Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 12, 2018

Something kind of peculiar happened to American television in the 1964-65 season. In an era rife with westerns like Bonanza, family situation comedies like The Donna Reed Show, lawyer dramas like Perry Mason, police-centric series like Naked City, and even what would soon become a major fad, the spy show as epitomized by the then new The Man from U.N.C.L.E., a trio of comedies appeared in September or October of 1964 that were in some ways unique to the annals of series television. Arguably the most innocuous of these was Bewitched, a show which slightly tweaked the already prevalent “smart wife, dumb husband” conceit of countless other sitcoms by making the wife a witch. But the two other oddities of the 1964-65 season really have no real analogs or predecessors (at least that I can think of). The Addams Family brought the curious creations of cartoonist Charles Addams memorably to life, with the “altogether ooky” clan putting a decidedly Gothic spin on the “suburban sitcom”. Perhaps even stranger was CBS’ answer to the ABC series, The Munsters, a show which kind of came close to copyright or trademark infringement (or whatever the appropriate legal term of art might be) by “resurrecting” several notable Universal creatures like Frankenstein's Monster and Dracula in slightly changed forms. And in a way the Hotel Transylvania franchise can be seen as a more or less direct descendant of The Munsters, albeit with a few important changes. In this case the paterfamilias is not a Frankenstein's Monster knock-off, but instead a version of Dracula / Drácula (voiced by Adam Sandler), who is surrounded by a coterie of other iconic creatures (including Frankenstein's Monster, it should be noted). There is also an extended family at play in the series, with the films' "Grandpa" character a vampire (much like in The Munsters) named Vlad (voiced by Mel Brooks), and with Dracula dealing with a daughter named Mavis (voiced by Selena Gomez), a wife and mother in her own right who is kind of half Marilyn Munster (in terms of relative "normalcy) and half Wednesday Addams (in terms of a certain Goth component in her appearance and emotional tenor).

Another television series from about a decade after the debut of the three aforementioned fantasy laden enterprises may come to mind as some watch this third Hotel Transylvania outing, since, despite actual protestations to the contrary voiced by Dracula in the film, Hotel Transylvania 3 plays at least a little like a typical episode of The Love Boat. When Mavis fears her father is working too hard, and hasn’t bonded properly with grandson Dennis, she decides to book the whole Hotel Transylvania crew on a “very special” monster themed cruise, one which launches from the Bermuda Triangle.

Dracula has already been shown trying to drum up some online dating prospects, but he longs for the “zing” (as he puts it) he felt when he first set eyes on Mavis’ now long deceased mother. Unfortunately for Drac, when he does (predictably) feel that romantic tingle when he sets eyes on the liner’s captain, a comely blonde named Ericka (Kathryn Hahn), he isn’t aware that her surname is Van Helsing, and that she is under the sway of her nefarious and slightly bionic great-grandfather Abraham (Jim Gaffigan). The elder Van Helsing has already been shown to be totally obsessed with eliminating monsters from the world courtesy of a prelude of sorts tracing the arrival of Dracula and his friends in Hungary in the 19th century.

That through line plays out against a number of sometimes rather funny vignettes involving a revolving door of other Hotel Transylvania stalwarts, including prodigious reproducer werewolves Wayne (Steve Buscemi) and Wanda (Molly Shannon); “Frank” (Kevin James), the franchise’s version of Frankenstein’s Monster; Murray (Keegan-Michael Key), this film’s version of The Mummy; and this film’s Invisible Man, Griffin (David Spade). These monster icons join the fray with a number of other characters either introduced in previous Hotel Transylvania outings, or, as in the case of some ubiquitous Fish or pilot Gremlins, in this film. The vignette driven quality of the story means that some bits hit better than others, but the film is almost relentlessly energetic, never really pausing long enough to cause much concern even when a joke doesn’t land all that well.

A subplot involving the Lost City of Atlantis leads to an expectedly noisy showdown, but the film perhaps hints at old feuds finally finding some semblance of peace in terms of the ultimate upshot of the relationship between Dracula and Ericka. Hotel Transylvania 3 doesn’t have any outsized ambitions, and it really doesn’t even try to deliver even a passing “message”, but it’s bright and colorful and more often than not enjoyable, undemanding fun. The film’s unexpected haul at the box office almost certainly guarantees a fourth at bat (vampire or otherwise) for the franchise.

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080p Blu-ray.

Hotel Transylvania 3 is presented on 4K UHD courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment with a 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. This is the first animated release from Sony that I've personally reviewed, and I have to say it pretty much knocked my socks off, despite being culled from what I'm assuming was "only" a 2K DI (if anyone has authoritative data to the contrary, message me with the source and I'll happily update the review). Detail levels, already pretty flawless in the 1080p Blu-ray version, are noticeably increased, especially with regard to textures, with items like the Mummy's burlap wrappings, Wayne's fur or Abraham Van Helsing's wiry facial hair gaining at least incrementally (and at times more than incrementally) in both general and fine detail departments. Fabrics like Van Helsing's sweater in the opening "prelude" are also noticeably more detailed in the 4K version. The many instances of rendering water throughout the film also gain in precision and realism (despite the stylistic conceits of the film). HDR has added a whole new range of highlights to an already impressive palette. The purples, blues and teals of this piece are really expressive looking and are given considerable new luster in the 4K iteration. The climax with the Kraken also has more of a slightly dirty cherry red ambience that's quite captivating. The 4K presentation was also devoid of any issues, as slight as they are, with banding that I noticed in the 1080p Blu-ray version.

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Hotel Transylvania 3's audio presentation is similarly upgraded on this 4K UHD disc to a Dolby Atmos track, and from the very first howls which now hover midair, it's clear that there will be a more enveloping listening experience in this version, as excellent as the 1080p Blu-ray DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1's track was. The manic flying sequence with the Gremlins provides new opportunities to engage the Atmos channels, as does the huge cacophonous climax with the Kraken, and the Atmos track continues the excellent placement of effects that is already evident in the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track on the 1080p version. Surround activity is consistent throughout this presentation, with excellent fidelity and extremely wide dynamic range. All elements are woven together seamlessly and with smart prioritization, and there's careful attention paid to both directionality and discrete placement of individual sound effects.

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No supplements of any kind are offered on the 4K UHD disc. The slate of supplements listed in our Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation Blu-ray review are of course available on the 1080p Blu-ray disc included in the package.

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Not to put too fine a point on it, but Hotel Transylvania 3 may be treading water in more ways than one. It has an undeniably padded feeling and its vignette laden structure tends to work in fits and starts. However, if you're a fan of the film and have a 4K setup, you'll probably want to check out this version, as both video and audio attain noticeable upgrades on the 4K UHD disc. Recommended.