Movie Review: Hotel Transylvania

 
I was really excited to watch Hotel Transylvania. I'm a fan of Bram Stoker's Dracula ever since I watched that movie and anything to do with Dracula fascinates me. The real 'Dracula' existed in the form of Vlad the Impaler in Bulgaria circa 1430s (and no, he didn't suck blood or burn under the sun). 

Hotel Transylvania, an animated 3D movie tells the story of Count Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler), an overprotective father and his daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez). Dracula does everything in his power to keep Mavis away from the humans as he is convinced that they are out to get (read: kill) his kind. He literally builds a protective wall in the form of a hotel where his daughter will be safe from the humans. However, Mavis has other plans as she wants to experience paradise aka Hawaii and interact with the humans. As it is every year, Dracula throws a grand birthday party for Mavis and invites all the monsters. You see more than a handful of classic monsters attending the event from Frankenstein to The Mummy to The Wolf from Little Red Riding Hood. However, a party is not complete without a little mishap. Enter a human named Jonathan (voiced by Andy Samberg),  your typical 'dude' who happens to stumble upon Hotel Transylvania. From then on ensues a roller coaster ride of tears and laughter for both, as Jonathan  befriends the monsters and falls for Mavis while Dracula tries to get rid of him.

Hotel Transylvania is the brainchild of Genndy Tartakovsky. The name will ring a bell with people who watch Cartoon Network as he is the creator behind The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory and a few other shows.

 
The movie delivers the slapstick comedy and you see Dracula's genius ways (sarcasm intended) of constantly trying to shield his daughter whilst developing a bond with the very species he loathes. The concept of true love has been devised in the form of a 'zing' which is more like love at first sight or finding out that you've met 'The One'. It's a nice  way to deviate from the cliche concepts.

Mavis is a rebellious character but a soft one at that- once she discovers things on her own, she understands it better as opposed to someone telling her about it. Jonathan is a carefree individual who is fascinated by costumes and monsters but as time flies, he does put on his responsible hat in order to keep everyone happy.

It's a kid friendly movie but adults will enjoy the entertaining 90mins of run time.

All in all, Hotel Transylvania is an entertaining movie that will keep kids glued to the screen until the end. Keep an eye out for the hilarious Twilight movie reference and the "I'm Dracula, blah blah blah" scene.


Rating: 2.5/5 star. 

Movie Review: The Amazing Spiderman (2012)

Hollywood never tires of superhero movie scripts. And neither do the audience. A superhero movie is somewhat of an escape from the standard movies, wouldn't you agree? You witness a normal person  being infused with super human strength; you experience his outrage or confusion at his new found powers, the pain on being an outcast and his journey towards being a hero among other things.

The Amazing Spider is a combination of that and more. It’s a well scripted reboot of Sam Raimi’s previous installments of the webbed super hero. And what a refreshing reboot it is. The movie takes you through an introspective journey of the origins of Spiderman.  

Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield, The Social Network) is an introvert high school kid that gets bullied, is excellent at academics and has developed a liking for fellow student Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone, Friends with Benefits). He lives with his aunt May (Sally Field, Legally Blonde 2) and uncle Ben (Martin Sheen, The Departed) after his parents ‘abandoned’ him.  Parker soon discovers his father worked with a scientist Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans, The Five Year Engagement) on cell and tissue regeneration with the help of a cross-species based serum that regenerates missing limbs without the aid of surgery or prosthetics.  Soon enough, Parker gets bitten by an altered spider and hence begins his adventures as Spiderman including battling the now mentally unstable Dr. Connors aka The Lizard. 

 The movie takes you through an exciting and organized excursion into the life of Parker- from his relationship with his uncle and aunt, his aloof behavior when he’s talking to Gwen (because he’s shy and nervous around her initially), his interest in helping Dr. Connors which he later regrets, to his journey of donning that well known red suit. The director Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) and scriptwriters James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves have ensured there’s a smooth flow when it comes to the process of story-telling.  Each scene seamlessly ties in with the subsequent scene not to mention the lightning bolts of comedy the characters especially that of Parker’s deliver.  The movie is a more of an intimate perspective as opposed to several action scenes that would appear at short intervals in any superhero movie.  After all, Webb and his team have carefully crafted a movie that delves deep into the roots of why Parker is what he is and where he plans to go from that pedestal of crime-fighting. Some parts of the movie however, were a bit too slow- it felt like the movie kept telling the story in slow-mo.  

 Andrew Garfield as the protagonist is loveable and a lot of people can relate to Parker’s demeanor. Even with his superpowers, his self-esteem doesn’t change completely. The mask of Spiderman (and costume) is what gives Parker that psychological boost in terms of confidence as depicted in one of the scenes where he saves a kid from falling to his death.  Emma Stone captured Gwen Stacy well enough and so did Sally Field as the concerned aunt May. Martin Sheen’s uncle Ben was a delight to watch albeit short lived. 

