Monster House Reviews
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The film's goal is to get kids into the horror movie genre and create a feeling of nostalgia to those who read Goosebumps and watched Are You Afraid of the Dark while growing up. The film creates a good spooky feeling and the comedic aspect dosen't interfere with it. They work together.
The performance capture in the film is great! Many people critiscize the style because of the creepy look of the characters even in inviting settings. Best example include Zemeckis' The Polar Express and A Christmas Carol. The animation kinda hides the fact that it is performance capture and the beackgrounds and design of the characters look like an excellent blend of computer animation and stop motion even though they are not, The performances from the actors are good as well. The kids know how to act in the situations they're in. I especially like Maggie Gylenhall, Steve Buschemi, Jason Lee, but love Jon Heder in this film! He does add his Napoleon Dynamite attitude into his performance.
The score was good as well and the writing.
This is also the first film I've seen in Blu-Ray 3D. The high definition quality is awesome and the 3D is okay. The film is still entertaining in 2D.
Monster House isn't perfect and not terrible but still fun and spooky. A must for those who enjoy eerie animation like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride.
"You make me want to throw up on some tinfoil and eat it!"
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Grade B+
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Really impressive animated acting and a bit of a change from the usual family theme. This time it's a "horror".
There's some really cool bits as usual and as always an idiot to keep us laughing and a geek that musters up courage during the movie becoming the hero and ending up with the girl.
I do think it's a bit too scary for kids though, or maybe I was a bit too scared. Anyway, it is a "horror" themed film supposedly for children but adults can enjoy it as much.
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- Oh, so it's a "girl" house..."
Gil Kenan's 'Monster House' from 2006, was for me a real sleeper hit. People only talk about all the Disney's, Dreamworks' and Pixar's out there but every once in a while, some other studio comes out with noteworthy animations. In this case it was Sony.
The story is about a young kid who's neighbour is a grumpy old man. If anything touches his lawn... it's gone. The grumpster takes it to his own collection. Why is he so mad and angry at kids. Is it because his house is alive and has its own issues against kids !?!
But that's enough of the story. Robert Zemeckis is the producer and that can be seen. The film starts with a tribute to Zemeckis' most successful film, 'Forrest Gump'. The same technique that was used in his 'The Polar Express', is used in 'Monster House'. Performance capture is the name and I'm still not that convinced. This film has the same fault as 'Polar'. At times it looks very detailed and all that, but in my opinion, the people look rather... dead? 'Monster House' is by no means the most beautiful animation. Not by a long shot.
What I enjoyed most about 'Monster House' was that it felt like something completely different. This film is not for the smallest ones. Don't you be fooled by the genre, 'Monster House' will definitely scare the youngest with its scariest scenes. On the other hand, this film is also very funny'. I enjoyed the films humor and characters, especially Jon Heder's Skull, who has a small role in the movie.
The actors who do the voices, come out with excellent performances. Steve Buscemi as the old man, Jason Lee, Kevin James, Maggie Gyllenhall and the deep voiced Kathleen Turner. A good cast all together.
'Monster House' is a lot of fun, looks good in a different way (don't expect Pixarish detail) and will surely satisfy at least the older persons who were forced to watch an animation with the kids... Just don't tell 'em that the film isn't suitable for kids under 10. Let 'em cry the next night. Suits them well.
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