I LOVED the film. It was quite fun. But why open a Halloween film, in July, with 2 other cg animated films in the next two weeks? I think this would have been even more fun in Oct.

B+

Yeah, they really fucked up releasing this in July. It's a perfect Halloween film! They would have made a mint!

My expectations were pretty much below zero, but the movie was engaging and surprisingly hilarious. Chowder, who I suspected would be a typically awful moppet, was a riot. So was the girl, whose name escapes me. These were good child actors, with great comic timing.

But this movie had the same problem Polar Express had (well, Polar Express had a lot of problems beyond this one), which is that some of the characters just look creepy as hell. And not the characters that are supposed too; namely, DJ (JD?) and, especially, Bones. I was so glad when the latter left the film. He just looked scary.

And the movie just stopped dead during Jon Heder's cringe-worthy scene (but the 8-bit video game shoehorned in amongst the technological marvels was a nice touch).

But 95% of the movie was a total delight. And, not to repeat myself, but it was so funny!

I know most of the reviews are completely opposite but I found myself really enjoying the first half of the movie, it had a very Goonies/Burbs vibe with lots of laughs and good dialogue. Once they get into the house though it slowly loses steam as it devolves into what is essentially an elongated chase scene, with a rather hokey ending (what is that old guy going to live in the hole now?) to boot. Animation was beautiful, and there were some great, great ideas here but the originality escapes us in the latter half as it drudges away to a typical ending. I give it a B overall.

Once I found out about this was being made I had pretty high expectations for this, It didn't quite live up to them but I found it very enjoyable. I found myself smiling more than laughing during the film, there were a couple chuckles at a couple Chowder jokes. There were a couple scenes that could be a little intense for the youngsters but overall I think kids will find this more cool than scary. Oh the cus words from the clips that showed up on MySpace were cut out, I was a little bummed out that. A solid cast did a good job escpecially the kids and great direction from Kenan. The animation of everything was great not the just house but that was the best part of the animation and the look of the film was great to, it had a very distinct look different from the animated films that we've been seeing lately that's what makes it stand out. I'm hopeing the films legs will stabilize and families will go see this instead of "The Ant Bully" which didn't to well at the box office so that should die out quickly and there doesn't seem to be to much excitment for "Barnyard" so I'm crossing my fingers that "Monster House will creep towards the 100 million mark. I give it a solid B.

Wow! A gem! By far, this is the best animated film of the year thus far. Yoshue's review was pretty much spot on, but I have to emphasize my love for the production design (if one calls it that) here... the retro look, the Halloween colors... everything, down to the last detail, was noted by the filmmakers. It has that creepy, but charming 1970s small town/every town USA vibe... something that definitely makes me nostalgic for my home town. This is a real treat. The release date was just terrible! Luckily, its holding up fairly well at the box office....

Heheh.

Yes, the ultimate Halloween movie!! I thought I was alone in my love for this one... this definitely falls into that category... vintage, Halloween entertainment. Very light hearted, but in a clever, interesting way. I do agree with whoever said this was shot like a live action film, too. Lots of love went into this project.

It was good but it was kind of boring in some parts and the animation was kinda weird.

B-

Hocus Pocus is the bomb, yo. Many of my friends love it just as much as I. Whatever happened to Omri Katz anyway?

B+


Man, I really enjoyed this one and I can only imagine it getting better with repeat viewings. Frankly, this is the first CG anbimated film I saw in theatres since The Polar Express and it was a great one too. I felt as a kid again when I saw this. What makeshift and Snrub have said is completely true. This is movie is for those folks who enjoyed films like The Monster Squad, Gremlins and similar features in their childhood. I know I did and this fits perfectly in the mold. It was a huge mistake to release it in summer and on top of that right before the release of two other CGI films. It is perfect Halloween entertainment for kids.

I loved the animation, it was every bit as good as on The Polar Express (though the scenery was not as spectacular of course). The characters were good, event hough not fleshed out. We are thrown in, right in the middle of the story and it is perfectly fine by me. Truth to be said, a lot of humor in the film is geared towards younger audiences, but I found some very neat references and stuff that I really enjoyed and some spots where I was really one of the few in the audiences laughing. This is the first major animated film for horror fans!

The storyline was great, the setting, the style...all was great. There are some moments where the film lags a bit and it could have used a little more edge, but other than that, great entertainment. I approve. I know there are sequels to Over the Hedge and Madagascar and others that are coming, but the one CGI sequel I'd truly appreciate would be to this film.

I think I would have really liked Monster House when I was a kid... it's a perfect Halloween type movie for a youngster. However, I didn't feel it had the same adult crossover appeal that you find in a lot of CGI movies of this type (like Toy Story 1/2 and the Incredibles). There were a few chuckles - I found the John Heder video game character to be very funny - but mostly I found myself being kind of bored and not really finding the movie that funny or scary. A lot of times it was loud and annoying without much happening.

I give MH a C.

It was a decent effort. I also would have enjoyed it more younger.

Grade: B

I was a bit dissapointed, I really loved some of the camera angles but I'd expect that from something Robert Zemeckis was the executive producer for. The kids didn't really do it for me at all, I don't think I found more then two moments of Chowder's schtick very funny. Luckily the film got better once it got past all the sitting around we saw in the trailer, leading up to quite a great finale that really got me going. Ultimately I think it was a bit too little too late, and while I agree it's a step in the right direction, it really could've spread out the fun through the whole film. B-

B, very well done horror film.

Occasionally witty animated flick that ultimately dissolves into just another kid's flick. The script shows flashes of brilliance in the beginning, and the visuals are quite impressive, but the story ultimately goes nowhere and is ridden with clichés. For an animated film, the cinematography is actually pretty innovative, and the animation itself is impressive, but it can't overcome the fairly boring story that has nothing new. There are quite a few one-liners that are pretty funny, but that's about it. And the end, while looking fantastic, is terribly obvious and telegraphed right from the beginning of the film. Overall, a visually impressive but utterly clichéd film.

After Happy Feet, my favorite animated film of 2006. It's nice to see something besides talking animals in animation (not that talking animals are a bad thing....). Plus anything utilizing Kathleen Turner's voice is worth seeing. My grade: A-.