‘Hotel Transylvania: Transformania’ movie review: Monster-human jumble is a bit of harmless fun

Adam Sandler does not reprise his role as Dracula in the fourth and supposedly final instalment of the Hotel Transylvania franchise. Reasons for his stepping aside have not been given…. bleh, bleh, bleh. Directed by Derek Drymon and Jennifer Kluska from a story by Genndy Tartakovsky, who directed the earlier three films, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, while not being hysterically funny, is not hideously bad either.

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After persecution from humans, Dracula sets up Hotel Transylvania as a refuge for monsters. All is going swimmingly well despite little speed bumps caused by his daughter, Mavis, marrying Johnny (a human), their child Dennis not showing vampire capabilities for some time, and Dracula falling in love with Ericka, the great-granddaughter of the monster hunter, Abraham Van Helsing.

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania opens with a party to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Hotel Transylvania. Dracula plans to announce his retirement and hand over the hotel to Mavis and Johnny. However, when he hears Johnny’s plans for the hotel, he changes his mind and tells Johnny there is a monster real estate law that does not allow non-monsters to own property.

Johnny changes into a monster with Van Helsing’s help and as Dracula tries to turn Johnny back into a human, he transforms into a human himself! His friends also turn into humans. The now-human Dracula and monster Johnny travel to South America to get a crystal, and reverse the process before the change becomes permanent.

There are all sorts of laughs to be had as Dracula gets used to being human, while Johnny revels in his monsterification. Griffin, the Invisible Man is naked, balding and paunchy under the invisibility while Frankenstein is a hunky dude. Johnny singing ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go’ in Spanish is quite sweet.

Apart from Sandler and Kevin James, who voiced Frankenstein, everyone else has reprised their roles, including Andy Samberg (Johnny), Selena Gomez (Mavis), Kathryn Hahn (Ericka), Jim Gaffigan (Van Helsing), Steve Buscemi (Wayne, a werewolf), Molly Shannon (Wanda, also a werewolf and Wayne’s wife) and David Spade (Griffin). Brian Hull steps in for Dracula and Brad Abrell voices Frankenstein.

The pop colours are bright and easy on the eye and that whole abstract-art-inspired sequence in the cave quite innovative. All in all, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is a bit of harmless fun.

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video