In this third installment of the Hotel Transylvania franchise, Count Dracula is looking for love. 

Not realizing that he’s lonely and instead believing that her father needs a vacation from hosting other people’s vacations, Mavis (Selena Gomez) books the whole family a monsters-only cruise. She and Dracula (Adam Sandler), are joined by husband Johnny (Andy Samberg), Mr. and Mrs. Frankenstein (Kevin James and Fran Drescher), the Wolfman and his wife (Steve Buscemi and Molly Shannon), the Invisible Man (David Spade) and the Mummy (Keegan Michael Key).

At its core, Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster Vacation is a watchable flick. Audience members, especially adults, won’t find much below the surface, but there are enough jokes to keep the kids entertained. Older watchers may notice that many of the jokes last a few beats too long, but rarely long enough for the children to notice. 

The script, which was written in part by director Genndy Tartakovsky (Star Wars: Clone Wars), doesn’t allow itself much room to breathe. Plot threads are introduced that don’t go anywhere and the jumble of characters make it hard to really care about anyone too much.

Towards the middle of the film, Dracula falls in love with the ship's captain, Ericka (Kathryn Hahn). Why? We’re never exactly told, especially as we never actually find out that much about her. Moments like this feels like a disservice to the talented group of actors that make up the movie’s cast. 

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The story itself is a toned-down version of many of Adam Sandler’s live-action films. A group of friends goes on vacation, has fun, something goes wrong, but everybody still goes home happy. It’s not particularly original and despite being overstuffed, it manages to keep its pace.

Missteps with the plot are mostly remedied by many vibrant, neon-colored design choices made by the animation team. The cruise ship and its surroundings were perfect vehicles for fun, new ways to capture the audience’s eye, especially once the ship docks in the lost city of Atlantis.  

There was one character design that was a little bizarre, though, and could potential frighten more skittish kids. Dracula's ancient archenemy and the story’s antagonist, Abraham Van Helsing (Jim Gaffigan), spends most of the movie as half man/half machine. Even for adults, it’s a little off-putting, so beware. 

Like many sequels to animated movies, Hotel Transylvania 3 doesn’t live up to the standards of its predecessors and instead feels like an extended episode of its television spin-off. But if you’re looking to get out of the sun this summer and into an air-conditioned movie theater, Dracula and his friends will gladly welcome you aboard. (sul/kes)

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