Review: Return visit to ‘Hotel Transylvania’ provides plenty of fun and laughs

Posted on October 2, 2015

By MARK VIOLA

I recently re-watched “Hotel Transylvania” in preparation for the sequel, the aptly titled “Hotel Transylvania 2.” I remembered enjoying the original and the re-watch produced lots of laughs along the way. Out of curiosity, I pulled up my review from  three years ago, thinking I must have given it a glowing review, only to be surprised that I called it an “enjoyable if average product” while noting it “doesn’t have much bite to it.”

Now I did recommend it to families, but after so thoroughly enjoying it in the present, I was expecting more praise.

As for the sequel, which returns director Genndy Tartakovsky and co-writer Robert Smigel along with nearly all of the voice cast, the second trip to the monster hotel is just as good and funny as the first, and perhaps even more so.

“Hotel Transylvania” was built on a pretty simple premise: what if all of the famous monsters we’ve been taught, from our childhood to adulthood, to fear are actually terrified of us? Add in an overprotective father, a clueless human and a “teenage” vampire about to celebrate her 118th birthday, and you have an enjoyable time.

The sequel builds on all of the successes of the original film, finding new angles on the riffs and storylines established in 2013, rarely relying on telling the same joke just because it worked before. Once again, we get great work from the talented voice cast, which includes Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, David Spade and Keegan-Michael Key (replacing CeeLo Green).

“Hotel Transylvania” was fun and crazy the first trip and it was even better during return visit.

The movie is rated PG for some scary images, action and rude humor.

(This is a shortened version of the full review available in our printed or e-edition papers.)

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