a Dracula/monster like his own bloodline, but it doesn't seem to be the case. So family relationships are slightly strained in this movie as Dracula wonders if he'll be helping to raise his vampire grandson, or watching his human grandson and human son-in-law and vampire daughter move away and leaving him behind alone in his hotel, to go live with *gasp* HUMANS.

So on top of it being hilarious for everybody, there's a lot more to it as well. Obviously if you're a fan of the first Hotel Transylvania, it's a guarantee you'll enjoy this sequel. The style of animation is exaggerated, highly sporadic, like a human gas molecule with ADHD and an IV inserted coffee bag. There is a lot going on in almost every scene, and with the characters behaving so hyper, it may take a couple viewings to take in all in. The humor is quick, very in your face, but welcoming. And trust me, humor is a-plenty.

There are a few minor flaws; while tailored to two separate audiences, obviously there will be moments where one side will feel out of place. Either a child will cock their head to the side in puzzlement and maybe laugh but only because the adults are, or an adult will think to themselves "well that was just weird." And yes it's mostly a kid's movie so much of everything is easy to swallow.

Go see it, even if you don't have kids, it's a fun, easy-going flick that's sure to make you jiggle with joy like Blobby. The characters are fun and diverse as before, humor is constant, and for those sticklers out there (you know who you are), the plot exists and it flows sufficiently enough to follow, and at a reasonable pace. So bust out your popcorn and brain juice, and enjoy this light-hearted comedy.

Now Dracula's (Adam Sandler) Hotel Transylvania is open to humans, things for him are changing for the better. Not everything is going right for him since Dracula is worried that his half-human grandson Dennis (Asher Blinkoff) hasn't yet shown his vampire side. To help with this, Dracula asks his monster friends The Invisible Man (David Spade), The Mummy (Keegan-Michael Key), The Werewolf (Steve Buscemi), and Frankenstein (Kevin James) to help him train Dennis to be a monster while Mavis and Johnny (Selena Gomez and Andy Samberg) are away on vacation. Things for them then get more complicated when Dracula's old-school father Vlad (Mel Brooks) pays an unexpected visit.

I am an adult but I'm not afraid to admit that I like to watch animated kids films. Maybe it's because they remind me of my childhood. To me the things that make a good animated film are it sounds it simple but good animation and a good story, not a stupid story that just doesn't make sense. I hate stories that don't make sense because it just makes me feel bad for kids who keep fooling for it. Suffice it to say, this one has both. Like the first film, the animation isn't groundbreaking but I thought it looked good on the theater screen. I saw it in 3D which it gave it some nice touches bringing the monsters and the intricacies of the castle to life but I think it would be just as good without it. I thought the story was better than the first film as it focused more on the family aspect than the hotel itself. The film was more about the Dracula and Mavis relationship which I thought was the secondary focus of the first film. I liked this direction better as I greatly enjoyed the scenes between Dracula, Dennis, and all the other monsters. There are just as many, or maybe more funny moments and one-liners than the first film. There are still funny moments involving the other monsters in the hotel but those are toned down from the first film. The jokes were a little less stupid than the first film but I still found them funny for the most part. I think (and possibly others) that if the film was just more of the same, it would have been quite boring. I didn't think it was. Just like the first film, I thought the voice work was good all around and Dracula was still my favorite character. I also thought he sounded less like an Adam Sandler character than he did in the first film. I thought the film's message wasn't as good as the first but it was still good. When compared to top animated films, this one does not come close but it is still a cute film and an enjoyable experience for both kids and adults alike.

Score: 7.5/10 keithlovesmovies.com

Well, many people says this movie sucks but I think they are saying it because Adam Sandler is in the movie but I think this is a good movie, it's funny, is not trying to be something it is not because is not a movie with a super message obviously no, it knows that is just funny, the animation is beautiful, the mayority of the characters are OK but it have some flaws and they are: it have some characters that are in the movie just because they have to be on it but they really unnecessary and boring characters. The opening scenes feel very accelerated and many things pass so fast that you can't pay attention to all of them. I would say that is as good as the first one but I think that isn't better and they are in the same place, none is better than the other. Well I'm going to give it an 8.2 of 10, it's a good movie that is really enjoyable to watch.

