A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting (2020) User Reviews

Not the best but unique & a good kids film

[skullhead739 · 6/10 · 6 November 2020]

Acting: Decent for what little characterization they had. I thought the blonde girl and black girl were decent, cringe at times but easy to root for. The villain was also pretty darn good and I was mind blown when I finished the movie and only after realized it was bloody tom Felton from Harry Potter! Amazing.

Music: trash. The scenes that were supposed to be fast paced and exciting turn into anti climactic messes partly because of the music and also average shots and stunt co-ordination.

Story: A really great story on paper but with average cgi, not the best directing, characterization, or music it becomes a chore to get through. Don't get me wrong I loved certain parts and it made my kid brain activate and love the idea and certain fantasy parts. This however could have been really awesome and is only left to be desired for small children.

Summary: Not the best but definitely not horrible. A real good foundation with some highlights here and there but this movie is mainly for kids and I'd suggest it only for adults if you just love fantasy and don't mind some average quality parts.

Good old ideas!

[dillonjeffers-52163 · 6/10 · 5 July 2021]

This is a good kid movie. It's not fully an original idea. But this movie is fun. If your a fan of KND (Code Name Kids Next Door), Agent Cody Banks, and Little Monsters. That's where I feel the creators of this film got this idea. The acting isn't perfect. It's good over all. There's some not so good acting. But the main character that you follow is good. The story isn't hard to follow. Which makes since. Cause this movie is meant for young kids. Probably ages 7 to 12. Honestly the CGI monsters could be a little better. If you where ok with how the smurfs looked in their movie then you'll be fine. Overall all I believe this will be a good family movie to add to the family Halloween movies to watch with the kids during October.

Even bad for the kids

[oskarksk · 4/10 · 19 October 2020]

Seeing reviews here saying that we have to remember that this was a movie for kids.... but even my kids didn't wanna watch it after a half and hour 😅

An hour and a half cliché

[CydonianGuy · 2/10 · 22 October 2020]

Literally EVERYTHING about this movie is a cliché... Every scene, every action, every character... The characters are boring and flat. The main character its just a mary sue. The story is like every Netflix movie... Idk if Netflix is even trying at this point, all their teen movies are the same movie but with different cast... And this is just a kids adaptation of that. Your kids have A LOT of things to watch on Netflix before this generic movie

Good kids movie

[baileyct-37563 · 7/10 · 16 October 2020]

This is a good movie for kids! As mentioned in the other comments the gci monsters could've been better. I think Tom Felton did a great job. The end is predictable but so is every kids movie. Not to keep talking about the other comments but the movie isn't terrifying or scary but yet again it's for children. Overall I thought it was a good movie. I hadn't seen this concept before which was cool!

Unoriginal and Empty

[khloeknievel · 3/10 · 29 October 2020]

The premise of the film has a lot of potential but the results are incredibly lackluster. It's a collage of elements from better movies that brings nothing new to the table. Not a single elements doesn't feel as if it was lifted or inspired by something that came before it. People are defending this by saying the movie is meant for children, but kids deserve rich, thoughtful, original films too!

The most disappointing moment (of any film I've seen in a long time), comes when a teenager sneers at the idea of earning $15 an hour. It's incredibly insensitive considering over 40% of working Americans are currently living on less (many of whom are considered essential workers and have been putting themselves at risk to help this country stay afloat). The creators clearly took the time to find a diverse cast, create strong female leads and glamorize STEM, so they obviously are trying to push this film as empowering to its young viewers. It's such a shame that they felt the need to show such distain for those earning a lower income. I know it was "just a joke" but these small interactions really do effect the way people view and treat others.

Okay kids movie

[maarten_kos · 7/10 · 17 October 2020]

This is an original okay kids movie. The acting was fine and clearly Tom Felton studied Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice but he did great. With a normal 90 min runtime (which is also good in stead of those too long 2hrs movies) it is short enough to not get irritated by some plotholes.

Keep PC out of movies

[raynor-66319 · 3/10 · 10 November 2020]

Forcing abvious PC messages instantly destroys a movie. You are trying to escape reailty. Especially with a fantasy movie.

