Lisa Frankenstein review

LISA FRANKENSTEIN: 

A DELIGHTFULLY WEIRD ALBEIT UNEVEN HORROR-COMEDY! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

FOCUS FEATURES

It’s love at first…death in Lisa Frankenstein

 

            In the tradition of gothic/monster romances like Edward Scissorhands and Warm Bodies, newcomer Zelda Williams (The daughter of the late but legendary, Robin Williams) makes her feature-film directorial debut with a darkly quirky take on a Frankenstein romance in Lisa Frankenstein. The film is written by Diablo Cody (Juno, Young Adult, Ricki and the Flash) who also wrote the 2009 horror-comedy cult-classic, Jennifer’s Body and also takes place in the same universe as that movie. 

            I was excited for this movie when I first saw the trailer, I enjoyed Jennifer’s Body as a fun horror-comedy that even sneaks in some thought-provoking social commentary on high school amongst the gore and laughs. It seemed like this movie was going to continue its twisted legacy especially after another Frankenstein-inspired movie from a couple months ago, Poor Things was widely acclaimed and nominated for several Oscars. 

            It probably won’t get nearly as much attention as Poor Things and narratively it is inconsistent at times, but I have to admit I had a lot of fun with Lisa Frankenstein. It’s not for everyone and I understand why other people wouldn’t find it that appealing, for me I thought it was very funny, perfectly cast (The two leads in particular), and the film isn’t afraid to get weird with its storytelling which I always have an appreciation for. 

            The film is set in 1989 and follows a teenage girl named Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton-Gary Unmarried, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) who after the gruesome murder of her mother, frequently hangs out at an abandoned cemetery and speaks to the grave of a Victorian man and says that she wishes she could be with him. Well, Lisa got her chance to be with her high school crush as a bolt of lightning hits the grave and reanimates the corpse (Cole Sprouse-Big Daddy, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Riverdale) back to life. 

            The two of them embark on a murderous journey to find love, happiness, and a few missing body parts along the way. 

            The film also stars Liza Soberano (She’s the One, Everyday I Love You, Always/Together) as Lisa’s stepsister Taffy, Joe Chrest (Out of Sight, Erin Brockovich, Jump Street) as Lisa’s father Dale, and Carla Gugino (Spy Kidsfranchise, American Gangster, Watchmen) as Lisa’s stepmother Janet. 

            Overall, Lisa Frankenstein definitely has the makings of a cult classic and could also be considered as the Anti-Anyone But You for the Valentine’s Day holiday. Where Anyone But You is the lovey-dovey, feel-good romantic-comedy, this is the dark and twisted alternative program to it and ironically this is the one people under 17 can go see. 

            This is a PG-13 horror-comedy so there isn’t much gore here, but unlike other PG-13 horror movies that water down the kills with little-to-no blood, they find clever workarounds whether it’s showing the shadow of a body part flying in the air or a scene where one of them holds up a dismembered hand after cutting it off someone. Honestly, my brain was kind of filling the blood in as I was watching it and it certainly didn’t feel like an R-rated horror movie watered down to PG-13 for mass appeal.

            The acting is great especially from Kathryn Newton and Cole Sprouse, I haven’t seen much of Newton (Aside from Detective Pikachu and Quantumania) but this is easily the best I’ve seen of her as she does a marvelous job shifting back and forth between being vulnerable and helpless to witty and psychotic. I didn’t grow up with The Suite Life of Zack & Cody or many Disney Channel sitcoms in general for that matter, but this movie really showcases Cole Sprouse’s capabilities as a physical actor and some of the best bits are just watching his body language, mannerisms, and interactions with Newton. 

            I also enjoyed the production design a lot that often reminded me of early Tim Burton in terms of the set designs and lighting (Plus, a couple female characters gave off Helena Bonham Carter vibes). It really does look like a lost Tim Burton project from the 1980s that was discovered and finished by another director and I hope Burton looks at this movie and gets more creative ideas once he’s done remaking and adapting things.

            The soundtrack is also fantastic and mostly consisting of classic 80s rock music which effectively sets the somewhat campy tone of the film. Like Argylle, I am very upset that a legit soundtrack compilation has not been released for this movie with all the songs featured, just the score music is on iTunes which is well-composed but still. 

            At times the movie does feel disjointed, particularly with some character motivations where sometimes characters will switch from demented to horrified and then back to crazy sometimes in the same scenes. It didn’t really bother me because I kind of accepted the bizarre nature of the film, but I can see others being annoyed by it. 

            Lisa Frankenstein probably won’t become a new horror-comedy classic, but if you’re looking for a weird, unconventional detour from typical Hollywood fare or just a fun movie to watch with your friends one night, this ain’t a bad choice. Hopefully, this will mark the beginning of a bright future for director Zelda Williams because she made one hell of a first impression.