Directed By Derek Drymon and Jennifer Kluska

Starring – Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Brian Hull

The Plot – When Van Helsing’s (Jim Gaffigan) mysterious invention, the “Monsterfication Ray”, goes haywire, Drac (Hull) and his monster pals are all transformed into humans, and Johnny (Samberg) becomes a monster. In their new mismatched bodies, Drac, stripped of his powers, and an exuberant Johnny, loving life as a monster, must team up and race across the globe to find a cure before it’s too late, and before they drive each other crazy. With help from Mavis (Gomez) and the hilariously human Drac Pack, the heat is on to find a way to switch themselves back before their transformations become permanent.

Rated PG for some action and rude humor including cartoon nudity.

transformania trailer – YouTube

POSITIVES

Many aspects have changed within this fourth and final installment in the popular children’s series, but the one aspect that remains the same is the bountiful depth from the corresponding animation designs, which bring forth a three-dimensional uniqueness in identity that we’ve come to expect from the franchise. Aside from the presentation being splashed with candy-coated coloring, presenting an endearing contrast to the familiarity of depravity in the legacy of the characters, the exaggerated emphasis of the illustrations themselves play coherently towards the deliveries of the various punchlines, complete with eye-popping and facial contortions of the most cartoonish variety in presenting something devilishly delightful. Aside from this, the departure of longtime director Gennedy Tartakovsky does bring with it a fresh opportunity of originality in the direction of the feature, particularly in the urgency and vulnerability of the action set pieces that Drymon and Kluska take seriously for scenes pertaining to silly chaos. Because of such, not only is there an indulging urgency to the fast-paced sequences of devastation, but also an imaginative quality to the way the mayhem is captured, giving Sony their first vote of confidence in breathtaking visuals and transferred velocity that makes them feel like they can possibly compete with the big boys of the animated architects. Finally, while the absence of Adam Sandler is painfully missed in the first portrayal of Dracula without him, the work of Hull is remarkably more authentic than I initially wanted to give it credit for. Aside from channeling Sandler’s familiar tones in a thick Italian accent, he instills a childlike innocence to the character that here rubs off smoothly for the kind of human transformation the character takes on, giving us a seamless portrayal that does eventually fill the immense shadow cast by Sandler in three previous efforts. Gomez and Samberg are also once again a breath of fresh air to this franchise, channeling the youthful exuberance of their ambitious protagonists with the kind of tenderness and chemistry-riddled dynamic that paints a world of optimism inside of these bleak and desolate surroundings that are constantly pertaining to death.

NEGATIVES

Perhaps three should’ve been the magic number with this franchise, as the screenplay by Tartakovsky, Amos Vernon, and Nunzio Randazzo is a hodgepodge of predictable arcs and underwhelming elements that completely eviscerates the finality in a story that deserved more in a final send-off. Part of the problem certainly stems with the outline of this plot feeling like it was virtually lifted from three other kids’ movies in the last year alone, leaving so very little meat on the bone of attentive intrigue, but the bigger obstacle for me is a complete lack of illustrated stakes or momentary cliffhangers that could’ve prescribed some semblance of impact for this fourth and easily worst installment of the franchise. Hell, the ending itself just kind of materializes out of nowhere after 77 bare minutes of screen time, which feel like they took an episode of the corresponding kids show that the property is based off of and stretched it forty more minutes to milk as much money as it could get from a fanbase that is evidently growing tired. The movie’s comic muscle is also especially subpar, even for a series that never made me laugh more than once or twice with any opportunity in its previous efforts. Most of it certainly pertains to an over-indulgence in sight gags that resonate as a result of the aforementioned quality of animation, but this desire at a brand of humor grows stale at around the fifteen minute mark in the film, and with very little attempt at humor with complimentary puns or even accidental cleverness, these characters have very little material to lean on to justify the occasion, leaving this feeling like a film that caters entirely to kids, while leaving adults stranded in shallow waters. Finally, as to where I felt the talented ensemble here gives their all with what’s asked of them, the complete lack of additional subplots outside of the central plot left each of them stunted in the justification of their appearances. Certainly, you expect all of the characters in a Hotel Transylvania film, but never before have the supporting characters felt so pointless and inconsequential, damned by the condensed creativity, which not only could’ve helped in keeping the central plot fresh for a lot longer, but also in aligning the minutes of the run time to something that feels like a big screen offering.

OVERALL

Like most franchises that beat on for too long, “Hotel Transylvania: Transformania” concludes with a whimper instead of an howling bang, underwhelming the talents of a gifted ensemble who don’t even have the pleasure of a paycheck with this being delivered straight to Amazon Prime. In such a decision, the studio knew what kind of product they had on their hands and decided to ship it to the land of obscurity where less people will see it, and more people will be able to remember it as the trilogy that returned Adam Sandler to form. If Sandler says no to a film, maybe you should as well.

My Grade: 4/10 or D-