Monster House (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
As children, we've all been scared of creepy homes such as the one in 'Monster House', an animated film directed by Gil Kenan. DJ (voiced by Mitchel Musso) is a young kid living in a suburban neighborhood (circa the mid-80's) across from an eerie looking house. A nasty old man, Mr. Nebbercracker (Steve Buscemi) resides there & screams at children who step on his lawn. If they leave their toys on the lawn, he confiscates them. There's a tangible reason for all of this, other than him just being grumpy. It appears that his house is actually a monster that kidnaps & devours anything that isn't Nebbercracker himself. There's an interesting story, good animation, & occasionally humorous dialogue. But the pacing goes off in the middle, & I find this movie to be rather scary for any child under 13!
Circumstances arise which sends Nebbercracker to the hospital (and seemingly dead). DJ sees the kidnappings, but his parents & babysitter (voiced by Maggie Gyllenhaal) do not. It is up to DJ & his 2 friends, Chowder & Jenny (Sam Lerner, Spencer Locke) to figure out the mystery surrounding the house, go inside, and prevent it from swallowing any more victims (people and toys). Can these 3 young kids stop the 'monster house' before Halloween approaches? Or will the 'monster house' continue its' wrath?
'Monster House' starts strong & keeps us on our toes with scary images, witty dialogue, & funny moments for both children and adults to enjoy. And as mentioned, the animation is stellar. Dimensions are deep, colors are vibrant, etc. All of the people and objects on screen are presented as a sort of animated clay-mation. I've seen this all before, but it still is amazing to see. There are some things to nitpick, however.
Given that the villainous house is a monster, we know that this is supernatural. I appreciated watching the kids try to execute a tangible way to kill it. But when they fail, the movie turns and they resort to 'superhuman' strengths to defeat the foe. I mean, the climactic scene is great to watch, but completely impossible to achieve for anyone (no less little children) to accomplish. I can't abide this kind of turn of events. Also, the film completely stalls in the middle when the kids venture to a restaurant for help from an annoying teenage kid named Skull (Jon Heder).
And finally, the film is just way scarier than any trailer could have depicted. We have yelling adults, dead bodies, attacks, etc. There is no way any 4 or 5 yr. old should view this movie. From a commercial standpoint, the film fails here. Overall, I liked 'MH' enough. And it is always fun trying to figure out which actors voice-over the various characters. This is a funny, visually-pleasing Halloween flick. But a few too many aspects prevent me from pouring praise.
Circumstances arise which sends Nebbercracker to the hospital (and seemingly dead). DJ sees the kidnappings, but his parents & babysitter (voiced by Maggie Gyllenhaal) do not. It is up to DJ & his 2 friends, Chowder & Jenny (Sam Lerner, Spencer Locke) to figure out the mystery surrounding the house, go inside, and prevent it from swallowing any more victims (people and toys). Can these 3 young kids stop the 'monster house' before Halloween approaches? Or will the 'monster house' continue its' wrath?
'Monster House' starts strong & keeps us on our toes with scary images, witty dialogue, & funny moments for both children and adults to enjoy. And as mentioned, the animation is stellar. Dimensions are deep, colors are vibrant, etc. All of the people and objects on screen are presented as a sort of animated clay-mation. I've seen this all before, but it still is amazing to see. There are some things to nitpick, however.
Given that the villainous house is a monster, we know that this is supernatural. I appreciated watching the kids try to execute a tangible way to kill it. But when they fail, the movie turns and they resort to 'superhuman' strengths to defeat the foe. I mean, the climactic scene is great to watch, but completely impossible to achieve for anyone (no less little children) to accomplish. I can't abide this kind of turn of events. Also, the film completely stalls in the middle when the kids venture to a restaurant for help from an annoying teenage kid named Skull (Jon Heder).
And finally, the film is just way scarier than any trailer could have depicted. We have yelling adults, dead bodies, attacks, etc. There is no way any 4 or 5 yr. old should view this movie. From a commercial standpoint, the film fails here. Overall, I liked 'MH' enough. And it is always fun trying to figure out which actors voice-over the various characters. This is a funny, visually-pleasing Halloween flick. But a few too many aspects prevent me from pouring praise.