Monster House (Fullscreen) Reviews

3 Comments

1. Craig Connell

   October 31, 2010 at 10:06 pm

   Review by Craig Connell for Monster House (Fullscreen)
   Rating:
   I guess you could label this an “edgy animated film.” It’s certainly wasn’t made with little kids in mind. If it was, that was a mistake because this a pretty scary film in parts – much too much for the little ones.

   The “edginess” isn’t just the violence (a Halloween-type scary house and the comes alive and attacks people), it’s most of the characters. They are typical Hollywood-young people meaning they have “attitudues.” They aren’t exactly sweet, lovable people, except for the one young boy “D.J.” (voiced by Mitchel Musso). The dialog on the kids – two boys, the babysitter and her boyfriend – make this more of a film for teens and younger adults. The “attitude” means wise-remarks and general obnoxiousness and rebellious attitudes. The worst in that attitude category is D.J.’s friend “Chowder,” the kind of guy who talks you into doing thing that wind up getting YOU in trouble.

   The best part of the film, besides the animation, is the unpredictability of the story. You kept wondering what was going to happen next. That made the 91 minutes go by pretty fast. It’s a simple story but very entertaining despite the not-so-great-role models and, as most pictures do, has a good message and a few heartwarming scenes at the end.
   

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2. M. Jerome

   October 31, 2010 at 8:51 pm

   Review by M. Jerome for Monster House (Fullscreen)
   Rating:
   Monster House uses the same motion-capture technology as Zemeckis’ Polar Express but takes it to the next level. This time around, the whole context of the movie will appeal to a wider audience so this is a great opportunity to display the possibilities that this all digital technology offers.

   Beyond the technical achievement, Monsterhouse is an excellent surprise for its family-oriented audience. Unlike Dreamworks and their Shrek-ish, below-the-belt, cynically adult-oriented features, this movie aims at both the kids and grown-ups in a way that tends to unite them around its subject, rather than addressing the two categories separately and alternatively.

   To kids, this will be their first experience of an actual horror flick: the house IS seriously haunted and this is definitly no Casper-like curse. Lives are at stake here and the line between good and evil is not so strictly defined.
   
   Some aspects of the plot have a very macabre touch, still a bittersweet feeling comes in balance towards the end.
   
   A real implication is required from the kids, especially because a few thrills awaits them once the house has awaken.

   On the parents’ side, besides the fact that for those like me who grew up with the Amblin productions of the eighties (The Goonies, The Gremlins and co), you are in for a great back-to-the-future nostalgic trip. Not only because the action takes place in the 80’s (various hints lead to believe it)but because the whole atmosphere, the characters, the humour will either make you wish you could still be 5 to 10 years old to fully dive into this nightmarish story, or simply will make you forget you’ve grown older and make you actually feel like you’re a kid again.

   So thank you Mr Zemeckis and Mr Spielberg for producing this little gem, which, though it draws its inspiration from a classic tradition of haunted mansion archetypes, never fails to find its own identity and energy.

   In a nutshell: great style and screenplay, technically impressive and very concerned about offering a satisfying show to the audience.

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3. Ryan Costantino

   October 31, 2010 at 7:12 pm

   Review by Ryan Costantino for Monster House (Fullscreen)
   Rating:
   I just saw this film today (after missing out on a sold out sneak preview last weekend) and the increased level of expectation was met with one of the most rewarding moviegoing experiences I’ve had in the last five years. Monster House gives us one doozy of a spooky antagonist, a decrepit domicile of living malice that gobbles errant toys and passerby with equal ingenuity and viciousness.

   The house is plain old MEAN, and for really small children perhaps a little too scary to take in a gigantic room filled with strangers and darkness. But for those of us who are too grown up for a nighlight this is perfect, creepy entertainment.

   The same motion capture technology used to create The Polar Express (a film which I have still yet to see) is a very interesting and appropriate choice for this film, where the only truly fantastic element is the demented house that will not suffer trespassers. It works so well because the eerie realism that depicts the characters is so starkly contrasted with the insanity that ultimately drives the Monster House to be, well, so monstrous.

   Now I fully expected to be entertained by the antics of the house, but I didn’t expect there to be much of a story. Again I was pleasantly surprised by what I think is a script that I believe is just as worthy of an Oscar nomination as the script for The Incredibles was. There is, beneath the floorboards of this film, more heart than horror. A tale of love, retribution, acceptance, forgiveness, and ultimately letting go.

   Monster House is, beyond a doubt, one of the coolest Horror movies for kids ever made. A Halloween tradition in the making that dares to answer that age old question: Can a house be haunted?

   The answer is a resounding yes with a disquieting post script.

   Whatever is haunted may also be hungry!

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