Full disclosure, I was a big fan of the Goosebumps books as a kid, but I knew going in that this movie wasn't an adaptation of any specific book and was its own adventure, so I had no set expectations.
There are a lot of good things to say about Goosebumps; it's silly, with some hilarious dialogue and plenty of self-aware commentary, and it never feels like it's dragging.
*Warning: Possible Spoilers Ahead*
Teenager Zach (Dylan Minnette) has moved to the town of Madison, Delaware with his mum for his mum's new job as Vice Principal of the area's school. After connecting with girl next door Hannah (Odeya Rush), a series of events reveals that Hannah is the daughter of Goosebumps author R.L. Stine (Jack Black), and they manage to accidentally release a bunch of monsters from Stine's books. Turns out all of Stine's books are real, and now they have a situation on their hands that's sure to create a few spooky situations.
How do the monsters become real? The movie doesn't answer, and it doesn't care to answer either, it just uses the concept as a set-up for some silly action sequences involving Stine's creations.
The dialogue has a lot of good jokes, and quite a few forced ones. Jokes calling Stine a Stephen King wannabe might go over a few children's heads, but they land much better than most of the jokes involving Zach's aunt. Speaking of Stine, Jack Black is great here, perfectly kooky and over the top without resorting to his usual style and overuse of the word 'awesome'.
The relationship between Zach and Hannah is also a nice point; it's never forced
The movie has a few weak points past some of the jokes, mainly to do with the story and a lot of the questions it leaves unanswered. You can try to ignore these, and the movie is enjoyable despite them, but it is still a weakness in the narrative. It also rarely feels like the characters are in actual danger, so the moments where the film tries to be spooky don't really add anything to the film.
Everything else is serviceable. Other than Jack Black doing a great job as Stine, the other actors are all fine in their roles. There may be a few unexplained plot points, but at least this allows the film to never get weighed down and keep its pacing on point.
The Verdict: Goosebumps is worth the watch if you're familiar with the books that inspired it. Jack Black is cast perfectly as Stine, and despite the moments where it tries too hard to be funny, the movie has a lot of laughs. I also recommend this for younger audiences; some jokes will go over their heads, but this movie is well and truly directed at children a lot of the time.
Rating: 6/10
Published July 12th, 2016
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