Movie Review: Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation

Director: Genndy Tartakovsky

Starring: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Fran Drescher, Mel Brooks, Selena Gomez, Kathryn Hahn, David Spade, Steve Buscemi, Keegan-Michael Key, Kevin James

Rating: PG

Runtime: 97 minutes

I know that many of us have Adam Sandler fatigue. It has been a known illness for many years now. That being said, I was a fan of the first two Hotel Transylvania films. They weren’t Pixar level, but they were entertaining for adults and kids alike. Unfortunately, the third film can’t reach high the bar set by the first two.

The film’s open introduces us to a new character that frankly should have appeared previously, Van Helsing, voiced by comedian Jim Gaffigan. In this installment, Mavis, daughter of Dracula, has tricked her father and the entire monster gang from the previous movies into taking a cruise. That’s right folks, the monster squad is going monster sailing and there isn’t an SPF high enough for this monstrous adventure (too much? I’ll stop). This movie leans heavily on Dracula’s loneliness (even treating us to a scene of him online dating with his smartphone). It is a thread that never really attaches to the heart like it should have. You understand his need for a partner, but you never really care.  Upon boarding their cruise ship Dracula falls (zings) for the ship’s Captain, Erika. Erika is hiding quite a secret from Drac, and thus begins the real plot of this film: Mavis spending her time keeping her Dad and his new love interest apart.

The main problem with Hotel Transylvania 3 is the hit ratio of the laughs. The jokes come often, but very few of them land. Gremlin Airlines was a nice touch to the film, but even they didn’t have enough laughs. You just end up missing the Penguins from Madagascar and their flight antics. The comedy still works for the children, and really that is the most important because without that demographic these films wouldn’t exist.

The film doesn’t always dazzle with visuals since this trilogy is usually shrouded in darkness and shadows, but I do need to congratulate the artists and designers for cramming the ship with interesting creatures that sometimes do make the visuals shine. They find some new things to do with Frank’s limbs, especially after he loses his arms while gambling. As a frequent cruiser with kids, the scene where Wayne and Wanda, our child-burdened wolf couple, discover the Kid’s Club is a high point in the movie.

I’ll finish with this, the ending sets up a fourth film and I’m fine with that. Maybe this was a misstep and Columbia and Sony Pictures Animation will get this train back on track. I’ll visit another sequel because I do enjoy the characters and look forward to new situations for them to get into. I was excited for them to cruise, but now I know to lower my expectations. Families will flock to the theaters to see this and they should. Kids will still love it and you can do much worse than Hotel Transylvania 3. The parents just won’t find themselves laughing quite as often, but it’s an hour and a half and parents won’t be checking their watches. Afterall, it is the summertime and this fits the bill for a family trip to the cinema. So pack your bags and board this boat, even if the laughs are more shuffleboard court and less water-coaster fare.