Rating: PG
Runtime: 1 hour, 33 minutes
Director: Genndy Tartakovsky
Quick Impressions:
My three-year-old sat through this movie, a quiet victory that managed to dispel the bad mood that had enshrouded my husband for most of the morning.
Though it’s bright, colorful, and visually engaging (as you’d expect from a Genndy Tartakovsky project), Hotel Transylvania 3 is easily the weakest entry in the series, but my son didn’t know that. He is three. He hasn’t even seen the others.
The movie is also on my good list for finally addressing (and correcting) an issue that has bugged me about Hotel Transylvania from the very beginning. I absolutely loved the first movie. It’s charming, well acted, visually rich, silly, clever. But what is all this nonsense about, “You only get one zing!”?
That message drove me crazy from the second I heard it. I find the implications not only false, but damaging. Why tell children that true love can happen only once (or, for that matter, that you’ll recognize it instantly)? What if you zing with someone, have a big, beautiful wedding, and then later your spouse dies young or blindsides you with divorce or abandonment? What are you supposed to do then, just live out your days in dreary solitude, doomed with the surety that you’ve already experienced your one and only shot at love?
I think that’s a terrible message to give to children, far worse than any of the unfortunate life lessons they may glean from The Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast (which, apparently, brainwash little girls into reading abuse as love. I’m not convinced by such arguments, by the way. I think a twelve-year-old girl could watch Beauty and the Beast and come away thinking not, “Wow, I should instantly go marry a beast,” but, rather, “Wow, Howard Ashman was such a gifted lyricist. It’s so tragic that he died so young of AIDS. Maybe I could write lyric poems as a way of sharing what’s in my heart with other people.” In fact, I have to believe few girls come away from that movie thinking, “Gosh I wish someone would hold me hostage, so I could change him!” I feel like some of these complaints arise from deliberate misreadings of these movies, as well as the insulting assumption that girls make life goals based on cartoons. Parents, if you ever notice your kids making major life decisions based on Disney movies, please, for goodness sake, let them watch and read and experience more stuff!)
Okay, so I’ve gotten a little off topic here. But my point is, I’ve never liked Hotel Transylvania‘s ridiculous and pointed message that “you only zing once.” I don’t think children watching will instantly internalize the message and cloister themselves at thirty-five after the unexpected happens (or submit to some jerk at sixteen because they felt a zing at first sight and don’t want to ruin their chances forever). I’m sure most people won’t base their adult romantic lives on Hotel Transylvania. But there’s always that one kid who sticks dynamite in his ears and jumps off the roof after watching Looney Tunes. Why even include that “zing” nonsense? Maybe you could argue that the idea is essential to the story, essential to explain Mavis’s certainty in her quick attachment to Johnny. Okay, but then why not specify that it is a specifically monster thing and that it is never, ever wrong?
I don’t remember hearing that before, but in this movie, they clearly explain the “zing” concept as a phenomenon experienced solely by monsters that is never wrong. That moves the zing firmly into the area of monster lore and out of the realm of my scrutiny. So I applaud Hotel Transylvania 3 for clearing that up at long last. I truly do.
The Good:
Like I said, this movie is the weakest of the series so far, but there are still plenty of charming moments to make even grumpy adults smile and to keep difficult three-year-olds blissfully engaged.
The story focuses on Dracula, first lonely, then surprised to find himself falling in love for a second time. What?! How can he zing again? You only zing once, right? That’s what Drac thought, but as he discovers here, he was wrong. (Music to my ears.)
As always, Adam Sandler gives a fun, captivating performance as Dracula, and we enjoy spending so much time with him as he navigates his love life at sea. I just love the way the character looks, too. For me, the backbone of Hotel Transylvania has always been the mesmerizing line of Dracula’s body. I love the stark drama of the way the character is drawn and animated. Together, Genndy Tartakovsky and Adam Sandler portray one of the best Draculas ever on screen. (I’m serious.)
It’s also delightful to see most of the original cast reunited again. (I would have given Andy Samberg a bigger part, but Johnny does, at least, contribute significantly to the story at the end of the third act.) Even Mel Brooks is back as Vlad, and he has some charming moments.
Some characters (like Molly Shannon’s Wanda Werewolf) seem to have a slightly more prominent role on this outing, while others (like David Spade’s Invisible Man) more often fade into the background. But overall, it’s the same gang bringing the same goofy laughs and sweet endearing camaraderie.
The new locales liven things up a bit. The Gremlin airline is particularly fun, and like Dracula, the cruise ship is drawn with such a stark and captivating line. I love the way the ship looks when we see it from a distance. At first I wasn’t sold on the “taking a cruise” concept, but then I saw that the idea was to compare it to a cruise for any non-traditional, marginalized group. They did a lot with that comparison, I’ll admit. There’s a charming under-the-sea swim sequence that reminded me of old Bugs Bunny cartoons, and Ericka’s gut reaction to their family swim is pretty pointed (so is her forced reassessment). And who doesn’t love the idea of monsters decked out in glow bracelets, headed to a party on Atlantis?
