A Roller Coaster Ride of Fun And Horror

Rating: 9/10 (2 October 2012)

I grew up on the Classic Universal movie monsters of the 30s and the 40s, so I definitely had to see this movie, and overall, I think it's a pretty strong movie with few weak points. Of its weak points, it has too many non-generic creatures. Dracula creates a hotel for monsters, but in the movie, "monster" remains unspecific. The castle is teeming with ghosts, walking dead, cryptids, mutant freaks, outcasts from society and a few mythological beasts. It could have been entirely devoted to ghosts, undead creatures and demons, but instead, it goes a bit too far with a few creatures that defy explanation and identification. The hotel is meant for these outcasts of society to exist alongside each other away from humans (shades of "Monsters vs. Aliens) – somehow forgetting that many of these beings were once human themselves. There is a buried political statement here about how society treats its outcasts, but the point is never addressed. However, this cacophony of contradictions is pushed to the background because the main plot is mostly about Dracula (Adam Sandler) being over protective of his daughter, Mavis (Selena Gomez). Mavis was originally going to be played by Miley Cyrus, but backed out. This works well to the film's benefit because Miley's Tennessee accent would not have worked for the sheltered daughter. Not only that, but Selena does pull off the innocent effervescence required for the character. As Dracula, Sandler's signature voice is practically unrecognizable with the thick Slavic accent and sounds at times almost exactly like Bela Lugosi. It is into this world that a lost hiker voiced by Adam Samberg wanders, and Dracula quickly tries hiding him as a relative of one of the body parts of the Frankenstein Monster, once again using the name of his creator. The movie has a fast and furious roller coaster parade of jokes and scenes; the best material comes from Steve Buscemi as the harried Wolfman as the father of a litter of kids who fail to respect him. At one point, Dracula asks straightly: "Do you have any kids left who still respect you?" There are also a few gags from Dracula suffering the indignity of years of bad Dracula impressions and alleged vampire misconceptions. When getting a look at "Twilight," he asks very forlornly, "Is this what my legacy has come to?" The movie has a top-notch cast of comedy actors including David Spade, Kevin James, Jon Lovitz, Fran Drescher, Molly Spade and Cee-Lo Green as the singing voice of a fat mummy. The animation is superb; it may not be as top-notch as "Brave," but then, why are we expected to have these 3-D movies compete with each other in animation? While the movie does tend to drag down on logic at times, it pulls together with the zest and appeal of a carnival fun house, and if the animation over the credits is any indication: I could see the movie siring an animated TV cartoon.