"Tries Just a Bit Too Hard"
The latest from screenwriter Diablo Cody (JUNO and JENNIFER'S BODY) gets a disc release from Mediumrare Entertainment.
It's 1989 and Goth girl Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton from the worst ANT MAN film and the much better ABIGAIL) spends her days pining amongst the tombstones of a long-neglected cemetery. A chance collision of events results in the reanimation of a handsome Byronic corpse. But he's missing a few parts and so together they set out to remedy that, with plenty of murders and laughs along the way.
Well, that's how it should play out. Unfortunately there aren't that many laughs to be had and by the halfway mark LISA FRANKENSTEIN starts to feel like very hard work indeed. Part of the problem is in the static TV sitcom-like direction of Zelda Williams. Whereas Karyn Kusama brought dollops of style to the far superior JENNIFER'S BODY, here the least is made of the comedy potential of Diablo Cody's script.
It's a shame because the acting and the production design here are very good, and there's an excellent music score from Isabella Summers. Sadly the pacing and execution let this one down. It all feels too much like a sub-Tim Burton wannabe, but if you're an undemanding fan of 1980s tribute comedies in this vein it may help pass a quiet evening.
Mediumrare's disc comes with a commentary track from Zelda Williams. There's also a two minute gag reel that's about as funny as the film, three minutes of deleted scenes, and three short (four minutes each) making of featurettes.
LISA FRANKENSTEIN is out on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD on Monday 3rd June 2024
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