While it doesn’t hit on every mark, Frankenstein channels all the fun of 1980s teenage quasi-horror and supernatural cult hits with a modern, raunchy approach.
Lisa Frankenstein
Directed by Zelda Williams
Starring Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprause, Liza Soberano, Carla Gugino, Joe Chrest
Runtime: 1 hour, 41 minutes
Synopsis
High-school student Lisa Swallows (Newton) is struggling to adapt to her new school and family dynamic after the brutal death of her mother. When a weird storm brings to life someone she admired in the local cemetery, Lisa and the creature (Sprouse) will work together to fix his body, by any means possible.
Another Win For Diablo Cody
We really need more Diablo Cody scripts in our lives.
Cody strikes a tone with Frankenstein that I truly loved and wished that Bottoms (2023) had struck last year as a fun but flawed high school-aged flick. Whereas Bottoms only dabbled with silliness in certain scenes – creating a tonal mismatch – Frankenstein goes in hard from the beginning, serving the story well. Yes, we’ve seen the Frankenstein story so many times over the years, but each new production has to make a newer and younger audience accept the premise. By signaling the ridiculous nature from the start, it’s easier for the audience to accept a monster getting struck by lighting and lobbing off body parts to fix themselves. It may seem like a frivolous thing, but it’s the key difference in some scenes hitting well comedically or making you cringe (and not in the good way).
In my screening, we got a teaser of Diablo Cody talking about their inspiration for the film, discussing the Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Edward Scissorhands (1990) in particular. That combination explains in part why the film felt draped in 1980s trappings, but borrows elements from various eras. It effectively makes it a more universal homage to teenage horror / gothic tones, instead of being stuck in one decade. There will likely be younger audience members who have only watched films in the 1990s and beyond that will find it easy to connect with these various elements as a result.
There are some lazy connections, like using the dad from Stranger Things (Joe Chrest) in a similar inept role or using a Sports Illustrated phone that are likely to sail past audiences heads [NOTE FROM THE COPY EDITOR: I was born in the 80s and even I’m not getting this phone reference and Google has been no help, so point proven ~ Taryn]. Their inclusion offhand wouldn’t be distracting, but when the narrative hovers on them, it becomes glaringly obvious that this is a wink to the audience. And if you don’t get the wink, it’s going to make for an awkward scene for everyone.
Zelda Shows Promise
While this technically isn’t their first time directing (they’ve done several music videos and short films), this is Zelda Williams first major motion picture. Daughter to the late Robin Williams, this project represents an opportunity to showcase their talent aside from their father and this entry shows there’s a lot of potential.
For example, the opening credits montage was superb – showcasing a blend of 1980-90s movie intros with a simple animation. This great black and white silhouette animated scene explains how Sprouse’s monster character died in hilarious and sweet fashion. That’s really all the backstory we get on him and it works surprisingly well. Sure, Williams could have inserted a cheesy 1980s voiceover like so many films from that decade, but this animation serves to highlight that silliness I talked about it earlier. It’s priming you for what to expect while giving us just enough information for one character that’s not going to speak a ton (Sprouse). This sequence dovetails into Lisa (Newton) visiting the gravesite as she’s doing a pencil rubbing on the tombstone that eventually spells out the title card. It’s admittedly a small detail, but it shows that Williams’ focus and energy is in the right spot.
There’s also a great dream sequence with Lisa and the monster that allows Williams an opportunity to weave in old silent film clips – the classic A Trip to the Moon (1902) clip features heavily here and in Lisa’s bedroom, – a bit of animation, and more fantastical elements of Lisa’s imagination.
Poor Editing Holds Newton and Sprouse Back
I’m truly convinced that with a different editor, this film might have been an all-time classic.
The long takes this movie opts for work really well when Lisa is being weird and awkward. It’s a nice way to double down on how bizarre she is and communicate that visually. However, that technique also undercuts the energy and pace for some of the jokes. When the characters deliver a line, the long take gives the audience a long time to dwell on that joke, which can make the cheaper ones feel unimportant or severely undermines their impact. There’s a vibrator scene where this is illustrated perfectly, as the scene’s climax is literally and figuratively undercut by a long take happening with characters elsewhere in the house. Another edit of this scene could have spliced those together better so the joke lands right on time instead of whimpering along.
Yes, these are subtle things, but it can make the difference in a superb line hitting well or being completely wasted. I will admit, it’s rare that I’ve experienced a film that’s under-edited. Usually I see action scenes where there’s 17 cuts just to have Liam Neeson jump over a fence, not a long take that’s boring or missed its cue to end. To its credit, at least the narrative is interesting enough that even the long takes aren’t terrible, but they missed an opportunity to knock some of these scenes out of the park.
Conclusion / Recommendation
While it doesn’t fire on all cylinders the entire time, and is painfully held back by some poor editing choices, there’s a solid comedic love story underpinning the entire affair that audiences are going to love. It showcases Diablo Cody’s ever relevant wit and Zelda Williams’ developing eye as a director in a solid homage to great goth and teenage love stories of the past.
This is an easy recommendation for me, I think most audiences will enjoy it and a bigger crowd will likely get a better experience than watching this solo or purely on streaming.
Score: 7 out of 10
- Incredibly Quirky- 8
- Yes, it’s yet another 80s styled movie but it has plenty of style and substance all on its own without resorting to only those tropes.
- Need A Re-Edit- 5
- While I appreciated the film avoided the overediting bug that happens in so many films making them dizzying to watch, a faster pace on some scenes could have helped the comedic lines hit harder.
- Enjoyment Factor- 8
- I had a great time during my sparse screening later at night but also heard tale that fuller screenings had much more reaction. I suspected there were some lines I laughed at that would have been better with a good crowd.
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