Goosebumps

Goosebumps is an unpretentious family film that is brisk, moves along nicely, features some purposefully funny scenes and has nice visuals that don't hurt your eyes. The cast is mostly likeable, although I am not a big fan of Jack Black, the role of the geeky writer suited him quite well. Besides that, the film has one intelligently delivered story twist, which pleasantly surprised me personally. All in all, a decent horror fantasy flick with a (in a sense) charismatic main antagonist, perfect for a free evening to unwind. (03/02/2016)

I admit that at a second viewing, this film feels far friendlier than when I first saw it. For the first time, I was mainly annoyed by those brats, which didn’t change that much. On the other hand, I must admit that I felt the same way as when I watched Jumanji as a kid. And that’s why the movie grew on me in the end. Goosebumps might not be the best fantasy horror comedy, but it’s still something that they don’t film anymore. Most importantly, there’s even occasional jokes (especially the cops), beautiful effects, inventive story and Jack Black. (12/11/2016)

Goosebumps is a nice nostalgic notch for the whole family and an homage to the 90's. You can't expect blood or scares from the film, even if an unexpected bird flies out at the viewer at times, but it's a nice entertainment, where they don't spare both very nice light humor and a very varied selection of monsters – there is every creature you can think of: a very creepy belly talking doll, a giant destructive grasshopper, a giant snowman, reanimated garden gnomes, zombies, a clown, a mummy, a werewolf, an all consuming slime, flesh eating plants, an invisible boy and lots more. The film has stunning visuals, the 80 million budget is not often seen in a horror film, the young teenagers are likable, the romantic chemistry between them works, and surprisingly, and for me completely unexpected, are the fairly decent and often dosed twists, the solid premise, and the surprising allusions not only to older horror films, but to the film industry in general. I had a very pleasant time and got younger by six years:) It won't be for everyone though, I'd recommend the film more to the fairer sex, children and people who have a taste for older classics. The rest will probably grumble and shake their heads. Story 7/10, Atmosphere 6/10, Gore 0/10, Visuals 7/10, Action 6/10, Suspense 7/10, Humor 8/10 Entertainment 8/10. (14/11/2015)

A very enjoyable comedy spectacle, light as a feather, quite imaginative, with nice effects, a passable Jack Black (he and director Letterman have definitely improved since Gulliver's Travels) and an excellent score by Danny Elfman. Yes, of course, the comparison with Jumanji also occurred to me, but unlike the others, I do not think that Goosebumps lost significantly in the "duel". For a number of scenes, I thought that at least it had the atmosphere that the new Ghostbusters should have. (17/08/2016)

This film is far from perfect, and the two young male heroes annoyed me so much that I hoped they would die, which of course, given the genre, wasn't possible. But Jack Black was fantastic here, exactly what the role needed, and the overall concept was absolutely excellent. I hope to finally read something by Stine in the future. (13/12/2015)