In the mid-1980s, the world still seemed okay: The children's gang of the same name from the cult classic “The Goonies” (1985) went to hunt for a pirate treasure, while the four teenagers from the Stephen-King adaptation “Stand by Me-The Secret of Summer” (1986) without a smartphone navigation for the corpse of a boy. For a few years now, such-more or less child-friendly-adventures have been experiencing a comprehensive nostalgia revival. With its eighties time color, which even helped the Kate Bush song “Running Up That Hill” to re-placement in the charts after decades, Netflix 'Mystery-Megahit “Stranger Things” is at the top of this retro wave.
After his debut with the teenager comedy “This is the Year”, the filmmaker David Henrie is now trying to jump on this trend: “Monster Summer“Can score with a prominent cast-above all Mel Gibson and 17-year-old Mason Thames, who, thanks to his leading role as Hicks in the real film remake, has just grown in popularity. The bottom line is that the child-friendly, but also somewhat naive mystery adventure is missing from original ideas and the distinctive charm that is connected to the large role models.
Mason Thames is on the best way to the cinema star thanks to “Taming dragon” – can “Monster Summer” now benefit from it?
Summer 1997, shortly after the start of the high season on the island of Martha's Vineyard, the gullible young journalist Noah Reed (Mason Thames) is looking for the local daily newspaper after his first story. To do this, he wants to get to the bottom of the dark rumors about the hermit gene Caruthers (Mel Gibson), which, however, quickly turns out to be a harmless ex-police officer in the research.
When more and more children on the island staring like Katatonic after a night excursion on the beach, Noah and his friends Sammy (Abby James Witherspoon) and Eugene (Julian Lerner) initially reluctantly begin to determine together with genes. The result of their research: Apparently there is a witch that sucks their life energy to the children …
Broken broom = it has to be a witch?!
If you have shaken your head at the last sentence of the synopsis, you should rather leave “Monster Summer” left right. Even on paper, strange scenes are staged by director David Henrie-for example when the self-proclaimed trace reader expert genes from two large and two small footprints in the sand concludes overly obvious or then a broken broom at the scene of the crime as a clear indication of a witch. This is also due to the fact that “Monster Summer” was designed primarily for a young teenage target group-although adults are also addressed in the supporting roles with a very playful 90s all-star cast.
Lorraine Bracco (“Goodfellas”) gives a striking and black -clad children's book author with eccentric noblesse. The figure of ex-teen star Patrick Renna is called Umpire, just as in English baseball referees-an obvious bow to his part in “Hercules and the Sandlot kids”. Mel Gibson, as a limping ex-police officer with paternal attitude, even granted some touching moments around a sad episode from his past. But: As a driven hobby detective, young actor Mason Thames, with his lively way, succeeds in immediately pulling sympathy to his side. Despite a certain blue eyelet, he has the most profile from the half -female characters – also because his friends irritated by his absurd theses temporarily disappear from the film.
Mel Gibson has also shot a lot of crap in recent years. But here he noticeably enhances the film with his role as an ex-cop.
After a few serious, but less imaginative nuances for the value of friendship and family in the last third, the plot wins tension again in the last third. For the dark and effective finale, even an unexpected and successful jump Scare is then called up – which one would have expected (perhaps even too) family -friendly script by Cornelius Uliano and Bryan Schulz (“Peanuts – the film”).
Real nostalgic feelings are rarely awakened in “Monster Summer” away from the repeated wandering with BMX and Bonanza bicycles. Allusions to “Files X” and the T-1000 from “Terminator 2-Day of Billing” (1991) in individual dialog lines are not enough to replace all of this in all sparsely used time color. It once more realizes that “Stranger Things” is something very special and is so easy to copy.
Conclusion: The emphasizes family -friendly and sometimes somewhat naive and clumsy creep film “Monster Summer” scores at least with an exciting finale. Mason Thames, who races without tooth with his inspired buddy in parallel in “dragon taming” with his inspired buddy, proves in conjunction with a sovereign Mel Gibson that there is actually some star potential.