Hotel Transylvania 2: Better and wittier than its prequel!

The vibrancy and visual appeal of Hotel Transylvania 2 will instantly make it a children’s delight.

Muhammad Omar Iftikhar October 10, 2015
Hotel Transylvania 2 is the sequel to the Hotel Transylvania (2012) which is the story of Dracula (Adam Sandler) and his daughter, Mavis, who falls in love with a human. Where in the first part Mavis (Selena Gomez) gave her heart to Jonathan (Andy Samberg), they are seen happily married in the sequel.



The sequel, too, has a strong plot, if not stronger. Dracula is now not afraid of Jonny, the human, for he has wed Dracula’s daughter. Even though the conflict between Dracula and the humans is now over, Hotel Transylvania 2 raises another concern between Dracula and his grandson, Dennis (Asher Blinkoff). Where many of the scenes are predictable, it is interesting to see that akin to its prequel, Hotel Transylvania 2 does have laughter for all ages.

Thus, the predictability of the scenes is washed away by the humour which the story provides. The first half hour of the movie has a lot happening in it: Mavis and Jonny have a wedding, Mavis gives birth to Dennis and Dennis turns five. The viewer finds it difficult to keep up. Because of the fast pace of the story line, the wedding scene suffers. It should have been covered in greater detail.

Photo: IMDb

Where the prequel was all about Dracula keeping her daughter away from the human, the sequel shows the relation between Dracula and his grandson. The story picks up when Dennis is nearing his fifth birthday but his vampire teeth aren’t growing. This makes Dennis more human, hiding his vampire-like features.

Photo: IMDb

Dracula, therefore, seeks help from his monster friends to teach his grandson how to be a vampire. What follows is a series of humorous events that are infused with sentimentality. The viewer feels the bond between Dracula and his grandson grow stronger.

Photo: IMDb

One of Dracula’s family members makes an appearance in the movie that even frightens Dracula, hence adding a subplot to the movie. Who is this family member? You will be amazed to find out when you watch the movie.

Photo: IMDb

The characters are lovable and Dennis is absolutely adorable. He gives so much life to the movie. The vibrancy and visual appeal of Hotel Transylvania 2 will instantly make it a children’s delight.

I believe that Hotel Transylvania 2 is appeals more to children, than adults, not just because it is animated but because of the moral messages that are infused in it. The lessons associated with the storyline are aimed at children instead of adults. This is the concept used by other production houses including Pixar and Disney. Still, the story does stir emotions at the end.

Photo: IMDb

I did find one flaw, however, and that is the script, which isn’t cohesive but does manage to bring life to most parts of the movie. Even though the script is good, it does not have that usual Sandler touch. With Sandler behind the dialogues, he could have added more humour and wit but he refrained from doing so. Sandler didn't add his signature Sandler comedy in the dialogues which he is famous for. Had he added it, the script would have been a treat in its own regard.

Still, the script is good enough to keep the younger audiences glued to the screen, if not the adults. Furthermore, the humour wasn’t an integral part of the story as the main roles didn’t have many comic lines to deliver. That made the movie, during some parts, a bit boring. In my opinion there should have been more comic scenes. After all, it’s an animated movie and they thrive on witty one-liners.

Even with these drawbacks, the movie is an enjoyable one especially because of the baby, Dennis. His presence keeps the movie strong. Furthermore, Dennis presents an opportunity for the release of Hotel Transylvania 3 where the story could be about him growing up as half vampire-half human and the everyday challenges he faces to keep both of his sides intact.

Hotel Transylvania 2 is better than its prequel because it has more humour in it, but since the story is related to parenting and Dracula trying to impose his will, the story becomes too predictable. However, it will be fun to watch with friends.

I rate this movie 3 out of 5.
WRITTEN BY:
Muhammad Omar Iftikhar The author is a freelance writer and blogger and writes for various English dailies of Pakistan. He tweets @omariftikhar (https://twitter.com/omariftikhar)
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

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