Goosebumps

Fall is in the air. We know this, because not only do we start seeing films that could be Oscar contenders, but we have others that lend to this time of year, what with Halloween on the rise. At this time of year what would be a better film for that Halloween feel than that of "Goosebumps"? The name alone exudes the very feel of this season.

Upset about moving from New York to the small town of Madison, Delaware, teenager Zach (Dylan Minnette) finds a silver lining when he meets a beautiful girl, Hannah (Odeya Rush), living right next door. But every silver lining has a cloud, and Zach's comes when he learns that Hannah has a mysterious dad who is revealed to be R.L.Stine (Jack Black), the author of the bestselling Goosebumps series. It turns out that there is a reason why Stine is so strange... he is a prisoner of his own imagination-- the monsters that his books made famous are real, and Stine protects his readers by keeping them locked up in their respective books. When Zach unintentionally unleashes the monsters from their manuscripts and they begin to terrorize the town, it's suddenly up to Stine, Zach, Hannah and Zach's friend Champ (Ryan Lee) to get all of them back in the books where they belong.

Others to round out the cast are Amy Ryan as Gale Cooper, Zach's mom, Jillian Bell as Lorraine, sister of Gale's, Ken Marino as Coach Carr, Halston Sage as Taylor, Steven Krueger as Davidson, Keith Arthur Bolden as Principal Garrison, Amanda Lund as Officer Brooks, Timothy Simons as Officer Stevens and Karan Soni as Mr. Rooney.

Apparently these Goosebumps series books have been quite popular--I'm personally not too familiar with them, but as soon as I saw my first trailer of this film, I was intrigued with the premise of it. It has a kind of Indiana Jones feel to it, but on a kid's level. This was whimsically and deftly directed by Rob Letterman ("Shark Tale" '04, "Monsters vs. Aliens" '09, "Gulliver's Travels" '10). Certainly Letterman is not unfamiliar to this type of film, hence his resume. What with all the animation with live action in this flick, this was not a stretch for this guy. I can appreciate sticking with what one knows, but sometimes it pays to go out on that limb and try something a bit different. He's even used Black in another film with the same feel--"Gulliver's Travels". It was effectively written by seasoned writer Darren Lemke based on a story by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski which is based on the "Goosebumps" books by R.L. Stine. It's not a screenplay that is Hollywood doesn't know-- kids find something that's bizarre, let others know, they don't believe them until it's too late and then find a way to solve the problem. But what makes this stand out a bit more is the fact that these 'characters' escape from their books and must be put back before all hell breaks loose--the premise if you will. The visual effects and animation predominantly created by Sony Pictures Animation and MPC (Moving Picture Company) were obviously seamless. They were a bit over-the-top, but considering this was partially animated, more forgiveness has to be handed out. And Jack Black was simply a hoot in this given his animated expressions he's known for in his comedies.

This is certainly a great film for one and all-- a wonderful family film that all can sit back with popcorn in hand and have so much fun with this. It's rollicking, adventurous, colorful, and funny all in an entertaining format. Enjoy!

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                           Rated: PG                              103mins.