A Review of Hotel Transylvania: Transformania by
Nick Olszyk
Distribution Service: Amazon Prime
Year: 2022
MPAA Rating, PG
USCCB Rating, Not Rated at the Time of This Review
Reel Rating, Two Reels
Transformania
is the fourth film in an above average franchise that is basically an animated
version of Adam Sandler hanging out with his friends. For example, this is his
11th collaboration with David Spade and his 8th collaboration
with Steve Buscemi. The premise established in the 2012 original is that
Dracula (Sandler) and his comrades (Frankenstein, the Wolfman, the Invisible
Man, and the Mummy) run a hotel for monsters, giving them a respite from the
terrible oppression of men. In each entry, Drac’s anti-human bigotry is softened
through a series of Passing Sights in the human world. This comes full circle here
as Dracula himself is turned into a homo sapien and must find a way back
to his macabre self.
After
several centuries of being the world's best – and only – hotel manager for
monsters, it is finally time for Dracula to retire. He decides to bequeath his
establishment to the care of his daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez) and her human
husband Johnny (Andy Samberg). However, when he gets wind of Johnny’s plans to
update the hotel, radically changing its design, he decides against the plan.
Feeling hurt, Johnny discovers a ray gun that will magically change him into a monster
(in this case a dragon-like creature) to win his father-in-law’s approval. Through
a series of completely improbable mishaps, Dracula and his friends are also hit
with the ray, which does the opposite and turns them human. This leads to a
road trip, bonding between family, and the inevitable realization that being
different isn’t bad. It’s standard for 21st century American
animation at this point but still fun enough to entertain kids for ninety
minutes.
The
series is quite funny and dynamic. The monster element provides endless opportunities
for gags, and Sandler’s particular brand of oddball comedy works better for
kids than adults. Transformania is easily the weakest of the four, but it
has its moments. For example, when Frankenstein transforms back into a human,
it turns out he was extremely attractive in his former life. This leads groups
of being mobbing him with praise rather than pitchforks, much to his wife’s
dismay. In an interview, Samberg explained this was the only time in his career
a director told him “to be himself” and not “reel it in,” leading a manic performance.
It’s
barely worth mentioning the film’s ultimate message of acceptance, which seems
to be the prime virtue of the secular world (if such acceptance doesn’t include
conservative tendencies). Dracula must learn that everyone’s imperfect, and he
must love Johnny in all his humanity. Where Transformania rises briefly
above the fray is its subtle criticism of the transition movement (gender,
race, or otherwise). The film’s transformations are harmful, especially Johnny’s.
His metamorphosis from human to monster runs the real risk of losing his
humanity and becoming a monster at heart as his memory fades and attacks innocent
people. Such a radical altering of physical matter is dangerous and unpredictable.
Despite his often-crude humor, Sandler’s body of work is remarkably pro-family,
stemming from his own faith in traditional Judaism.
I
was a bit disappointed when I heard Tranformania would be the final film
of series, especially since it lacked the brilliance of the earlier
entries. Nonetheless, it contains a great deal of ghoulish fun for the
whole family, not just avoiding common secular pitfalls but gently nudging them
aside. Dracula as promoter of Christian family life is not what I expected, but
it is certainly welcomed.
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