Frankenstein
Vs. The Mummy (2015/Image Blu-ray)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: C- Film: C
The
Epic Battle Has Begun!
This
modern update on two famous monsters is not as shamefully bad as it
could have been but an at times brutal and oddly entertaining direct
to video genre feature. Using the same formula as Freddy Vs Jason
(the two monsters don't battle it out until the end), the film
centers on two young professors Victor Frankenstein and an
Egyptologist named Nela who has just gotten back from an expedition
where a mummy has been brought back to be studied at the university.
Young
Victor strikes a dirty deal with a night Janitor to get a living
human brain for his top secret experiment. It's not until he goes on
a romantic date with Nela and returns to his secret laboratory to see
the Janitor has returned with a fresh brain... of a homeless bum!
One thing leads to another and the infamous Frankenstein monster is
born!
The
Mummy is brought to life by entrancing an older and respected College
Professor under an ancient poison gas who, much like Renfield was to
Dracula, lures victims to be sacrifices to help regenerate his undead
master. The first act was surprisingly well paced though things get
a little cliche when the writers dive in to focus on the troubled
relationship with Nela and Victor that could have been better with
more talented actors. The weaker moments of the film deal with the
Frankenstein monster himself, whose makeup is a little underwhelming
and who becomes too powerful too quickly.
The
Mummy makeup was surprisingly not aided by any digital effects that I
noticed, which I think was kind of a brave move after the success of
the Stephen Summers series a few years back. One moment I did enjoy
was the Mummy [SPOILER] pulling a victim's brains out through his
nose! Moments like these in the film are strong for The Mummy
character - to whom is usually not perceived as so brutal.
The
climax of Frankenstein Vs. The Mummy (2015) does have a clear
winner between the two monsters but ultimately the poorly written
love story again dominates over the moments of horror that could have
been. With a little more gore, better makeup, better score, a few
celebrity names, perhaps a black and white version, and better
production design this film would've been better.
Picture
and sound on the disc aren't half bad for the DVD format but would
benefit from a Blu ray upgrade. Several scenes with high contrast
blacks come across as pixilated and grainy and some of the makeup
details are lost from compression. The standard definition image is
in anamorphic widescreen with a 2.40:1 aspect ratio, while the sound
mix is not terrible with a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. The extras
are seriously lacking in this release with merely a Audio Commentary
track by writer/director Damien Leon and Cinematographer George
Steuber.
If
you are a classic monster fan like me, then this film may peak your
interest. I say give it a watch and enjoy it for what it is: a low
budget creature feature with a terrible love story.
-
James Harland Lockhart V
www.facebook.com/jhl5films
