It's nearly for younger kids, but some unnecessarily salty language and monster-violence bumps it up to teens.

It's nearly for adults, but the writing is just a little too naïve and straightforward to make it compelling.

It's nearly a blockbuster, but the hundred million budget - which they didn't spend on the cast - just doesn't make it to the screen. There's little imagination or vision and the supernatural lair in particular feels cheap and cheesy and unironically 1980s. Levi's muscle suit is unconvincing.

It's nearly joyous but it doesn't quite commit itself to the full lunacy of the concept.

It's nearly well cast and acted, but there are too many weak links. The teens are decent, Zachary Levi is personable enough, but Mark Strong is just there to pick up his paycheck and doesn't even bother trying with his accent. Djimon Hounsou is a fuzzy train-wreck, but fortunately isn't in it enough to wreck it.

In the end, it's an unchallenging, moderately entertaining, and completely straight-forward tale that's been and gone before you know it, doing no harm but leaving no lasting impression.