Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Goosebumps 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 28, 2016

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words...oh my, the words." Imagine a writer's most vivid, horrifying creations literally coming to life, forming from the very ink on the very pages on which they're described in great, terrible detail. Imagine further, dear readers, that these literary beasts of all form and fear have chosen you as their very special prey. Picture great destruction, see pain and suffering, feel the goosebumps rising from head to toe. From the mind of R.L. Stine and the skillful craftsmen at Sony Pictures comes Goosebumps, a family-friendly Horror/Comedy film that tells the story of the time when they had their time, when the monsters, otherwise tucked away in the musty pages of spine-tingling texts, heretofore avoidable by the simple act of slamming the book shut and securing it with lock and key, are freed of their literary confines and let loose in the real world. Director Rob Letterman's (Monsters vs. Aliens) film blends the real and the fantastical in a movie that recalls Jumanji and Zathura, substituting board games with books but retaining that same imaginative free-flow of ideas and humorous charm that result when man meets amazing.

Zach (Dylan Minnette) and his mother Gale (Amy Ryan) have just moved to Madison, Delaware via New York, though for Zach it may as well be Nowhere, Deleware. Gale's landed a new job as a vice principal at the local high school. Zach meets his new neighbor, Mr. Shivers (Jack Black), and it's not a cordial introduction. Zach is bluntly told to stay on his side of the fence and keep away from Shivers' daughter Hannah (Odeya Rush). One evening, Zach believes he hears a struggle in the neighbors' house. He call the cops, but Shivers blames the ruckus on his surround sound system. Nevertheless, Zach and his new social outcast friend Champ (Ryan Lee) sneak in to investigate. Inside the house, they discover dozens of original Goosebumps manuscripts, the acclaimed childrens' Horror stories. But they're not simply bound pages. When opened, their most terrible creatures -- abominable snowmen, werewolves, aliens, an oversized Praying Mantis, even an evil puppet -- come to life and wreak havoc on Madison. Now, Zach, Champ, and Hannah, along with Shivers, who reveals himself to be none other than Author R.L. Stine himself, must find a way to stay alive and return the creatures from whence they came.

Pro-reading campaigns aimed at young readers often tout the written word's ability to transport the reader somewhere magical, unbelievable, unusual, fun, far-fetched, maybe even frightening, or in other words, to "the world of possible." But they didn't have this in mind! Fortunately, when the words of make-believe meet the real world, the result is only projected on the silver screen or displayed on the living room TV. Fear not, kids, those creepy gnomes or ambling zombies won't really come out of the page. Promise. But they do come out of the page in Goosebumps, and even as the movie is largely a product of prefabricated plot points -- there's really nothing novel here, beyond, of course, all the novels that comes to life...and...terrorize...and...give the audience goosebumps! -- it understands the limits beyond its imagination and allows the monsters to do their work as the heroes struggle to find a way to escape and, more important, figure out a way to get rid of them. The movie yields a very straightforward narrative -- beginning, middle, and twist, as Mr. Stine might say -- that introduces characters but, once that's done, sends a steady stream of Stine's most memorable monsters onto the screen. The film thrives on its over-the-top antics, comedic thrills, and a steady serving of mild chills. What the movie lacks in narrative intrigue it more than makes up for in enthusiasm, which, in a movie like this, really does trump all.

As a general rule in Goosebumps, characters feel overshadowed by the monsters, unlike Jumanji and Zathura, films in which the characters felt more integral to the story, more organically developed, and directly involved. Here, the movie's linear chase elements emphasize action and the creatures while the humans amount to little beyond the subject of the "twist" that's hinted at near the beginning and slowly revealed in the final act. Character definition feels more indirectly related, particularly as characters like Stine evolve throughout the movie, lost under the deluge of visual effects and the mayhem that follows them everywhere they go around town. But it works well enough within the movie's context, needs, and wants. Jack Black, always stellar in his work, is again excellent here in a part that, admittedly, doesn't stretch his acting chops in the least but that does allow him to demonstrate his command of subdued humor and personable antics (watch for a scene in which Black is tied up by tiny gnomes, reminiscent of his run-ins with the Lilliputians in Gulliver's Travels, also directed by Goosebumps' Rob Letterman). Dylan Minnette and Odeya Rush develop fair screen chemistry throughout that's challenged by a key plot point, one in which they both handle well. Ryan Lee is the standout as the comic relief sidekick, Champ.

