Monster House
2006, US, Directed by Gil Kenan
Animation, Running Time: 87 minutes
DVD, Region 2, Sony, Video: Anamorphic 2.39:1, Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
In an American suburb the local kids are terrorized by a bitter old man whenever they step on his property or let their toys fall on to his lawn, causing a real stink on Halloween when kids like to go trick-or-treating. One boy in particular, DJ, is suspicious of what goes on in the old man’s spooky house, setting up a telescope in his bedroom and generally becoming obsessed. As his parents shoot off for holiday, er, sorry - vacation, and the old man himself is taken away by ambulance, DJ enlists the help of his fat friend and the local babe (if you’re 13 or under of course) as they begin to realise that the house itself seems to have a mind of its own, apparently ‘eating’ anything that it can. The police understandably don’t believe a word of it, so the youngsters decide to take the matter into their own nicely modelled hands - they start formulating a plan to break in.
Coming across as a modern mix of The ‘burbs and The Goonies, Monster House is a fairly creative CGI movie showcasing advances in technology to quite astounding effect. The story itself is not groundbreaking but the characters are a joy to watch. The script is executed at a slower pace than expected by the usual roundup of ’stars’ who do an adequate job with the material. Rendering has reached such heights that the visuals could almost pass for stop-motion photography if the character movements themselves were not so smooth, which almost makes one wonder if the film could just have been shot as live-action utilising CG special effects (especially considering the extensive use of motion capture, which is not true animation). Made using an innovative 3D process for its original theatrical screenings, the technique has stimulated plenty of inventive virtual camera work that helps draw the viewer into the action even in 2D. There seems to have been a little influence from Tim Burton here also, the score itself coming across as a Danny Elfman imitation on occasions. An acceptably delightful film.
The digital transfer, while not as sharp as expected (probably due to the fact that they deliberately added ‘film grain’ in post-production), is delectable - the images created by the Sony team are often quite stunning and they are well represented here. The surround mix is equally absorbing making the disc a good demonstration piece for your system whether you enjoy the film or not. Should you be brave enough yet it’s also available on superior Blu-ray Disc but on either format Monster House is quite a fun ride.