Goosebumps (DVD REVIEW)
DVD
Review
by Kam Williams
DVD Features
Jack Black in Spooky Adventure Inspired by Kid-Friendly Horror
Franchise
Launched by
Robert Lawrence Stine in 1992, Goosebumps is a phenomenally-popular
series of spooky stories carefully-crafted to scare the bejesus out
of 7 to 12 year-olds. The so-called Stephen King of kiddie literature
has published hundreds of titles over the years, selling about a
half-billion books worldwide and counting. Goosebumps has been spun
off into a TV show and video games, so it makes sense that it would
be brought to the big screen, too.
Directed by
Rob Letterman, the picture stars the terminally-impish Jack Black as
R. L. Stine, although the author he's portraying does make a cameo
appearance during a mob scene. The movie marks the reunion of
Letterman and Black who in 2010 collaborated on a poorly-received
remake of Gulliver's Travels.
This
production is likely to fare far better, since its has a built-in
audience already weaned on the books. Plus, the adolescents'
appetites have been further whetted by the pre-release of a product
line of Goosebumps tie-ins, including posters, games, stationery,
Halloween costumes, plush toys, clothes and accessories. Not that the
movie version needs any help, as the combination live-action/animated
adventure proves to be quite entertaining in its own right.
At the
point of departure, we find teenager Zach Cooper (Dylan Minnette) and
his recently-widowed mom (Amy Ryan) grieving their loss and sorely in
need of a change of scenery, which explains their moving to the town
of Madison, Delaware. Their new, next-door neighbor, Mr. Stine
(Black), is a reclusive grouch who warns the boy right off the bat to
keep off his property and to stay away from his home-schooled
daughter, Hannah (Odeya Rush). But it's obviously love at first sight
for Zach, who is instantly smitten with the attractive girl his own
age.
On his
first day of classes at Madison High, he proceeds to make fast
friends with a nerdy loner named Champ (Ryan Lee). After school, the
mischievous pair's curiosity gets the better of them, and they
trespass onto the Stine's premises.
Upon
entering the house, they rummage around the author's mysterious
manuscripts hidden in the basement, thereby unwittingly unleashing an
army of monsters. They're all characters mined from Mr. Stine's
fertile imagination: a giant praying mantis, the Abominable Snowman,
the werewolf, lawn gnomes, zombies, Venus fly traps, the Invisible
Boy, and so on.
What's
more, they're doing the bidding of a diabolical dummy bent on major
mayhem in Madison, if not world domination. Can the creatures be
corralled and safely redeposited between the covers of the author's
journal? Can Zach win the heart of Hannah in spite of the objections
of her overprotective father? Don't be surprised if this episode ends
satisfactorily while simultaneously setting us up for a sequel.
A
family-friendly romp providing just the perfect blend of lighthearted
humor and spine-tingling fright fare to scare and delight kids of all
ages!
Excellent (4
stars)
Rated PG for scary images, intense
action and rude humor
Running time: 103 minutes
Distributor: Sony Pictures Home
Entertainment
DVD Extras: Beginner's Guide to
Surviving a Goosebumps Creature; and Strange Things Are Happening
On-Set.
No comments:
Post a Comment