It aimed for kids

[v_singhavi · 6/10 · 18 October 2020]

It goods for kids ..I didn't had any expectation since I'm a adult and I had time so gave it watch and it was alright

Well ...

[thesleeplessunite · 4/10 · 12 January 2021]

Firstly, I didn't realise Tom Felton was the bad guy. The makeup was costume were spectacular and so was his acting. I'd certainly not want his boogeyman crawlin out my closet. He really sold evil in this film.

And that's about as great as it was. The film itself was a cringey mess of multiple stories. The only character development you sort of get is Kelly, and with parents like hers, (who didn't seem to question why as a child half her room was blown up or believe her when she said someone tried to take her away or what became of her babysitter etc) and you get to know a little about Liz too. Save for there, the other characters are just there. You're typical mean girl bully. The hot guy. The bullied girls nerdy best friend. There was nothing special or interesting about the Babysitters. Nothing to say "I want to know more about you" ...

The storyline was a bit all over the place too. It's a great watch ... if you're bored. Other than that, I feel as if there was not enough to go on to enjoy the film. I feel like we were just tossed into a storyline and expected to know everything. It's the type of film that would have been much better as a book first. (and if it is a book, I'm hoping it portrays this film a lit better).

Overall, good for kids, terrible for everybody else.

People need to remember its aimed at kids

[miklcats · 10/10 · 16 October 2020]

I see people are being harsh about this film but they need to remember that its aimed at children. There are a few kids films that got bad reviews back in the day like Hocus Pocus or scooby doo spooky island which nearly every child loved but since its adults doing reviews they got bad ones. We need to think of the target audience and i think that children would really love this film its fun and for them a little spooky which they will like. Tom Felton is was the stand out in the film , his acting was superb as always

Family Fun, and that's all it needs to be

[warren-87235 · 7/10 · 26 October 2020]

A Babysitter's Guide to monster Hunting is straight-to-video fare for family viewing around Halloween, and Rachel Talalay's direction, along with Tom Felton's villain keep it one notch above cheesy TV quality.

Sure, it's merely a bit of disposable, light-hearted fun for kids and family, but there's nothing wrong with that. Personally, I don't think it would have hurt to be a little darker and more scary, whilst keeping things family friendly. Kids enjoy being scared (Well, I did. Maybe that's just me...). The biggest flaw is that there is no real sense of threat or danger for the heroes. For example, the villain's minions are told to get rid of the heroine, and the worst they do is attempt to put her in a lift, so she leaves... If this is the worst the villain intends to do, even to his enemies, it undermines any sense of danger or threat.

The young actors do a reasonable job, though I do wish the costume designer had restrained things a little. The teenage character costumes (especially the lead) _do_ feel like something out of a bad TV series, where they equate bad, stereotyped costumes with 'cool and quirky'. It's a fine line, I know, but they could've been far less 'bad stereotype' and more defining of individual characters.

It's probably a solid 6/10, but I'll bump it up to a 7 because, in 2020, it's a kids movie that _didn't_ push any agenda, and just wants to be family fun. As the review title says, that's all it needs to be!

for limited target market

[stermix501 · 1/10 · 22 November 2020]

If you are anything between 5 to 10 and you are a girl, you might like it. Not suitable for anyone else. At 12 I remember watching horror movies like Friday 13th and Freddy. There is no adult in the movie for more than a couple of minutes all included and is painful to watch in family. Another hit and miss from Netflix. The idea could be good, but the exectution is mediocre and only the character of Oona Laurence is somewhat decent. Compared to Hubbie Halloween this is a masterpiece, however. But it doesnt deserve the thoughts of franchise that the cliffhanger indicates.

Nah. Pass.

[W011y4m5 · 3/10 · 22 October 2020]

Rachel Talalay showcases her great eye for a shot here with a strong & inventive direction - coupled by Gregory Middleton's impressive cinematography (heavily influenced by Netflix's other project, "Stranger Things") which together, does culminate to form a visually cohesive & competent film... But nothing can save the movie from the dire writing & hammy performances - which prevent it from being anything other than an adequately made, substandard mess.

Fun Flick...

