Being born in the late 1990s, I was blessed with growing up in the 2000s as Disney Channel and Nickelodeon battled and ruled tween media. Most of the stars from this era have stayed around and become titans of the industry. At the 82nd Golden Globes, Ariana Grande, Zendaya, Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez were all nominated for awards and all actors started their careers on these networks. While most have stuck with acting and music, Gomez's co-star from 'Wizards of Waverly Place', David Henrie, has broken out into directing and is behind the camera for 'Monster Summer'.
'MONSTER SUMMER' TRAILER
The film follows Noah (Mason Thames, 'The Black Phone') and his friends who, while on summer break, uncover something is going wrong in their town. The children there are going missing and when they return are not the same as when they left. They team up with a retired police detective, Gene (Mel Gibson, 'Gallipoli', 'Pocahontas'), to uncover this spooky mystery.
'Monster Summer' wants to be 'Stranger Things' and 'Goosebumps' through a Disney Channel Original Movie, yet falls short of all of them. Its premise feels stretched thin in its short 97-minute run time. There is so little to pad out this mystery that it automatically turns into a forgettable film.
Its premise feels stretched thin in its short 97-minute run time. There is so little to pad out this mystery that it automatically turns into a forgettable film.
For a film with a title like 'Monster Summer', there is a big lack of both. There is one "monster", and they don't show until the end of third act. It wants to fit into this kids' horror/nostalgic world, but just can't get there. The film is quite dark in the visual department and would be too scary for younger viewers while also being too boring for older children. It just exists in a middle.
The child actors are good but have little to do. Mel Gibson - a wild casting choice - is also just kind of there doing the bare minimum. David Henrie does a fine job as a director but is making a film with little substance. Henrie stared on 'Wizards of Waverly Place', a show populated with vampires, werewolves and, well, wizards, and when you pair him with a film titled 'Monster Summer' there is a lot of potential there. The story itself seems so uninterested in doing anything other than the bare minimum.
'Monster Summer' hits right in the middle and doesn't really deliver on its horror premise. If you have a pre-tween who loves 'Goosebumps' or whatever the current children's horror equivalent is, it's a fine way to keep them entertained, but they will most likely enjoy just rewatching something at home.