We watched the first "Goosebumps" (MY REVIEW) film around Halloween time three years ago. The whole family enjoyed its wholesome combination of juvenile horror and comedy, as well as the neat monster special effects. This year, we watched its sequel right on Halloween day itself, in a cinema full of kids, and we were entertained all over again.
Single-mom Kathy Quinn worked in a nursing home to raise her two children Sarah (currently applying for college) and Sonny (obsessed with Nikolai Tesla and his tower). Sonny and his friend Sam undertook a junk collecting business to raise cash. One of the items they got from an abandoned house was a locked book with a key and a ventriloquist dummy named Slappy who came alive and gave the Quinns and their whole town of Wardenclyffe, New York the most terrifying Halloween they will never forget.
The actors who played the Quinn kids were up and coming actors Madison Iseman (best known for her role Bethany in "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle") and Jeremy Ray Taylor (whom we recently met in his role of Ben in "It"). The wacky family dynamics between Sarah and Sonny together with their clueless mother Kathy (played so entertainingly well by Wendi McLendon-Covey) were fun to watch. The same familiar teen issues tackled, like jerk boyfriend or bullying by jocks, were nothing new.
Slappy the Dummy (voiced by Mick Wingert) is once again the main antagonist, as he went to extreme length to sow terror, all in his longing to belong to a family. In the previous film, Slappy was voiced by Jack Black. This time around, Jack Black made a last-minute appearance again as "Goosebumps" author R.L. Stine. This was despite initial news to the contrary, especially since Black just starred in the recent, similarly-themed "The House with a Clock in Its Walls".
Caleel Harris played Sonny's smart-alecky best friend Sam. Bryce Cass was Tyler, Sarah's boyfriend. Peyton Wich was class bully Tommy Madigan. Ken Jeong played a childish crazy rich Asian neighbor Mr. Chu, who had an obsession for elaborate house decorations as well as a devoted fan of Goosebumps books. Chris Parnell played Walter, the dweebish clerk at the grocery store who harbored a crush on Kathy.
The main treat of the film were the Halloween monsters that Slappy brought to life with his magical powers. This was very similar to what happened in the first film (set in Madison, Delaware). Only this time, Slappy's magic would be later intensified and broadcast further by Tesla's Wardenclyffe tower which just so happened to be in the neighborhood. My favorite part, and I'm sure a favorite of many kids based on their reactions, was the part when the Gummy Bears come to life to attack the boys.
It was not as good or original as the first, since it was basically a retread of the story with Slappy terrorizing a different town and kids. However, it was still better than what I expected, and we had fun watching it along with the noisy little kids around us, who were all obviously enjoying it too. 6/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment