Hotel Transylvania (2012)

This week it was up and out to see "Hotel Transylvania" with the family.  It's October, and Halloween is right around the corner so why not.  It looked funny, and seemed appropriate for this time of year, and the kids wanted to see it and it's been awhile since we had a family outing at the movies.  So off we went.

The film seems to be written by committee.  There are no more then 5 writers listed in the credits.  Sometimes this can be a problem, but here it isn't.  Adam Sandler also seems to have been a bit more involved in creating the movie since he is listed as executive producer.  The film is released through Sony. 

To say I didn't have fun seeing the film would be an out right lie.  I did have fun.  There were some jokes that were funny, and the humor was very much geared towards the children, and yet I still had fun listening to my boys laughing, so the movie did what it needed to do, and that was to provide some family entertainment.

The movie is a fun little romp where monsters are not scary.  It's the humans that are scary, and poor Drac is trying to prevent his 118 year old daughter from finding out about how bad humans really are.  The cast is funny and the well cast.  From Fran Drescher to Steve Buscemi it's all good to hear them and see how the characters interact with each other.

But the movie is a one note wonder, and like I said it is geared to the little ones.  I'm sure the 3-D effect makes the movies somewhat interesting, but it's only a gimmick here, and provides nothing but some really cool interesting scenes to look at for the kids.

The film is great for a night or afternoon out with the family.  That the film was released at the beginning of October was a marketing stroke of genies since Halloween is right around the corner.  After all Halloween is becoming if it isn't already one of the most expensive holidays for families.  It's right up there with Christmas.  Every parent wants their child to have a good experience going to Halloween parties, and trick-or-treating, and we spend that all on candy, costumes, and accessories.

And why not?  It's a colorful time of year, and a movie that reminds us of monsters can't be all that bad.  Especially when it's a comedy.  I mean how many people still remember "Abbot and Costello meeting Frankenstein, or Dracula etc. 

I recommend the film for the family, but if you're expecting a really good Halloween film I'd suggest renting "A Nightmare Before Christmas".  Although you can do worse.   "Hotel Transylvania" is a fun film to see with the kids.  If you like 3-D go see it that way, but seeing without it did not hurt the viewing experience, and you get to save a little money in the process.  So you decide on that.

Judging from the crowd I saw it with I'm sure the film will do well, and why not.  It's the spooky season, and this film gets you in the right mood and while seeing it you may just get a chuckle out of it, and that's not a bad thing is it?