2012's Hotel Transylvania was kind of a surprise. Though it's still riddled with pop cultural references, but its flavor wondrously resembles to the director's cartoon shows in the 90's which brings visual and comedic nostalgia, in the CG animated form (or it's basically just acknowledging us that this type of animation still exists.) Revisiting the same gang with the same people behind it can be welcoming, maybe a little worrisome when it comes to plotting. The prediction can be somewhat true; the craziness and heart remains, but the narrative is too busy, even without much development, even compared to its predecessor. What exceeds the expectation is the theme it handles is a lot interesting. Overall, it brought enough nuttiness for the fans and brought enough sweetness to everyone else.

While the first one was about overcoming the monster's misanthropy, Hotel Transylvania 2 is about trying to accept humans, even though Drac haven't fully let go of his old nature. And the setup starts from Dracula's daughter, Mavis, marrying a human, Jonathan, then transitioned to them having a baby. And the main conflict here is their son not inheriting the vampire gene may lead the couple to live in a normal human town. And just like what the trailer shows, the movie mostly runs with Dracula pushing his grandson to become a vampire, assuming that he may just be a late bloomer. And these scenes don't exactly make a clever narrative, they are basically just one gag to another, while we occasionally see the kid's parents trying to fit in the human world. In spite of still being entertaining and funny, the plot doesn't seem to actually move forward. It's like it's just playing around until it decides to proceed or something. But at times, it's sort of hinting something more heartfelt; like how Mavis feels like she is being somewhat patronized in the human world or how young Dennis is getting tired with Dracula's demands. And it's surprisingly more engaging to watch, even though the gags are already pretty fun.

It doesn't go deep, obviously, but it makes up a lot after an almost extravagant extent of punchlines. The animation is still crazy looking which brings distinct appeal within their unhinged facial expressions, energetic movements and freely constructed action. Even for jokes where the punchline is just being awkward (for no particular reason,) it sort of perfectly fits with this type of visual. The humor is best when it is spoken by the animation. The voice acting is still delightful, with Adam Sandler still bringing the heart in Dracula. The rest just gave these already lively animated characters more personalities.

Hotel Transylvania 2 is pretty entertaining, despite of not handling any subtle narrative, though I don't think many would be asking for that, but I may be a good suggestion. Maybe the only main disappointment is it's probably not as outrageous as its predecessor. I mean it's not totally restrained, of course, you would definitely still find a lot of crazy animation and wonderfully absurd facial expressions here, but maybe not as insane as the first movie did. I don't know, maybe it's just my expectations of witnessing more images to delightfully laugh at like the scene where Jonny was trying to scare a rat. And even the verbal humor where they were playing charades with the Invisible Man. But again, it's just my expectations. It's still pretty funny. The only worst thing you may find here are the blatant Sony products and I don't exactly know how you can shrug that off. Anyway, the movie still carries a much better message in the end, about being treated fairly, no matter how different you are to others. It shows it well and it seems pretty sincere. If you're not into this type of absurd animation, then at least its final note could make everything up to your viewing.

With Disney and Pixar reigning over animation genre, it's hard for other studios to compete against their emotionally engaging tales. Hotel Transylvania 2, while not particularly incredible, is unexpectedly funny and enjoyable. The large cast of fumbling monstrosities and the nocturnal vampire household deliver enough charming wit for a few simple warm laughs.

Story follows Drac and friends as they welcome the newest member of the half-man half-vampire family. The boy is clearly a cuddly bait for empathy, in fact many of its adorable gimmicks are built to relate to casual audience. This admittedly might feel cheesy at times since the movie opens up with overly comical tone.

However, once it hits the midway point, it warms up pretty well. The odd union between man and vamp is strangely relatable. Mavis is a good character, she's youthful, full of curiosity and also naturally protective of her son. It makes a good contrast against Johnny's family, which is a cynical take on suburban parents. The couple compromises on different often trivial things, and despite being parents they are still exuberant, identifiable to both young and old.

Drac and his merry band are vanilla version of monsters. Each of them produces a couple of timely funny gags, so they don't seem crowded. Visual cues help a lot, not only on creating slapstick humor, but also emotional body language which is occasionally interesting when monsters perform them.

There's an underlying message of acceptance, a closer touch on prejudice. It's not entirely spectacular but still a strikingly effective analogy. Most of the humor comes from pop culture references and physical jokes. These may seem excessively flashy, but oddly enough, they are whimsically tickling, especially those on second act.

Hotel Transylvania 2 is teeming with average family comedy troupes, although it also brings healthy dose of clever quips and cordial value to merit a viewing.