 

As it is with every Marvel Comics’s superhero movie adaptation, the evergreen Stan Lee makes a special appearance at an unexpected moment. It immediately caught my attention and made me feel like a 7 year old because I pointed at the screen and went, “Isn’t that Stan Lee? That’s STAN LEE! Oh my God, Stan Lee!” . Of course, the people around me didn’t share my excitement (that’s because I’m a comic geek and always wait for Stan Lee's crazy appearance in such movies).  The other bonus is the scene in between of the credits that screams for a sequel so don’t’ forget to watch that!

All in all, The Amazing Spiderman is quite amazing and entertaining. I liked this version better than the previous installments. 

The movie releases July 5th across Dubai/ UAE.

Rating: 3.5/5  

Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes 2- A Game of Shadows

The first Sherlock Holmes movie was so good that I went in with the same expectations for the second installment. Right after watching the movie, I felt it didn't match my expectations but thinking about it now I've come to realize it's an improvement from what we saw in 2009. The first part was more about the mystery and everything that fell in between of that- it was essential to define Sherlock Holmes on the big screen; the second part though, is quite different. It's a very Guy Ritchie movie with special effects and awesome fight sequences.

This time around Mr. Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) meets his match in Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris) who constructs an ingenious plan to create a rift among the European countries- we're talking bombs, surgeries and assassinations. Moriarty is one step ahead and we see the detective and his side kick Watson (Jude Law) embark on an adventurous journey to hamper the devious plans not to mention some interesting fight scenes taking place in the train, the lighthouse and a stag party to name a few.

What I loved is the fact that director Ritchie injects comedy when we least expect it; Downey Jr. and Law have impeccable comic timing. The movie also presents the fact that Holmes isn't too happy with Watson's new chapter in life (marriage) and tries to talk him out of it using bizzare and hilarious justifications because Holmes doesn't want to "die alone". At one point, Holmes throws Watson's wife from the train and into the river. We get to see the object of Holmes's affection Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) but that is pretty short lived. Downey Jr.s' character has definitely evolved in this installment and you see more layers of his personality come alive.

The movie is definitely entertaining and there are scenes which will make you question if there's a Sherlock Holmes 3 lined up in the near future. Oh, do keep a close eye on the objects that Holmes develops a penchant for. They come up when least expected.

Rating: 3 out 5 stars

Movie review: The Adventures of Tintin

Peter Jackson, James Cameron, Ridley Scott and Steven Spielberg.

These are a few of my favorite directors (and producers in some cases). Remember Peter Jackson's Lord of The Rings trilogy? He brought to life the characters from a book that was written years ago by Tolkien. He literally infused life into Tolkien's vision and fired up the big screen. The LOTR trilogy is my favorite after Munich, Identity, The Others and Ronin. And who can forget Steven Spielberg? I was a kid when I first heard about the ever so famous Jaws but the movie that really drilled Spielberg's name and accomplishments in my head was Jurassic Park. Who else created a movie that featured dinosaurs ripping people into shreds and wrecking havoc? It was my first Spielberg movie that I watched in a theatre and was spellbound.

Image credits: Screenrant.com

So when I heard Jackson and Spielberg were teaming up to create a movie all about Tintin, I could not wait! I remember watching Tintin on TV and even reading books on him, his faithful dog and Captain Haddock! So put together the two heavyweights of Hollywood and one of my favorite comic book characters, what do you get? A great movie! I attended the premiere of the movie in Dubai and reacted the same way as I did when I saw Jurassic Park- I was spellbound.

Image credits: IMDB.com

Tintin is on a mission to uncover the mystery of The Unicorn (t's not the fabled creature) and we are thrust into a world of ships, pirates, clues, car chases, villains and a funny captain who just wants to drink forever. You're taken on an adventurous journey with Tintin as he tries to put together the pieces of the puzzle, come face to face with disappointment only to get a firm grasp on things once again and finally succeed.

Jackson and Spielberg have done such an excellent job on this project. They maintained the true spirit of Tintin and ensured the classic bits were present such as the two oblivious detective twins Thompson and Thompson and Tintin or other characters being hit on the head (I got a flashback to when I was a kid when I saw this happen).

I'm impressed as to how all elements in the animated movie come full circle- but then again, that's what you can expect from a Spielberg/ Jackson movie! I'm so glad I wasn't disappointed with the storyline. The movie has it's share of comedy and thrills, great animation; when it ended, I was left wanting for more. And when that happens, I know it's a good movie.

 Rating: 4/5
Go watch it!