Frankenstein’s Army is a 2013 horror film directed by Richard Raaphorst and written by Richard Raaphorst, Chris W. Mitchell and Miguel Tejada-Flores. Some of the characters are based on those created by Mary Shelley.
Easy On the Eyes
Frankenstein’s Army is set in the closing moments of World War II and focuses on a small group of Russian soldiers that stumble upon an unknown Nazi laboratory. As the Russian soldiers venture further into the lab it becomes clear that the Nazi scientists have been continuing the work of Dr. Frankenstein to help them win the war. I know I’m not the only one that thinks that sounds pretty rad. I was more than intrigued going into this and couldn’t wait to see what this movie had in store for me.
Visually, Frankenstein’s Army is gorgeous. Well, it’s as gorgeous as a war ravaged, overcast eastern European countryside can be. The scenery and costumes convey quite nicely just how desolate, depressing and horrendous that war was to the soldiers and towns. I felt like I needed a hot shower just by watching it. The creatures created by the Nazi scientists were absolutely awesome. They looked fantastic, true to the time and creepy as all hell. The creatures were very well designed and were definitely worth the wait.
What Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?
The major bummer about this movie is the actual story. There really isn’t much to it. The movie plays like a video game without the participation. You follow around some Russian soldiers and watch as they get into a couple of skirmishes and explore areas of the countryside. Once the creatures are introduced it almost becomes a showcase of the creations and not much else. Sure, they toss a couple small pieces of plot in there, but not enough to justify a full length feature. I didn’t find it to be suspenseful, scary or all that entertaining. There are some moments that gave me the creeps, but for the most part I was just waiting for something to happen.
I feel like Frankenstein’s Army is a case of the creature coming before the movie, which almost never ends well. You have to have a solid foundation and I just don’t think this movie had one. When it was all said and done Frankenstein’s Army isn’t much more than the sketchbook of someone that played BioShock brought to life. It looks really, really cool but the lack of plot doesn’t warrant many repeated viewings. This movie falls perfectly into the middle of the pack. It’s not good enough to stand out but not bad enough to scold. Save this one for a rainy day if you don’t have anything else to watch.
Keep it creepy.