One genre of film that I got sick of the quickest aside from cutesy vampire flicks is the "found footage" sub-genre. Most films in that genre are basically made that way because it is way cheaper to do and because it was what was popular to do. Now not all the films in that genre are bad some of them I actually did really enjoy. Frankenstein's Army does go under the found footage genre, but it does it right and makes it fun and enjoyable! Igor hand me the scalpel, we need to begin this autopsy!
Frankenstein's Army follows a group of soldiers who are sent out to a small town to save some of their comrades from some Nazi soldiers who have them hostage. After arriving to the town they quickly realize that they have stumbled upon a trap. Things go from bad to nightmarish as they are in the lab of Dr. Frankenstein and surrounded by his twisted creations. Stuck in this living hell the soldiers must fight to get out in one piece and not another guinea pig for Frankenstein!
The thought of taking Dr. Frankenstein and putting him in a WW2 setting to me is simply awesome! This film starts out with showing the soldiers as they make their way to the town which I think should of been a bit shorter and gotten to the town quicker. When they finally do reach the town it gets damn good and just keeps getting better as the film goes further along. There is a twist that I will not say here, but I did like it because it does add to the film. One thing I really liked was that while watching the film it felt like you were going through a very twisted and awesome fun/haunted house. I really think that helped to make the film that much more fun to watch and it helped to make the film not just a film but an experience. It seemed like every corner you go around there is another mechanical monster right around the corner.
The characters in this film are pretty cool, but to be honest I really didn't care about any of them. I really couldn't wait to see Frankenstein's monsters rip them apart. Lets just face it this is one of those types of films. Most viewers will go into this film like I did and that was for the monsters and not the soldiers. The monsters simply looked awesome and had a very steampunk meets Clive Barker. They are very twisted and morbid looking. I really liked this one that had a long drill bit coming from it's mouth area and these long extended arms. I actually was on the edge of my seat and waiting with anticipation for what was around the next corner. If you want some top notch monster then look no further!
The presentation of this film looks great and has a look that makes it feel like it is footage from the time the film takes place. The colors are right and the detail is awesome. One thing that I like is they didn't try and purposely make it look all damaged and fake. The audio is awesome as well and is clear and bold. The special features are comprised of a "making of" which is pretty cool to watch and see how they did certain things in the film, Creature Spots, and a trailer. I really kinda wish they would of added a commentary, but the making of does make up for it in my eyes. Overall this is a damn good film and is one hell of an experience that I think every horror fan should experience at least once!
-Daniel "Damnation" Lee
Director: Richard Raaphorst
Lead Actor/Actress:
Genre: Horror
Blu-ray Release Year: 2013
Theatrical Release Year: 2013
Time Length: 84 mins.
Rating: R
Region Code: A
Release Company: Dark Sky Films
Website:
www.darkskyfilms.com
ADDITIONAL SCREENSHOTS:
One genre of film that I got sick of the quickest aside from cutesy vampire flicks is the "found footage" sub-genre. Most films in that genre are basically made that way because it is way cheaper to do and because it was what was popular to do. Now not all the films in that genre are bad some of them I actually did really enjoy. Frankenstein's Army does go under the found footage genre, but it does it right and makes it fun and enjoyable! Igor hand me the scalpel, we need to begin this autopsy!
