Should a movie based on a book cater solely to those who’ve read that book? Of course not, for a variety of reasons. From a business perspective, Hollywood will always want to reach as many people as possible and woo audiences unfamiliar with the product at hand. This, despite the industry’s interests in primarily developing projects where there is great familiarity with the product at hand. They’ll make a Goosebumps movie because that’s a recognizable and popular brand, but they still want to sell tickets to people who don’t recognize let alone fully know the “Goosebumps” book series. But the trailer for the movie makes me wonder if that’s true. This looks like 100% fan service and nothing else.
Maybe that’s fine in this instance. A lot of people grew up on the R.L. Stine-penned light-horror franchise for kids, and I assume a majority of them read a majority of at least the original 62 titles. The movie is not based specifically on any of them, instead taking inspiration from their general concept and taking elements from all of the books — well, one element in particular: their monsters. The more books you’ve read, the more creatures you’re going to be familiar with. The bigger the fan you are or were, the more you’re going to get out of something so exhaustively honoring the entirety of this beloved brand.
If you’re not immediately turned off by Stine being portrayed on screen by Jack Black, who bears no resemblance to the author whatsoever. The plot of the movie is actually not faithful to Stine’s life — Black’s character has a daughter (Odeya Rush), while the real Stine had a son. That should be obvious and acceptable by the fact that it’s about a guy whose literary creations are able to escape their manuscripts and terrorize a town. Perhaps there’s some loose translation of those creations, as well, and that might frustrate the hardcore fans. Maybe this isn’t all that different from most movies based on things with a loyal fan base. Comic book readers also have greater appreciation of comic book movies and their Easter eggs, but they also get the most upset about any changes.
Despite being too old to have familiarity with the “Goosebumps” books, I will say that there is a lot here that could still appeal to me. The movie looks like something made by Joe Dante (I see elements of Gremlins/Small Soldiers, The ‘Burbs and Matinee, plus the TV series Eerie, Indiana) — or at least like something that looks like something made by Dante, a la Eight-Legged Freaks. It also evokes a number of other movies, for better or worse, most notably Jumanji. It also makes me think this is sort of a Cabin in the Woods for younger viewers.
Goosebumps, which is directed by Rob Letterman (Monsters vs. Aliens) and also stars Dylan Minnette, Jillian Bell, Amy Ryan, Ken Marino, and Kumail Nanjiani, opens October 16th.
"Goosebumps Trailer: Is the Movie Strictly for Hardcore Fans of the Books?" was originally published on Film School Rejects for our wonderful readers to enjoy. It is not intended to be reproduced on other websites. If you aren't reading this in your favorite RSS reader or on Film School Rejects, you're being bamboozled. We hope you'll come find us and enjoy the best articles about movies, television and culture right from the source.
0 comments:
Post a Comment