Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation

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Hotel Transylvania 3:  Summer Vacation – 3 out of 5

I was pleasantly surprised with how fun the first Hotel Transylvania was.  I went in with really no expectations when I went and saw it with my niece and nephew and ended up having a great time, just laughing like crazy with the kids.  The second one is definitely fun but I didn’t think it had the same magic as the initial feature but it still was very entertaining and a fun ride.  This third adventure—Hotel Transylvania 3:  Summer Vacation—is about the same level as the previous one.  It’s not completely remarkable but it still is a very entertaining experience.

This is no knock on the movie but I'm surprised the franchise got to a third
film.

Dracula is lonely and wants love...I don't like
sympathizing with a vampire on this level.

Dracula (Adam Sandler) is starting to feel lonely from remaining single for so long.  His daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez) and son-in-law Johnny (Andy Samberg) thinks he might be stressed out from work so they take him and his friends; Frankenstein (Kevin James) and Eunice (Fran Drescher), Wayne (Steve Buscemi) and Wanda (Molly Shannon) the werewolves, Griffin the invisible man (David Spade) and Murray the mummy (Keegan-Michael Key), on a cruise to the lost city of Atlantis.  Onboard, Dracula meets the ship’s captain; Ericka (Kathryn Hahn), and “zings” with her (falls in love); unfortunately, he doesn’t realize that Ericka is the great-granddaughter of Abraham Van Helsing (Jim Gaffigan) and the whole cruise was a trap in order for Van Helsing to finally rid the world of all monsters.

Van Helsing, he's more machine now than man.

Chris Parnell is a joy and the fact he is every fishman
is just a delight.  The guy is hilarious.

Everything that works about this franchise is back.  The unique character design, colorful visuals, fantastic animation, great voice acting and fun comedy are all back.  I like the new characters that were introduced and thought Jim Gaffigan did a tremendous job at bring Van Helsing to life and making him a fun villain.  The cast also added the always phenomenal Chris Parnell to play all the fishmen that make up the cruise ship’s crew.  Finally, like the other films the gags came in fast and frequent—heck, it is easy to miss jokes because this movie is just a nonstop barrage of gags.  The only real misstep I found in the film is the story.

The design of this ship seems like it was created to tip over with the slightest
wave.

The story to Summer Vacation isn’t bad, not in the least.  The problem I had with it is that it does feel a tad on the generic side.  The first film is a fun premise and the second film built off the world that it created.  This one is doing the same and allows for the development of Dracula but there was no denying that the story, to me, felt a little like a made-for-TV feature or a Direct-to-DVD release.  The animation and all the production work are still very good but the story did feel a tad on the generic side.

I understand what Dracula sees in her.  The white suit and the fact she controls
the ship--power is very attractive.

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation may feel a tad generic on a superficial level but the entertainment factor is still there.  I love the animation and it definitely made me laugh.  It never drags and there are no points where it got boring.  Yes, it’s a little cheesy that the film culminates with all the characters doing the Macarena and that grinds on my distaste for nostalgia but the overall experience was positive and I found this one to be a fun feature that definitely entertains in the moment.  It’s not as memorable as the first film and the replay value is very limited for me but it was still a good time had.

I wasn't kidding about the Macarena ending the film.