[Mr_Opinion-74537 · 6/10 · 31 October 2020]

Adults - Relax, Get some popcorn, and Grab a drink! Teens - You're too Cool for this movie, but will probably like the girls! Kids - This will probably become one of your favorite movies of the season!

Yes, Would Recommend This Movie!

It's a children's movie...

[maggimar · 1/10 · 19 October 2020]

..and it sucks. Terrible acting, terrible writing. Terrible everything. There are a lot of good children movies out there but this one is just bad. Saying Tom Felton's acting was superb is astonishing to say the least. I can enjoy a good children movie but there is absolutely nothing enjoyable about this one. Nothing.

Ignore the Critics...

[marshalsea-547-992254 · 7/10 · 22 October 2020]

This is great fun, we're Brits in our 40s no kids and whacked it on and thoroughly enjoyed it. Tom Felton, as normal, steals every moment he's on screen - this guy should be getting bigger roles. This film is fun, feels like one of the lesser 80s films and the actors really run with it. Even the kid playing Jacob isn't the normal precocious American brat you want to get eaten! What a great idea that was. American casting agents take note. Its not perfect, but certainly worth your time.

No, just no....

[opticuscro · 1/10 · 6 November 2020]

So I've seen stupid TV show and movies, but this is definitely the most unprecedented the dumbest I've seen. It is difficult to compete with this kind of idiocy!

Family friendly

[tamerratorrence-41936 · 7/10 · 20 October 2020]

Great movie for the little ones! If my 4 year old sits and watches the entire movie, then it's a success! I enjoyed it as well.

Oof. Well.

[sfmclean · 4/10 · 29 October 2020]

This movie is how I learned I could set Netflix to play at 1.5x speed. They hyped it by citing Tom Felton's appearance - he may have 15 minutes' screen time. Maybe. And then of course they put so much makeup and facial prosthetics on him that he's unrecognizable. The first few minutes of his appearance had me thinking, "Hmm. Michael Keaton did it better in Beetlejuice," though it did get better from there. The rest of the cast, and the storyline, were bland at best. I get that it's a kids' movie - but it's a boring kids' movie.

Looking forward to the second part already!

[katjapruessner · 10/10 · 16 October 2020]

First things first: Tom Felton shines in his role! Also I appreciate them making a movie about a diverse team of kids solving problems as a team using their knowledge in different areas of science. Great if you watch it with kids, since it's a joyride for everyone. Got a few scares and a lot of laughs out of me!

Sensitive parenting tip

[nicole-yorgason · 30 October 2021]

There is no parents guide on this page, so we thought we would leave a review. This movie has a character take the name of God in vain, for those of us who are sensitive to religious exclamations.0.

family Halloween flick

[trashgang · 7/10 · 26 October 2020]

It's the time of the year to watch horror flicks and Halloween is coming so bad weather is out so some want to watch a family flick about Halloween.

On Netflix I already watched a family Halloween flick and my youngest daughter wanted to see this one, guess why, Tom Felton of Harry Potter fame is in it.

It's not terrifying and I must even admit that I had a few laughs here and there. All clichés are included and watching it with the family you will have a good time, nothing more nothing less. Not bad at all.

Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 3,5/5 Story 2,5/5 Comedy 0,5/5

Boring, cheesy, and feeling like a straight to Nickolodeon movie.

[cruise01 · 4/10 · 21 October 2020]

2 out of 5 stars.

Babysitters Guide to Monster Hunting is a family fantasy film that kids will be entertained with this while the adults may find it a snoozefest. The plot is weird about a babysitters group who work underground to hunting monsters that try to give kids bad dreams or stalking kids at night. The direction and acting is cheesy. Cheesy dialogue. It feels like something you may catch on a saturday morning on a nickolodeon channel. The visual effects are cheap. The performances are eh.

Adults may want to skip this one. While the humor is aiming for the younger audiences.

How the fk did they fk this up so bad?

[ThunderKing6 · 1/10 · 23 October 2020]

The movie was good up until the monsters revealed themselves then it became a stupid terribly bad comedy.

The characters sucked. The mom was an immature B word.

Scary? More like Stupidity.

I thought this movie could compete with Goosebumps. Apparently not.

Verdict: if you like this...then you need a babysitter.