Are you trying to find a good movie to see on Valentine’s day? Well check this new coming-of-age romcom film called Lisa Frankenstein! Starring Kathryn Newton (Ant Man & the Wasp: Quantumania, Freaky) & Cole Sprouse (The Suite Life of Zack & Cody & On Deck, Riverdale) are the star duo for the Movie. This is the first feature directorial debut of Zelda Williams. Not only is she the Daughter of the late Robin Williams, she’s had quite the career as an Actress. She’s expressed recently via social media her influences on this movie are some classic 80’s and 90’s movies such as: Edward Scissorhands, Death Becomes Her, The Day of the Dead, & Weird Science. Those movie influences definitely show in this movie with disturbing imagery, jumpscares, romantic tension, and retro callbacks to older horror movies.
The movie is set during the 80’s-90’s era. Kathryn Newton plays the main character, Lisa, who’s a socially isolated teenager who doesn’t fit into her new high school. Lisa is constantly misunderstood, misjudged, and taken advantage of. Recently, she went through a tragic event that changed her entire viewpoint. She’s currently stuck with her new family as her father remarried. Her new stepmom (played by well-renowned Carla Gugino) is constantly harsh and gives her a hard time because of her personality. Lisa’s biological father, Dale(played by Joe Crest), is very complacent and doesn’t show much of a caring role in Lisa’s life. One family member that’s good to her is Taffy, her new step-sister(played by Liza Soberano) who tries to gain the trust and love of Lisa. Taffy shows how protective she is whenever Lisa encounters Boys, Bullies, and even her own mother. However, even then, she’s kept at a distance. Lisa has a habit of visiting a cemetery and becomes infatuated with a man who’s been dead for centuries. Lisa ends up making a wish for the corpse to come back to life.
She gets more than she bargained for when the rotten corpse comes back to life. Hijinks later ensue as Lisa & her new friend try to adapt to the new world & find him better body parts. Newton & Sprouse have a weird, awkward chemistry that surprisingly works throughout the film. Whether it’s a scene of introducing new modern tools for Sprouse’s character or doing violent actions together. The comedy in the film is very morbid & twisted. Sprouse’s character has an interesting backstory shown through fantastic visual storytelling. He works well emoting his actions as a rotting corpse through grunts & awkward movements. In a way, it shows Sprouse & Newton’s characters feeling complete with each other despite the outcomes of the film.
Lisa becomes less introverted & becomes a seductive, confident, woman who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty.
Lisa Frankenstein emerges as a commendable fusion of horror, romance, and comedy, adorned with macabre twists. Its superlative soundtrack, stellar performances, and the remarkable directorial debut by Zelda Williams collectively elevate it to a realm of cinematic intrigue and allure.However, a notable concern lies in the cadence of Lisa’s evolution across the film’s narrative arc. Regrettably, the exploration of significant repercussions or the introspection of characters regarding their deeds and inner musings remains somewhat underexplored.
Lisa Frankenstein releases in theaters on February 9.
