Hotel Transylvania 2 (Film Review)

2015’s been a surprisingly positive year for Adam Sandler—first there was his enjoyable video game comedy Pixels, and now comes Hotel Transylvania 2, the superior sequel to the passably “meh” 2012 Hotel Transylvania.  It’s livelier, wittier, better animated, and noticeably more thoughtful in plot.  Hotel Transylvania 2 begins with Dracula’s (Adam Sandler) daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez) getting married to Johnny (Andy Samberg) at the hotel—humans and ghouls alike invited to the celebration.  The film then appreciatively goes through various stages leading to the main plot—Mavis taking her dad to fly before revealing she’s pregnant, Drac excitingly preparing for his grandson’s arrival, the birth of his half-human, half-vampire grandson Dennis (Asher Blinkoff), Dennis’ first birthday, his first words, etc. (A lovely way to handle such scenario rather than directly skipping to his near-fifth birthday).

Drac is thrilled to be a grandfather, and even more enthusiastic for Dennis’ vampire teeth to come in—the sign he’s become a vampire.  Yet Dennis’ mixed bloodline leaves a possibility for remaining human, and Mavis soon considers moving to California (where Johnny’s parents live)—away from the dangerously non-humanproof hotel.  Desperate to keep Mavis and Dennis (and somewhat Johnny) in Transylvania, Drac devises a plan—having Mavis and Johnny take a trip to California (to see whether it’s worth moving too) while babysitting Dennis at the hotel.  In reality Drac plans to take Dennis on an escapade of monstrous activities to help his vampire teeth grow—bringing his friends Frank/Frankenstein (Kevin James), Wayne the werewolf (Steve Buscemi), Griffin the invisible man (David Spade), and Murray the mummy (Keegan-Michael Key) to help.

Hotel Transylvania 2 is a really cute film—there’s enough adorableness to make a werewolf puppy jealous—yet it’s also a really funny film, avoiding anything exceedingly saccharine.  The comedy is an effective balance of family oriented—not too childish, while not gratuitously crude.  The jokes are plentiful and range all around, from the invisible man having an invisible “girlfriend” (who’s visiting from Canada) to Johnny masquerading as Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula—“why does your hair look like a baboon butt!?” asks a perplexed Drac.

With the monsters and humans now on civilized terms, Hotel Transylvania 2 gains ample comedic opportunity, which it doesn’t hesitate to take full advantage.  To be more in touch with modern humans, an outdated Drac tries learning new technology, such as a touch screen phone which his sharp nails can never properly activate.  “You might want to get Bluetooth” Johnny suggests, “Okay then, Blue Tooth!” Drac beckons as a literal blue tooth monster waddles over, “So now what?”—what should be an incredibly stupid joke becomes downright hilarious thanks to the scene’s effective execution (specifically the dry pause after Drac’s response).  While out with Dennis, a couple stop Drac to ask the following:
Guy: Hey do you know where we can get a bite to eat?

Girl: Did you just seriously ask a vampire where to get a ‘bite’!?

Guy: Oh! Sorry about that, I love your chocolate cereal!

The film’s key strength is its abundantly high energy throughout—created through effective comedic pacing and lively animation.  The animation is better and far more expressive than the first’s, particularly with Drac whose array of facial expressions seem limitless. It should be noted Hotel Transylvania 2’s abundant energy does not equal ADHD pacing—in fact the film finds multiple instances for proper development and atmosphere.  Going by the trailers, I was worried Mavis and Johnny would be pushed into minor roles (with the majority focusing on Drac and Dennis)—yet both characters are given proper focus, whether it be with Dennis, Drac or each other.  I really want to emphasize the latter focus, because it’s an aspect many, many film series neglect—focusing on the romantic build up, climaxing on the big kiss, marriage, and/or babies, then ignoring, omitting or brushing it aside for other developments.  Here while not the main focus, Hotel Transylvania 2 finds time to further develop the married couples’ relationship—building a more comedic and romantic chemistry than the first’s clichéd and hasty teen love scenario.  Kudos to Hotel Transylvania 2 for doing what many sequels forget.

Had Hotel Transylvania 2 kept up its first two-thirds’ effectiveness, I’d have given it a thrilling recommendation—sadly the last third rolls into clichéd territory, particularly the finale which feels rushed and overly simplistic.  There’s also an issue with how easily Johnny follows Drac’s plan to scarify Dennis into being a vampire.  For Drac it’s understandable seeing how he’s grown up the monster way, but for the more compassionate Johnny it seems highly uncharacteristic allowing his son to go through such torments—leaving a bitter taste in my mouth for his character.  Nonetheless, my enthusiasm for Hotel Transylvania 2 remains positive, particularly coming after the unexceptional Hotel Transylvania; the first is worth seeing if only as a means to fully enjoy such a completely superior sequel.