WesternAnimation A Good Sequel to a Good Movie
I will always stand by the Hotel Transylvania is very underrated, and deserves more attention So I actually came into this movie with decently high expectations. And personally, it didn't disappoint.
All the cast from the first movie returns, and each one gives a great performance. Coming up on the heels of Pixels (which I have not, and do not want to see), its good to see a reminder that Adam Sandler can be good when given the right material. Also considering that he was one of this movie's writers, he's also pretty good at that too. Even the kid was pretty good, not being annoying at all. Mel Brooks may be promoted in the movie, but he's not actually in the movie until the last third. I feel like I should let that be known if someone is going to this movie expecting a MB fest, because its not. But he's still quite good in this movie as is.
Instead of rehashing the last movie's story, they continue it, with the characters going through different conflicts, with different motivations. The writing of this movie very clever, and very funny. There were more than a few times where I actually laughed out loud.
The animation is still great, face paced and zippy, perfectly fitting the film's tone. But when it needs to slow down, it does, and allows for properly emotional scenes to properly play out. Basically, it does everything that the last movie did right, but while still being its own thing.
If you liked the last movie, you'll certainly like this one. And if you haven't seen the last one, then watch it, and then watch this one.
WesternAnimation Great!... until the end
2 notes:
- Of course, this contains spoilers, but the important ones are marked. Still, it's better if you see the movie before reading this.
- I have seen the first one, but it's been a while, and I don't remember much about it.
I'd just like to say, WOW! For the most part, this movie is amazing! I think the movie's highest point is its animation. For example, the spiral of water Dracula creates upon turning into a bat, the Sesame Street parody, the Cakey suit coming to life thanks to Vlad's magic.) You can tell that the animators put in a lot of love. The soundtrack is also nice (The Phantom of the Opera even makes a short but epic appearance!) and the characters are mostly quirky and lovable.
While the writing is mostly good, the ending, for lack of a better word, sucks.
I guess it shouldn't bother me because this movie was aimed at kids and wasn't meant to be too deep, but still!
It all starts with Vlad's first appearance. Vlad himself isn't the problem, in fact, he's great. Mel Brooks plays the part perfectly. No, the problem is his assistant, Bela. Spoiler alert: He becomes the villain. The problem is that he's introduced so late that he gets no development and as a result is very uninteresting. This movie didn't need a villain, the only reason he and his cronies exist is to give the heroes bad guys to beat up. Not only that, but the movie argues that monsters are good guys, then hypocritically makes Bela's species Always Chaotic Evil. Besides, although it was painfully obvious he would turn evil, I was really hoping he wouldn't. He would have been a lot more interesting if he just stayed a Large Ham, but still a good guy.
On top of this, the ending suffers from Broken Aesop. Dracula spends the whole movie unable to accept that his grandson, Dennis, is a human, not a vampire. He becomes more accepting towards the end, but surprise, surprise, in the climax, Dennis turns out to be a vampire after all. Oh, so Dracula's Character Development was all for nothing, and you always get your way in life! What a great lesson to teach kids! Also, I hate the movie's portrayal of humans as total weaklings, while monsters, especially vampires, are practically Canon Sues.
In short, a good movie that falls apart at the climax.
WesternAnimation Decent First Act + Amazing Second Act + OK-ish Third Act = Fun Entertaining Good-time for all
Despite it's mixed reception, I honestly quite liked the first Hotel Transylvania. On the whole, while I thought it was flawed in terms of story, I felt it made up for all it's flaws with it's cartoony sense of wonder and overall fast-paced, fun energy. So it's lovely to know that the Hotel Transylvania 2 is every bit as good if not better than the first.
The film picks up where the first one left off, with Johnny and Mavis getting married. Though the first act is rather rudimentary, in how it rushes character moments and it's own plot, the animation is still splendid to look at and is by all means filled with funny gags. But in my opinion the best thing about the first act is that it does a good job setting up the superior 2nd act.
The 2nd act is absolutely hilarious. Wow, their such inventive gags and comedic moments that honestly had me laughing my head off. What makes it even better is that the comedic moments do a great job in showing how much you love these characters and are willing stick through them even as they are being incredibly stupid. At the same time you definitely get a feeling that new aspects of the characters are being explored (Mavis wanting a better life for her son, Dracula wanting his son to follow him as a monster) as this film makes a very smart decision by trying go in a direction that places more emphasis on character development. All while being absolutely hilarious
Unfortunately the amazing 2nd act gives way to an entertaining but middling 3rd act, that while funny feels rather rushed, with its sudden introduction of it's main villain as well as Dracula's father, who while funny is incredibly underdeveloped. Still they are many fun moments to be had, (I loved the Kakie the cake monster scene) but I can't help but feel as though the film would have been better if we had a more focused third act.
Overall, I had fun with this film, and would recommend it to anyone. It manages to not only be a well animated film with great usage of slapstick comedy, it's also a good example of a sequel that compliments and exceeds its predecessor.
I saw it once and I look forward to seeing it again.
WesternAnimation A welcome return with better ideas than conclusions.
If you know my general thoughts about the first movie, which I have reviewed here, you know my thoughts about this one. But let's get a bit more specific.
First off, the animation and comedy are still spot-on with loads of charm and perfect eye for tone. It's a joy to watch and produces tons of laughs, along with the voice cast, who does just as well.
The writing, however, almost feels a bit stronger and more complex here. There's a lot of commentary on issues like cultural sensitivity, tons about modern vs. tough-love parenting, and almost certainly the central conflict is an allegory for homophobia among other similar issues. None of it feels shoehorned or Anvilicious, but it's a story-supported message of tolerance, understanding, and love. What we got in the first film wasn't nearly as complex regarding these issues; the cleverest it got was Johnny actually calling out racism. But here, we get to see more about how monsters now interact with humans, the sensitive and the ignorant, and the main issue of the story is all about "fixing" a kid to be a monster, and how modern parenting may seem inane, but actually helps create better people.
There's some scenes involving reckless child endangerment, which are handled pretty well. There's no real comedy in the actual danger, and Mavis is rightfully pissed at what happens. I do sort of wish Johnny eventually turned on Drac for going too far as well, and he's the weakest character in the film here. His stupid slackerishness has been raised to the point of removing his depth, not helped by him outright declaring himself as a slacker.
The resolution to the identity of the child would have a hard time being satisfying no matter how they did it, because human, it'd be a retread of the first film, and monster, Drac would get what he wanted. Without saying what it turns out to be, I think it could have had a better approach.
Grandpa Vlad is a last-minute anti-human pressure to relieve Drac of the antagonistic role and allow him to prove he's learned his lesson, which feels clumsy.
While I loved the action sequence at the end, there really didn't need to be a bad guy to fight. They work it in, but as always, I would have preferred a less by-the-book structure. And there's another Dance Party Ending. Sigh.
I guess this film tries a lot more to be a stronger story and it gets a whole lot right, and has all the same charm and humor, but there are some confusing plot turns and some elements that really weren't required for it to be a good movie.