‘Hotel Transylvania 2’ and ‘The Intern’ movie reviews
By Lauren Paulsen, Senior Columnist
4/5
Halloween is just around the corner, so it’s time to bring out the monster-themed movies!
I’m a sucker for animated movies, and I really liked Hotel Transylvania when it came out in 2012. When the teaser trailer came out for a sequel, I was super excited. I couldn’t wait to meet the sweet child that Mavis (voiced by Selena Gomez) and Johnny (Andy Samberg) had, as well as see all of the old characters and find out what they had been up to.
I enjoyed Hotel Transylvania 2, but didn’t feel that it lived up to its predecessor. But isn’t that usually the case with sequels? The basic plot of the movie is that Dracula (Adam Sandler) wants his half-human, half-vampire grandson, Dennis (Asher Blinkoff), to get his fangs to prove he is more vampire so that Mavis won’t move away with him. Déjà-vu, anyone? Dracula is still as clingy to his family as ever.
I felt that the plot was rushed somewhat. I would have liked a more fleshed-out version, and didn’t feel that the 90 minutes was enough time to do this. However, I do have to keep in mind that it is geared towards kids, and won’t be as “deep” as I would like it to be.
Despite not feeling like I got enough out of Hotel Transylvania 2, it was still fun to watch and makes a great Halloween family movie. Dennis is absolutely adorable, and my new favourite character from the series. I still really love this world and would like to see more of it.
3/5
It is inevitable that people are going to think of one of Anne Hathaway’s previous roles as an intern in The Devil Wears Prada when they hear about her most recently released movie, The Intern. But in this movie Hathaway plays Jules Ostin, the founder and CEO of an online fashion company who gets her own senior intern. No, not a senior in high school or college, but a senior in life.
Robert De Niro plays Ben, a retired widower who finds he no longer has purpose in life. He notices a flyer advertising the new senior intern program at Jules’ company and decides to apply. He manages to get the job and wins over everyone at the company with his old-fashioned charm—everyone except his boss, Jules.
Jules is highly overworked and finding it hard to manage her company after its huge, successful start. She needs guidance and help, and who better to give it to her than her congenial, experienced, new intern?
If I were describing this movie to someone, I would call it a “heartfelt comedy.” It was a feel-good movie that I enjoyed watching, but it wasn’t one that I would say really had an impact on me. It was pretty predictable and used stereotypical characters, such as the seniors not knowing anything about modern technology. There were some funny moments, however, that had the whole theatre audience laughing, such as when Ben meets the company’s masseuse.
Overall, I think The Intern is a pleasant movie to watch if you enjoy this genre. Just don’t expect it to have a major impact.
