Review of 'Hotel Transylvania: Transformania'
Warning, this review may contain spoilers but without major relevance, that is, if you decide to read this review it is not like the movie will harm you, it is already...
Some good things about the fourth installment of “ Hotel Transylvania ”: Kathryn Hahn, a voice actress as evocative as she is on screen; the monstrous sidekicks voiced by David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi and Brad Abrell; a joke about a lonely marshmallow (seriously); the revelation that the Invisible Man has been naked all this time; the 94-minute duration, and its easy access on Amazon Prime Video.
But perhaps the best thing about Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is that it comes to an end. Apparently the well of ideas for this property has run dry and they have made the wise decision to say goodbye. However, they have not managed to close with a flourish.
This time, under the direction of Derek Drymon and Jennifer Kluska, Drac is voiced by Brian Hull, who does a good job of approximating Sandler's vampire number. And while the character has had three movies to get used to the idea of her daughter's relationship, she hasn't evolved much since the first, when she watched in horror as Mavis (Selena Gomez) meets and falls in love with a human, Johnny (Andy Samberg). They have since married and had a child, but Johnny still feels like an outsider, and Drac still hates accepting him as part of the family. So, in this installment produced and co-written by franchise creator Genndy Tartakovsky, Drac decides, in a panic behind the scenes, not to make a big public announcement about handing over the hotel to Mavis and Johnny.
Johnny, thinking it's his fault because he's not a monster, asks Van Helsing (Jim Gaffigan) to help him change. It works. He becomes a toothy, goofy, scaly abomination, but it all goes haywire. Drac becomes human, which to him is somewhat pathetic, like a stereotypical American on vacation, and this raises uncomfortable questions about whether or not the transformations are a commentary on the beings in the film or humanity in general. It's further complicated by the forms Frank, Murray, Wayne and Griffin take: one handsome, another elderly. Regardless, no one cares to remain altered, and they all have to travel the world in search of a crystal that will return them to their original form.
I will leave you the Trailer in case you want to see it
It's hard to overestimate how raucous and frenetic this whole effort is. Even with the explosion of colors, it takes effort to keep things interesting. The manic “Hotel Transylvania: Transformania” doesn't seem to be for parents or very young children. Maybe 8-12 year olds can love these characters and embrace whatever adventure they find themselves on, but this one might test even their patience.
“Hotel Transylvania: Transformania,” a Sony Pictures/Amazon Prime Video release, is rated PG (suggesting some parental guidance) by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) for “parental nudity.” cartoons, some action and rude humor”. Duration: 94 minutes. One star out of four.