Sony Pictures Animations brings back our beloved monster clan in “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation.” In the third installment of the hit “Hotel Transylvania” franchise, we follow our favorite monster family as they embark on a vacation on a luxury monster cruise ship so Drac can take a summer vacation from providing everyone else’s vacation at the hotel.
It’s smooth sailing for Drac’s Pack as the monsters indulge in all of the shipboard fun the cruise has to offer, from monster volleyball to exotic excursions, and catching up on their moon tans. But the dream vacation turns into a nightmare when Mavis realizes Drac has fallen for the mysterious captain of the ship, Ericka, who hides a dangerous secret that could destroy all of monsterkind.
The film features the voices of Adam Sandler as Count Dracula, the 540-year-old lord of the vampires, and founder of Hotel Transylvania; Selena Gomez as his daughter Mavis and Andy Samberg as Jonathan “Johnny” Loughran, Mavis’ husband and Dennis’ father, together with Kevin James, David Spade, Steve Buscemi, Keegan-Michael Key, Molly Shannon, Fran Drescher, Mel Brooks, and Asher Blinkoff.
They are joined by Jim Gaffigan as Professor Abraham Van Helsing, Kathryn Hahn as his daughter Ericka, and Joe Jonas as Kraken. The film is directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, written by Tartakovsky and Michael McCullers.
“Hotel Transylvania 3” brings Drac in a certain point of life when you realize that you can’t live all by yourself, making him feel the need to find that special someone to complete his life.
To “zing” again (a monster term for falling in love). But then, he is stopped by the idea that as monsters, you only zing once in your life (since his wife was killed a long time ago by humans due to misconceptions about monsters). On the other hand, his daughter Mavis thinks that what he needs is a vacation. So she secretly books a cruise for all of them to have some family time.
But just like any other well-intentioned deeds, it doesn’t go very well for them as they ended up falling into a well-orchestrated trap by the cruise’s captain Ericka, the daughter of Drac’s arch-nemesis, who both wanted to get rid of all monsters, including Drac. Things get more complicated when Drac realizes that he can still “zing” again, as he falls for Ericka.
“Hotel Transylvania 3″ brings back the idea that monsters and people are all the same and shouldn’t be treated differently from one another as it features Drac meeting again his arch-nemesis from the past. It’s not very far from the concept of the first two films, with the first one in 2012 focusing on Drac trying to stop his daughter (a vampire) from falling in love with a man, and the second film introducing Mavis and Jonathan’s son Dennis, whose lack of any vampire abilities worries his grandpa Drac.
Kids will surely love all the colorful and funny looking monsters of the film. Even adults will fall for these adorable creatures, from Blobby, the green blob monster (voiced by Genndy Tartakovsky) who ends up vomiting a very cute Blobby Baby to Tinkles, Dennis’ giant pet puppy (voiced by Joe Whyte).
The film is teeming with these unusual yet funny characters that bring color and life to the world of monsters. Aside from the colorful visuals, the film is also full of hilarious moments from start to finish. The gags of the film come fast and furious, making sure that there are no boring moments. Everyone will definitely laugh out loud with all the crazy antics of the monster pack, especially as they try to coach Drac on how to court the cruise’s captain Ericka.
I love hearing Adam Sandler’s weird accent as he lends his voice to Drac. He has this amazing talent to make everything so funny, and he can make you smile without you realizing it. Fran Drescher was hilarious as Eunice, Frankenstein’s wife. Andy Samberg was also entertaining as the odd Jonathan. The film boasts a lot of great vocal talents, but teens will surely watch out for pop idols Selena Gomez who voices Mavis, and Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers in a small yet very fun role.
The final showdown in the film’s last few minutes was a bit weird at first. Then, I remembered that I am watching a kid’s movie about monsters. And although some of the stuff that happens in the movie doesn’t really make any sense (like a disco tune turning a jolly Kraken to a terrifying monster), sometimes, you just have to accept everything that’s happening and enjoy the moment.
Eventually, I ended up having lots of laughs during this finale, especially with that amusing dance sequence.so for those parents who are looking for a film to watch with their children, here’s one that I will highly recommend. It’s a movie that not only kids, but adults like me will also enjoy watching.
So despite the film being predictable most of the time, audiences will surely enjoy the film, especially if you’ve enjoyed the first two movies. From its colorful visuals, a story loaded with lessons about acceptance and forgiveness, and Adam Sandler’s charm, “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” is frisky, family-friendly fun for everyone.
RATING: 4/5
