Hotel Transylvania (2012) Dir: Genndy Tartakovsky

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Even though I had actually already seen this Genndy Tartakovsky directed animated family comedy, I honestly could not remember much about it beyond its most basic details. As such, I felt it deserved at least one rewatch, just to see if it was a decent film, and whether or not it would be worth trying out the sequels as well. It seemed like the kind of film I could enjoy, indeed, I remember at least enjoying it a fair amount. Either way, I figured it was worth finding out.

The film didn't look particularly great. The animation was fairly simplistic and boring, but the characters at least do look distinctly recognisable. I really didn't mind how the main characters looked, for the most part, but I definitely felt like some of them could have looked better. The soundtrack didn't particularly impress me either. I was just hoping for it to be a little bit more memorable.

The story is a fun play on various classic horror monsters and villains of cinema history, albeit with a totally irrelevant story to those films. I didn't mind the story that the film told - it was simple, it was silly, and I certainly found it easy to watch. Did it blow me away with its emotional heart or character development? Not a bit. But it still served as a decent enough supplier of mild entertainment, particularly for younger audiences.

I wasn't a particularly big fan of Adam Sandler's portrayal of 'Dracula'. His voice acting wasn't particularly poor, but it was hard to take his character seriously when he resembled absolutely nothing of who 'Dracula' is as a character. Andy Samberg's voice is perfect for these kinds of roles; the silly, innocent, slightly brainless types of characters. Samberg's comedic chops line-up so well with it too, which is what makes his turn in this film so fun. His voice acting is incredibly amusing, at times, and he always sounds like he's having fun with what he's doing.

Selena Gomez had a much smaller role than I remembered her having, but I enjoyed her voice acting nonetheless. She did well for the role she had. There was a whole host of familiar names amongst the supporting cast, albeit their performances vary. The most noteworthy names were Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, David Spade, Fran Drescher, Molly Shannon, and Cee Lo Green.

Overall, I'd say this was a fun, but fairly unremarkable film, which should satisfy its target audience - families, particularly those with young children - but won't cut it when compared to classics of the same genre. With that said, its functional and entertaining enough to warrant the occasional viewing, especially around Halloween time, and particularly if one has young family members.