Goosebumps 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Goosebumps features a rather vanilla 3D presentation. Depth of field is fine in wider shots of open locations -- the school gymnasium, a hockey rink, the streets of Madison -- but isn't quite as organically spacious as one might expect in closer quarters, like the family kitchen or even Stine's study/writing room. Character and object volume never feels fully developed, at least well beyond the 2D image constraints. A few surprises dot the movie as it toys with extra-dimensional bits that appear to extend out of the screen, but for the most part the transfer relies on basic depth and little more. On the flip side, general attributes remain a strength and aren't all that far removed, if at all, from the 2D-only disc also included in this set. Fine object detail ranges from fair to borderline striking, the latter of which dominates the experience. Colors are noticeably, but in no way severely, dimmer in 3D. Brighter scenes remain the strong point, whether overhead greens to open the movie or a myriad of shades at a brightly lit supermarket. Black levels retain a solid depth and darkness and flesh tones hold a trace excess of warmth.

Goosebumps 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Goosebumps 3D giveth depth, and it taketh depth away. Whereas the 2D-only disc contains a Dolby Atmos/Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack, the 3D version of the film serves up only a less immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. It's an unfortunate compromise, adding visual depth, as negligible as it may be, and reducing aural depth in return. So there's no definitive extra-dimensional version of Goosebumps, but the good news is that the included 5.1 track is no slouch. While the differences, even between it and the 7.1 track, aren't substantial, they're noticeable. The absence of the rear-middle surround channels creates not an empty vacuum but does lessen the sense of spatial immersion, particularly evident in the enveloping musical details but also in action where little nuances are crucial to fully appreciating the sound design and precise object placement. But in general, definition satisfies. Music spreads nicely across the front, hugs the rear left and right speakers, and offers nicely pronounced clarity. Action effects are adequately robust and dynamically placed. Basic immersion is pleasing, depth of heavy sound satisfying, and clarity of individual sonic signatures good all around. Weighty action scenes thrive within the 5.1 limits; LFE is deep and crashes and crunches hit hard and surround the listener. Dialogue delivery remains clear and detailed in the front.

Goosebumps 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Goosebumps contains an alternate open, deleted scenes, several featurettes, early actor test footage, and more. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV digital copy are included with purchase. The only 3D-specific extras are 3D trailers for Pixels and Hotel Transylvania 2.

• Cast Blooper Reel (1080p, 3:08).
• Alternate Opening (1080p, 3:28).
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): First Day of School (6:05), Kitchen Argument (0:55), Shivers at the Police Station (2:05), Lorraine Loses Zach (0:44), Flirting in the Car (0:39), Davidson and Abby (0:32), and Alternate Ending (2:03).
• All About Slappy (1080p, 4:44): The puppet character Slappy recalls his own history in Stine's book series, while Stine and the film's cast chime in with their own thoughts. The piece also examines the character's design and construction for the movie.
• Beginner's Guide to Surviving a Goosebumps Creature (1080p, 5:47): Zach and Champ share a few secrets on fighting off some of the baddies that appear in the film.
• Strange Things Are Happening...On-Set (3:30): Dylan Minnette chronicles some of the oddities that occurred on set during the shoot.
• Creaturefied! (1080p, 8:56): Makeup Artists Steve Prouty and Fionagh Cush share some secrets behind their work on the movie and how fans can recreate the visuals at home.
• Cast Screen Test Gallery (1080i): Video clips featuring the cast in early rehearsals. Included are Dylan Minnette and Odeya Rush (2:49), Jack Black, Dylan Minnette and Odeya Rush (1:30), Jack Black and Dylan Minnette 1 (2:24), and Jack Black and Dylan Minnette 2 (0:45).
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

Goosebumps 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Goosebumps lives and dies by its enthusiasm for the material, which means that, for the most part, it thrives. Hardly a groundbreaking picture in any way, lacking truly interesting characters, and featuring acceptably ho-hum visual effects, the movie has a lot working against it, but that enthusiasm and honest acceptance of its narrative simplicity helps it climb out of a potentially deep and dark hole. Add in the always entertaining Jack Black and a good surrounding roster and Goosebumps manages to entertain for the duration, which is all one can really ask of a movie of this sort. Sony's Blu-ray 3D release delivers bland 3D video, a neutered audio track, and a bit of flimsy but audience-friendly supplemental content. Save a few dollars and buy the 2D version instead.