I'm sure I'm not the target audience for Monster House, but I watched it anyway. It didn't particularly interest me when they were airing trailers for it, but it did catch my attention enough that I remembered it when browsing a DVD list.

Monster House is a CGI animated kids movie -- definitely at least tween age -- that would be suitable for Halloween. And not just because one of the themes of the movie could be said to be Halloween.

Plot

DJ is fascinated by watching his neighbor, a typical crotchety old man, terrorize the local kids. We see this man chase a little girl off his lawn and steal her pink tricycle. Of course DJ's pleas to do something about this man fall on the deaf ears of his parents, who are off on a business trip. Or a dentistry convention. Or a very boring Halloween party. Or something.

DJ's left with a teenage babysitter who does all the usual stuff; ignores him, plays loud music, invites her deadbeat boyfriend over.

Things heat up when DJ's friend Chowder loses his new basketball onto the lawn of typical crotchety old man (TCOM). They're both scared, but they ultimately go after it. TCOM comes out of the house and pitches a fit. Pretty literally, because he collapses while yelling at DJ. The ambulance takes him away without the siren and lights on. So you can be pretty sure TCOM is dead.

But that's not the end of things, because the house itself starts doing things. It eats a dog. Then babysitter's deadbeat boyfriend disappears.

Then along comes Jenny. She's a smart, if stuck-up, girl and she finagles a deal with the babysitter over some candy she's selling. She's got business savvy, if not a lot of morals. The boys save her from getting eaten by the house.

Then the three seek the advice of the local comic book slash video game geek, who tells them that TCOM is probably inhabiting the house now that he's dead. The house is him now, which is why it's acting so territorial and mean. And the only way to kill the house is to go after its heart.

So, that's what they do, because the local cops are useless, don't listen to them, and eventually get eaten themselves.

But is that really why the house is a monster house? Wasn't it acting a little strange before the old man died? Hmmmm.

My Thoughts

Well, I liked parts of it more than I expected I would. Some of the characters were interesting and some of their lines amusing. But I don't think I like the ultimate reason behind the house being a monster. And I definitely was bored when it started rampaging all over town, looking all evil.

I can't even really talk about the quality of the animation or the soundtrack, because.. eh. It didn't strike me as either good, bad, or unusual.

I don't think I can recommend this movie. Tweens might like it, but it's not sophisticated enough for anyone older than that, and it's too dark and frightening for anyone younger.

The only circumstance I can really see this movie being considered a good movie is if you're having an overnight Halloween party for tweens and need to round out your DVD list.

Recommended:
No

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: None of the Above
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12