Hotel Transylvania 2

"Hotel Transylvania" was enjoyable enough when I first saw it that I was curious about its sequel. "Hotel Transylvania 2" is funny but unlike its predecessor, which was sufficiently relatable throughout the viewing experience, good storytelling was sacrificed for laughs in the sequel. I also felt the movie was too preachy at some moments. By the end of the movie, only the kids are being catered to and not the parents. This can be a common problem with some other franchises and with numerous animated spin-offs. Another flaw with "Hotel Transylvania 2", which was also present with the first movie, is that the high speed of the animation by extension increased the speed at which the story was being told.

There is some hypocrisy in the movie. Drac takes Dennis to his old summer camp for vampires which has become too soft on its campers unlike when Drac was there as a child years ago. The reason why this to me is hypocritical is that today, most kids movies are not like the ones I grew up watching. This movie addresses the fact that kids today are spoiled and aren't being challenged enough but yet its climax fails to be sophisticated and mature. Even the climax of the original film was a little more serious and relatable to the whole audience than the ending in "Hotel Transylvania 2". Kids don't need endless slapstick and gags but rather a balance between that kind of humor and smart comedy. Furthermore, all comedy must be balanced with drama. The first film was a father/daughter story at its heart and the filmmakers did okay in creating relatable, serious story moments. The sequel tried to incorporate similar moments but they felt less sincere, partially because the dramatic moments were obviously metaphorical. A better way to send a message is to be subtle and the first film was a lot more subtle. As mentioned, the film also told its story at a fast pace just like its predecessor. Many conflicts between characters were resolved too fast such as during the argument at Dennis' party, not to mention Vlad's conversion to liking humans. Vlad appeared to be a pretty good character but we never had the time to find out for sure because he only shows up at the end of the movie. Another addition to the story right at the end was the gargoyles. It makes for a weak threat to our heroes when you introduce the antagonists late in the story. Another minor flaw I noticed was that if the movie takes place seven years after the first film, Johnny sure doesn't look 28 years old.

The level of humor in "Hotel Transylvania 2" prevented this film from being a waste of time because I enjoyed the jokes. Since the last film, humans and monsters have begun to co-exist and monsters have started using human technology. I get a kick out of the vampire navigator app for some reason. The video chat realistically replicates the real thing through the use of focus and lighting imperfections as well as hand-held movements. I found it funny how film explores the awkwardness of the in-laws trying to accommodate their child's new spouse. In the case of Mavis, Johnny's parents basically celebrate Halloween in order to make her comfortable. There is also Frank's selfie and Griffin's invisible girlfriend from Canada that get's you laughing. My favorite joke in the whole sequel is the reference to Gary Oldman's Dracula costume. I love humor that kids won't get but adults will and I am not talking about innuendo. I also enjoyed the Phantom of the Opera running gag. Johnny is every father-in-law's dream because he goes along with every plan Drac comes up with and that generates some humor too.

For some reason, Selena Gomez's performance fit her character's appearance better this time around. I was so impressed by how Keegan-Michael Key took over as Murray. You can't even tell there was a casting change from the previous film. The scenes between Winnie and Dennis are very cute mostly because these are not child actors doing the voices. As in the last movie, Adam Sandler’s daughter voices Winnie. Genndy Tartakovsky almost didn't reprise as director and I am glad he did, even though his love of fast-paced animation was once again a distraction. It also resulted in story problems. For this sequel, Sandler co-wrote the film and that may have been the cause for the silliness that dominated over the story more so than the last time around. If "Hotel Transylvania 2" hadn't been funny, I wouldn't have been impressed at all. I'm surprised they made a third film and the results weren't impressive either upon delivery.

3 Stars