Film: A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting
Streaming on Netflix
Director: Rachel Talalay
Cast: Tamara Smart, Oona Laurence and Tom Felton
Rating: 3/5
If rescuing annoying babies has to be a task: what would you do? Dark humour aside.
Gifted with an ability to solve complex mathematical problems, Kelly Ferguson (Tamara Smart) has to babysit her mother’s boss's son. Not a task the teenager wants to take up as she has a Halloween party to attend.
But things go haywire when Kelly witnesses the baby’s kidnapping by the minions of the Grand Guignol (Tom Felton) bringing into light her past with the evil man with interests like any another villain — Domination. The movie takes a turn in Kelly having to rescue the kid before midnight.
There are some impressive graphics used in certain sections of the movie. But we've all seen graphics were floating numbers adding up to the final answer numerous times before. And the depiction of minions reminds one of Brendan Fraser-starrer 'Looney Tunes: Back in Action'.
Certain scenes stay with you, like when Kelly is surrounded by cats, who may pounce anytime to devour her babysitter constitution, she quickly figures out an escape route — laser distraction. Another one is when babysitters’ around the world are contacted to get ingredients for a monster-killing weapon.
Added bonus is Tom Felton aka Harry Potter’s Draco Malfoy, who is a surprise watch since he never drifts to show any signs of Draco.
The film is essentially a family watch, particularly for young kids and early teenagers. One which parents can watch with their kids and teach them about monsters, nightmares and at last the triumph of the brave.
The film introduces some cool monsters like the cat lady and the one which grows in the shadows, it captures the imagination of the child who fears the unknown and likens them to something ugly and menacing.
So, tonight when you go to sleep, tell yourself: Don’t look under the bed.