10 Dec 2008

Igor

Director: Tony Leondis

Starring: John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese

Release: 2008-12-10

Igor (voice of John Cusack) is a hunchbacked scientist assistant who dreams of becoming a famous evil scientist himself someday. So when his master (John Cleese) accidentally blows himself up in an experiment, Igor takes over his lab and starts creating a human from various body parts.

Unfortunately, the human Igor creates behaves like a diva actress - not quite the evil monster he wants her to be

Directed by Tony Leondis (Lilo & Stitch 2), the cartoon wants to be a macabre masterpiece, but achieves only morbid mediocrity. The bug-eyed and grotesquely-shaped characters are inspired by Tim Burton's iconic creations in Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride. Nice.

But the unfortunate script inspires dread - the wrong kind of dread. Using Hollywood in-jokes and pop culture references instead of genuine wit, Igor's jokes all too often fall flat. Kids may not get the jokes but they may still be wowed by the fantastical visuals. Adults, on the other hand, won't be so easily impressed.

Skip this.