Sandy Kenyon reviews 'Hotel Transylvania 3'
NEW YORK (WABC) -- One of the joys of my job is getting to sit in a movie theater and feel the enthusiasm of youngsters watching a movie aimed squarely at them, and such was the case when I saw "Hotel Transylvania 3."
As a critic, I can tell you: It's not as nearly as much fun as the first one, but that it seems unfair to be too harsh.
This time, Drac and his daughter have wandered far away from Hotel Transylvania. In fact, their home is seen only briefly in the beginning and the end of this third in a series of hits.
Most of the time is spent on a summer vacation, as Mavis is sure her dad really needs a cruise.
Selena Gomez lends her unique voice to the character, who I found charming. But Adam Sandler's character is less than thrilled about the prospect of a ship -- until he meets Erica, the captain.
Drac is dazzled, so much so that he responds to her with gibberish.
She replies graciously, "There's just something about an accent that makes a man sound so intelligent."
Erica is a not exactly who she seems, more foe than friend, but her secret is about as dark as it gets in this light-hearted romp. Along for this jaunt is a big cast, and my favorites include David Spade and Fran Drescher. Lovable "Murray" is played by Keegan-Michael Key.
Amid all this fun, it's easy to forget Drac is short for Dracula -- a vampire who, after all, does drink blood. But there's no hint of that here, which makes this film great for little kids.
For adults, most of the fun to be had here is by watching the little ones enjoy it. I saw it with my wife Eileen on a Saturday morning surrounded by children, and it didn't feel like work at all. And that is more than I can say for most of the summer blockbusters I get paid to watch.
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