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Friday, April 19, 2024
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HOLLYWOOD HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA
EDITOR'S PICK
`Hotel
Transylvania` - a mad monster party (IANS Movie Review)
"Hotel Transylvania" as a 3D animated film is hardly ground-breaking,
but with its kinetic sense of energy, it is a visual treat for the eyes both
young and old. It is an endearing tale about an overprotective father and his
intent on sheltering his beloved daughter.
Dracula built the massive Hotel Transylvania so that monsters could have a good
vacation away from monster-hating vicious humans. Apparently, he had lost his
wife to a dubious crowd when his daughter was small. This hotel is now the most
sought after holiday destination for non-humans.
The film celebrates Dracula`s daughter Mavis`s coming-of-age, 118th birthday.
The guest list reads like a who`s who of Universal`s classic movie monsters of
every shape and size. Everyone from Frankenstein to Wayne the Wolfman to Griffin
the Invisible Man - all have a warm bed waiting for them at the hotel to be
followed by the grand celebrations. But Mavis wants to go out and see the world.
She wants to see humans. The horrified and over-protective dad goes to absurd
lengths to keep his daughter from doing this.
Things take a worrying turn when backpacker dude Jonathan strides into the
hotel. Dracula tries his best to keep Jonathan away from his daughter. He finds
his plan falling apart when Mavis develops a crush on the mortal newcomer while
dreaming of life outside of the sprawling castle she`s never left.
And once the festivities get underway, control freak dad Dracula loosens up
while learning that being a good parent means knowing when to let go and the
result is obvious.
With quirky character designs and carefully detailed sets, Tartakovsky and his
team make the most of the animated format. They manage to capture the gigantic
castle and the various creatures` casual moves very smoothly, which would have
been difficult in a live-action film.
Also to add credence to the visuals, Tartakovsky has very ably managed to match
the stellar voice cast with his characters. Adam Sandler as Dracula and Andy
Samberg as Jonathan are charming. Also Kevin James as Frankenstein, Fran
Drescher as Eunice, David Spade as the Invisible man, Selena Gomez as Mavis and
Steve Buscemi as Wolfman are worth mentioning.
What keeps the film moving at a rapid pace is the good humour jokes and gags on
familiar monster lore. Also, with a lot of obscene gags, the co-writers Smigel
and Baynham have ensured they cater to the front-benchers.
Apart from this, the movie in its entirety is a feel-good, fun movie which is
not scary enough. In fact, it is funny in the positive sense. In short,
"Hotel Transylvania" is one mad monster party that`s well-worth
attending.
Welcome to the Hotel Transylvania, Dracula’s (Adam Sandler) lavish five-stake resort, where monsters and their families can live it up, free to be the monsters they are without humans to bother them. On one special weekend, Dracula has invited some of the world’s most famous monsters – Frankenstein and his bride, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, a family of werewolves, and more – to celebrate his daughter Mavis’s 118th birthday. For Drac, catering to all of these legendary monsters is no problem – but his world could come crashing down when one ordinary guy stumbles on the hotel and takes a shine to Mavis.
