Mini movie review: The Monster Squad

We finally got the DVD player hooked up (although now the cable will only work if the DVD player is actually on - I have no idea how we got it to work otherwise in our last house but, obviously, a television from the 21st century and all the accompanying connections would work better) and I watched my first movie since August.  Digression:  I can't believe it's been that long since I've seen a movie!  I've missed so much in the theaters but also, not even anything on DVD.  That's what happens when you move to a place where the weather is actually nice most of the time so you can be outside actually doing things and not stuck inside watching things while it rains.

So, anyway, The Monster Squad.  What a hoot!  Like the Goonies before them, a bunch of misfit kids - a rebel, a fat kid, a nerd with a beagle, a boy whose parents are probably divorcing - have banded together, united by their love for old time movie monsters.  When Dracula arrives in town in search of a mystical amulet, and bringing Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolfman, the Mummy and a Creature from the Black Lagoon knockoff with him, it's up to the kids to stop them.

This movie is Very Eighties, what with the hair, the clothes, the un-PC epithets and the soundtrack, but it holds up surprisingly well.  The monsters are good, Stan Winston working his usual magic there, and certainly scary enough for a PG movie.  There are some swears, although nothing stronger than "shit" and "asshole," and some mostly non-gory violence (a couple of vampire stakings, people getting thrown into walls, the Wolfman getting blown to bits). 

Despite my jaded palate, I found The Monster Squad enjoyable and entertaining, completely holding my interest for its entire 82 minute run.  A lot of movie bloggers I've read always include this movie in lists of classic, fun, must-see monster movies, holding close to the traditions of the genre and having a blast while doing it.  Now that I've finally seen it, I have to agree with them - The Monster Squad is a lot of fun.