HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3: MONSTER VACATION
US, 2018, 97 minutes, Colour.
Voices of: Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Sandberg, Kathryn Hahn, Mel Brooks, Fran Drescher, Steve Buscemi, Tara Strong, David Spade, Kevin James, Keegan-Michael? Key, Chris Parnell, Jim Gaffigan.
Directed by Genndy Tatatarkovsky.
For audiences who enjoyed the goings on at the comically sinister Hotel Transylvania, this third in the series will be warmly welcomed. In fact, it will be doubly welcomed because the other two films were generally confined to the Hotel and this one moves away, well away.
A new element is introduced with an initial train ride, some of the monsters concealed with the ordinary passages passengers on their way to Budapest. But, who should arrive on the train with his anti--monster gun but the vampire Hunter, van Helsing himself. This means that there is initial confrontation – with, of course, the vampires and the monsters winning and going back to the hotel while van Helsing seems to disappear over a cliff and into the sea forever. (Not exactly, as we discover…)
While life goes on at the hotel, the passing of the decades, Drac becoming rather weary of his work at the hotel, his daughter Mavis, who is now teamed up with DJ Johnny, comes up with a practical suggestion. A holiday – an American style vacation. Just a reminder that Adam Sandler is once again enjoying himself as the voice of Drac with Selena Gomez as Mavis and Andy Samberg voicing Johnny.
They make a decision to go on a voyage – and it is something like a parallel of The Love Boat. The monsters, in all their array and disarray, the jelly blobs, Frankie Frankenstein, the invisible man and the spectacles, her enjoying the voyage and all the deck games.
However, the captain of the boat is Ericha (voiced by Kathryn Hahn). She seems to be doing a line for Drac and he is certainly ready to succumb, feeling a lot of romantic vibes. But, she reveals to the audience that she is intending to destroy Drac and that her name is actually Erica van Helsing.
There are a couple of ports on the way, an undersea volcano, a deserted island where they all have very elaborate picnic, and then the undersea city of Atlantis. This Atlantis is not unlike contemporary Las Vegas!
Everybody is enjoying the occasion, and Drac in some torment about Ericha, Mavis definitely taking a dislike to her. She has to climb a mountain through various obstacles to get a text which will help her achieve her mission., Charming as ever, Drac helps her through the obstacles and barriers, making her very emotionally confused but she delivers the text to Van Helsing who is still alive, connected to all kinds of machinery.
The conflict between the monsters and Professor is amusingly portrayed by a clash of music, Johnny the DJ helping out, Van Helsing playing on old harpsichord trying to drown out the opposition who rely on Good Vibrations and on everyone swinging to the Macarena.
Everyone, being refreshed by a sea voyage, happy to go home, romance and love in the air – and audiences wondering what they will do for Hotel Transylvania 4.
1. The popularity of the first two films? Audience response, relishing a sequel?
2. The style of the animation, Transylvania, the past and the present, the hotel? The voyage, on-board, the parallels with human voyages, The Love Boat? The sea, the underwater volcano, picnicking on the deserted island, Atlantis and the parallel with Las Vegas? The exotic locations?
3. The musical score, these are popular songs – and especially at the end with the confrontation with Van Helsing, Good Vibrations, Macarena and the choreography?
4. The popularity of the characters, Drac, Mavis and Johnny, Frank, the invisible man, the wolves, the jelly creature…? All being given plenty of action, plenty of comedy, plenty of special effects? And the human voice cast?
5. The opening, Van Helsing on the train, the monsters on the train, the confrontation with Drac? The continued pursuit, van Helsing losing, into the water? The irony of his being saved, mechanically reconstructed, still wanting vengeance?
6. Mavis and Johnny, their concern about Drac, his being alone, memories of his wife, family and friends? The work at the hotel? The suggestion of a holiday?
7. The scenes on-board, everybody relaxing, the humour with the variety of monsters paralleling ordinary crews human behaviour? Games on deck…?
8. Ericha, the Captain, Drac infatuated, misinterpreting her? The irony of her being a Van Helsing, her plots to get Drac? Yet the moments of attraction? The scenes together, the dancing, the dates? Mavis and her being unhappy, wanting to get Drac?
9. The experience underwater with the volcano, Drac eluding danger? The details of the picnic on the island? Ericha and her ambiguity?
10. Atlantis, the confrontation with Drac, supported by Van Helsing, her quest to get the emblem which would destroy the monsters? Drac saving her life, helping her to elude all the traps? Her change of heart? Leading to saving his life? Mavis and her suspicions, having to come to terms with reality?
11. Van Helsing, mechanical, his music, the score inside the emblem? His performance? Johnny and his knowledge of music, his tunes, choosing tunes to confront Van Helsing? Everybody responding to Good Vibrations? Then everybody dancing the Macarena despite people saying it was corny?
12. The happy ending, the reconciliation, monsters and monster hunters combining – and Drac remarking that reconciliation is good and that the monsters should not be as bad as their haters?
13. An enjoyable show, adult perspectives, children’s perspectives (for example the garlic sequence and breaking wind…?)
