Monster Family 2

If I remember correctly another movie was supposed to come out exactly close to this time of the year before it got pushed to next year. Also the theme of that movie was monsters turning into humans and this movie is about humans turning into monsters... also the source of the transformation is basically advanced crazy science mixed with magic green gems.

It just feels like this fish out of water story is a bit used in movies these days. And that every movie is basically the same movie mixed with surface level differences.

And this movie? Well you can either watch this movie or Hotel Transylvania 4... you choose... it's all just the same formula...

If the first Monster Family was an underwhelming less than the sum of its parts, this surpasses it comfortably. Monster Family 2 appears to have been made by people with no understanding of children. The animation is second rate and the visual jokes simply not funny, nor do they add to the plot. The script is lazy at best and plagiarised at worst. Clearly made for international distribution to undemanding TV Networks looking to fill their schedules, the voice acting is poor in the extreme. Surprising, really, when considering some of the names involved. It is obvious that for some of the better known actors it represented a quick payday when the work could be squeezed in between other, more high-profile engagements. As for some of the lesser known performers with large parts, well lets just say they are not remotely up to it and spare their blushes by not naming them. If you want top notch animations both great for kids and adults, stick to Pixar or Sony.

Truth be told, then I can't remember the storyline from the first movie, so how much of a continuation this 2021 animated movie is to the 2017 previous movie, I have no idea. But still, I opted to sit down to watch "Monster Family 2" with my son here in 2021.

Writers Abraham Katz and David Safier did manage to put together an entertaining enough storyline and plot, however, it was some what forgettable. And I do believe that come next week, then the movie here will have faded from my memory. But at least my son enjoyed it.

Visually then "Monster Family 2" was good, as the CGI animation and art style was nice. So there certainly was a lot of nice stuff to look at.

The voice acting in this animated movie was adequate, with the likes of Nick Frost and Jason Isaacs on the cast list.

All in all, then "Monster Family 2" was a watchable and adequately entertaining animated movie, albeit a somewhat generic one as well. As such, then my rating of director Holger Tappe's 2021 animated movie lands on a five out of ten stars. In comparison to many other new CGI animated movies, then "Monster Family 2" just wasn't outstanding.

From an adult perspective it was ok. My kids, 6 and 8, really enjoyed it. They watched it twice now and keep asking to watch it. Very family friendly. No questionable material which is a big plus in todays day and age.

Hadn't watched the first one but we needed a hallowe'en movie to watch as a family. The animation is top notch, however, the plot is a mash of generic monsters in peril, so cliched it's probably ironic "oh no we're monsters again?" inciting incident and uninspiring vocal performances. I think it's one of those productions where the producers need to sell it to different territories and with different voice actors, so you don't get any identifiable facial expressions or tics. The worst example is Nick Frost as the Dad. Usually the animators have the voice cast's performance to use as a guide but I'm sure here the voice cast were hired during or after production.

All in all it was a forgettable 90 minutes with a weird mix of too much plot and not enough storytelling.