Directed By Zelda Williams

Starring – Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, Carla Gugino

The Plot – A coming of rage love story about a teenager (Newton) and her crush (Sprouse), who happens to be a corpse. After a set of horrific circumstances bring him back to life, the two embark on a journey to find love, happiness and a few missing body parts.

Rated PG-13 for violent content, bloody images, sexual material, adult language, sexual assault, teen drinking and drug content.

LISA FRANKENSTEIN – Official Trailer [HD] – Only In Theaters February 9 (youtube.com)

POSITIVES

Once more, screenwriter Diablo Cody finds inspiration in the same kind of ruthless awkwardness of high school that made “Jennifer’s Body” such a cult classic among horror enthusiasts, and while “Lisa Frankenstein” is a completely different monster all together, it’s the excellently crafted elements of horror and comedy that beat together so wonderfully in the confines of a world that breeds the surreal from the word go. Cody’s finest aspect of her humor is that it’s always filterless and unapologetic, whether in the abrasive dialogue that subscribes to overwhelming vulnerability in revealing too much personal information about her characters, or in her extremist impulses of continuously pushing the envelope of a PG-13 rating, to which the film never feels neutered or watered down as a result of the things it refuses to show, but still masterfully elaborates towards imaginatively. Because of such, Cody relishes in the depths of bringing these two respective worlds of comedy and humor together seamlessly, leading to not only a healthy consistency of gag deliveries that cement more than a few memorable scenes in their devastation, but also unpredictability in the depths that her storytelling capably explores in its campy, grotesque love story that I have no doubt won’t be for everyone. It also helps that she’s met halfway by the first time feature length direction of Zelda Williams (Yes, Robin’s daughter), whose abundance of spell-binding style in the ultraviolet allure of posh colors and gothic graveyards puts the viewer right at home to the kind of absurdist world that she conjures in spades. Aside from Williams’ impeccable framing, which often outlines and illustrates the loneliness of our protagonist while held in tow with an outsiders world that simply doesn’t understand her, Zelda’s greatest feat is her three-dimensional lighting schemes, which constantly maintain my attention, even throughout some of the less than memorable moments during the film’s 96 minute run time, in turn breaking through the cinematic stratosphere with a pulpy, luminescence in presentation that I’m quite certain her father would be proud of. Aside from what’s going on behind the camera, what’s in front of it is just as appealing, as this fresh-faced youthful ensemble displays a barrage of three-dimensional personalities that don’t exactly subscribe to the kind of types that high school movies typically cater towards. Once more, Kathryn Newton is a revelation, balancing the shy and awkward side of Lisa with the devilishly dangerous that eventually becomes her full-fledged three act evolution, all in tow with perfection in comedic timing and effective deliveries that hint at something deeper at play beneath her soft spoken responses. Likewise, Cole Sprouse gives what is easily his best performance to date as this undead creature who is forced to emote so much in reaction and physical expressions, all without a single line of dialogue throughout most of the movie’s engagement. The chemistry between these two grows and permeates to something integral towards what each of their respective characters healthily require to bridge the gap of internal loneliness, and while the film does pertain to nechrophilia, which isn’t the easiest thing to sell in terms of widespread appeal, I can attest to the fact that their love story is at times charming, between their lapses in judgment that stack more than a few bodies in their wake. Lastly, I want to give much credit to the production behind the scenes, primarily Jonny Bullard, Natalie Shea Rose, William Spataro and Brian Waltsak, of the make-up and special effects team, as well as Meagan McLaughlin’s dreamy and imaginative threads, which constantly feed into the gothic grandeur of the movie’s personality. On the former, the practical make-up work and effects transform Sprouse seamlessly before our very eyes as this creature, to the point he is completely unrecognizable, and on the latter, the gowns and hybrid collaborations inside of Lisa’s closet fully completes her character’s documented evolution, which is then echoed overhead by the very best soundtrack of the early 2024 movie year, with new wave and 80’s rock colliding so beautifully.

NEGATIVES

Not everything goes according to plan with Cody’s latest screenplay, as certain stacking subplots are fighting for attention in a film that occasionally feels condensed by the air of its aforementioned 96 minute run time. While the blossoming love story between Lisa and her creature is clearly the most important ingredient to this simmering dish, a corresponding love interest within Lisa’s high school crush, or a rivalry with one of his friends, is almost completely forgotten about in the shuffle of an ever-changing second act, and while this normally wouldn’t be an issue with a love story of her own dominating the rest of the movie’s attention, the script calls upon it once more during the movie’s climax, which doesn’t fully level the film with emotion in the way it was obviously intended. If the script spent more time developing this aspect, and not just deducing it as background fodder whenever Lisa left the safe confines of her room and undead roommate, then it definitely stood more of a chance in leaving a resounding impact, but for my interpretation it just fell a bit flat, which got the movie’s climax off to a bit of a stalled start when the movie attempted to start bringing its conflict home. In addition to this, the film’s closing moments during its ending felt a bit stretched and even sanitarily scrubbed of any kind of stakes or confrontation with the audience that would’ve even attempted to challenge an otherwise happy ending. While most of the editing throughout the engagement coincided masterfully with the luminating visuals, the sequencing of the finale here felt like stacked plates that continuously eviscerated momentum from its biggest moments, leading to what feels like three different endings in a movie that would’ve been best suited with the star-crossed realities of the first one. Finally, while the film does take its time establishing the loneliness that overwhelms Lisa’s daily routine, I can say that it does take a little longer to get the primary plot moving in motion than I would’ve otherwise expected from the movie’s marketing, which was stuffed completely with interaction between Newton and Sprouse’s respective characters. When the latter finally does appear, the movie is full force from that point forward, but the initial twenty-five minutes of the movie’s introduction might not hook audiences like the movie intended, and to that I just say hang on a little bit longer, because it does indeed get better.

OVERALL
“Lisa Frankenstein” is a Gothically campy frolic into death, despair and romance, as seen through the eyes of a lonely and lovesick teenager who summons the deceased to fill her aching and empty heart. Though the film does occasionally stumble with book-ended weaknesses that omit some of the movie’s momentum, it’s aided tremendously by hypnotically entrancing style from first time director Zelda Williams, unshakeable chemistry from Newton and Sprouse, and the unapologetically honest humor from sharp-tongued stinger Diablo Cody, who feverishly pushes the envelope as far as possible with a PG-13 rating and provocative instances that never slows or subdues this sauntering monster.

My Grade: 7/10 or B-