MONSTER SUMMER

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.

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.