Early on, we get a genuinely clever joke featuring an actual relative of one of Frank’s limbs (not an impostor like Johnny in the first movie) that includes a terrific little dance sequence.
And even though it makes absolutely no sense that a dog would not be allowed on a cruise ship full of monsters (some of which are snarling werewolves), the children’s efforts to disguise Tinkles as Bob result in some genuinely funny (if silly) moments. (The incongruity of the entire rule is funny by itself, of course, kind of the way it’s funny when a mouse has one dog as a pet and another as a best friend, in a famous example we all know well.)
Oddly enough, in the beginning, I hated the design of the villain. The attenuated Van Helsing basically turns into a steampunk Darth Vader to continue his pursuit of Dracula and the other monsters. I found Van Helsing creepy and annoying at first. But as the movie went on, he sort of grew on me. I mean, how can you hate Steampunk Darth Vader? To my own surprise, by the end, I realized that this version of Van Helsing was one of the highlights of the movie for me. I mean, how can you not love him? He’s a monster hunter who makes himself a monster to continue his monomaniacal pursuit of them. Also, as played by Jim Gaffigan, he’s such a goofy weirdo. I also liked the way Ericka (voiced by Kathryn Hahn) had a face like an evil, blonde Betty Boop. Her character design is really cool, a nice complement to Dracula.
Best Scene:
By far, the strongest scene in the entire movie is the “finding the old family” relic sequence. The animation here is inspiring, and the story elements are genuinely fun with Drac doing anything to protect Ericka, and Mavis equally determined to protect him.
In general, I think the movie is weaker than the other two, but not in this scene which is fantastic and includes some of the most delightful moments of the series.
Best Scene Visually:
Usually these movies have little visual jokes in the background which are often even funnier and more engaging than the main story. Hotel Transylvania 3 has fewer of these, but there are two great subplots that are almost entirely visual. One is the saga of Blobby, who apparently reproduces via seasickness. The other is the creation of Bob.
In terms of just looks, though, it’s pretty zany and delightful to watch the final dance sequence.
Best Action Sequence:
The opening action sequence is surprisingly intense. I was worried that my three-year-old would be scared because I had just reassured him that the monsters were “nice.” Van Helsing sure doesn’t seem very nice, and even though he soon begins to take the role of Coyote to Drac the Roadrunner, in the first scene on the train, he does come across as a legitimate threat.
The Negatives:
The writing of this installment needs to be sharper. The story is full of good ideas that aren’t sufficiently developed and for no good reason. The first Hotel Transylvania is packed with jokes. This one isn’t too crowded with material. There would be no reason not to pursue and develop some of the existing storylines.
Wayne and Wanda’s story arc is actually really funny when you take a step back and think about it. But as it’s happening on screen, it’s hard not to think at first, “A bit more needs to happen here.” Now that I’ve seen the movie, I realize, “It would also work if less happened, if the storyline were compressed.” The point is, the pacing in the development of their story feels off as you watch. It either needs more jokes as it’s happening, or their ultimate fate needs to come faster. The situation itself is extremely humorous, but there should be more jokes–or even just better dialogue–as it develops. Steve Buscemi and Molly Shannon are both so talented. They need better material (or a chance to generate more material themselves or something).
I also loved the quick joke about Frank’s gambling problem and the unfortunate results of losing a couple of hands. The movie needs more jokes like this. I think for every one moment like this, Hotel Transylvania 3 needs ten more. Either that or the characters need better, stronger dialogue between jokes.
Andy Samberg’s Johnny, certainly more a focus in the other two installments, needs much, much more to do in the first two acts of this film. Perhaps he could be Dennis’s co-conspirator (although I like Winnie). I realize the focus of the story is on Drac’s love life this time around, but Johnny needs something. Samberg and Sandler have fantastic comedic chemistry. We should see more interplay between them. That’s part of what makes the first movie so strong.
In general, every portion of the story holds such promise, but nothing much happens in all of these elaborately set up scenes. The concepts are good. The writing is thin. Sandler has a commanding presence as Dracula, but even he doesn’t seem to have much material to work with. The talent is certainly not lacking, but the screenplay needs a little punching up.
Honestly, the movie itself seems like a monster, a reconstructed skeleton maybe. Structurally, everything is where it needs to be, but the whole thing would be stronger if it were fleshed out.
Overall:
Hotel Transylvania 3 is weak in terms of script, but it’s still colorful and kooky enough to provide some escapist delight, particularly to young viewers. It also made my mother curious to learn more about Selena Gomez, which is probably a good thing because my daughter loves her music.