As studio execs continue to milk the cash cow that is the CG animated feature, MONSTER HOUSE is refreshing on two fronts; firstly, we see a departure from cutesy animals/toys in peril, and secondly, it's good!I would imagine that fellow kids-at-heart who grew up in the eighties with INDIANA JONES and THE GOONIES will feel right at home with D.J., Chowder, and Penny; all characters we've met and identified with before in other movies. The focus is on story and character interaction, and thankfully there's a complete lack of "Gee! Look what we can do with computer graphics!" We're not subjected to nauseating shaky-cam and rapid cuts of other recent kid flicks this movie looks beautiful, and the animators allow you to appreciate it. Not surprisingly, the most interesting characters are Nebbercracker and The House. There's a good story here, ultimately with unexpected warmth and heart.
Is it aimed at the right age group? That's debatable. More sensitive kids may find it too scary. It's loud at times, there's a few in-your-face frights, and the tension builds quickly. Beyond the genre setting, there are a number of more mature themes present which parents should be aware of, notably alcohol usage and sexual themes when the babysitter and her boyfriend are on-screen. I could knock off a star for these points given the target audience, but they didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the movie.
I highly recommend MONSTER HOUSE to animation lovers, big kids at heart, and little kids with a big kid to hide behind.
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!Watched Monster House in 3d last night with my 12 year old. It was fantastic, the 3d was great, next to no ghosting and i was paying attention to the detail of the movie. Lots of laughs and fun. The quality was alot better than Monsters vs Aliens and cloudy with a chance of meatballs, which i noticed much more ghosting around images. Buy it and enjoy, the last 15 minutes i kept saying wow.
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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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Monster House delivers a consistently gorgeous 3D transfer that dazzles even through the film's many dark scenes. The film's 3D elements impress at every turn; there's a marvelous sense of depth accompanying every minute of the film; there's always at least some background elements or spacing between characters and their environments that give the audience an honest 3D sensation. Best of all, however, is the sheer seamlessness of the presentation. There is not much "jumping out at you" images like in Monsters vs. Aliens.I did not experience or notice any "ghosting" on my Samsung LCD TV (LN46C750) and Samsung Blu-ray player(BD-C6900). The sound was great at every turn; coming out of my Onkyo HT-S3300 Home Theater System.
Special Features include:
* 3D preview of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Open Season
* Filmmaker's Commentary
* Tons of thrilling Featurettes to check out!
* The Art of Monster House photo gallery
Overall a great addition to the limited number of 3D Blu-ray Movies.
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