Right from the start, the Goosebumps movie presents itself as a superior children's fantasy adventure with some acceptable teen leads and positive character work from Jack Black, a solidly-built milieu to ground proceedings and a careful introduction of the increasingly wild fantasy elements. The fairly simple story is bolstered by an interesting take on the R.L. Stine mythos and a crowd-pleasing uniting of favourite monsters and stories. There are plenty of ambitious effects - most of which are very successful - along with strong set pieces (including a Gremlins-style kitchen face-off with garden gnomes) and numerous references from Elm Street to Dead Of Night, reflecting the many pastiches of popular media that Stine created in the novels. It would have been good to have seen more of the mayhem wrought on the town by more of the creatures, but perhaps that will wait for a welcome sequel. Goosebumps is a surprisingly strong, consistent and well-made movie that provides good mild-mannered entertainment.
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