Igor Review

Posted by Jeremy Thomas on 09.22.2008

Pixar Meets Burton? I say, "Yeeees master..."

Directed by: Anthony Leondis
Written by: Chris McKenna

Starring:
John Cusack - Igor
Steve Buscemi - Scamper
John Cleese - Dr. Glickenstein
Eddie Izzard - Dr. Schadenfreude
Molly Shannon - Eva
Jennifer Coolidge - Jaclyn
Jay Leno - King Malbert
Sean Hayes - Brain
Paul Vogt - Buzz Offmann
Christian Slater - Dr. Schadenfreude's Igor
Arsenio Hall - Carl Cristall



Running Time: 87 minutes
Rated PG for some thematic elements, scary images, action and mild language.

Computer animated films are typically the purview of one of two companies—Pixar Animation Studios, the creators of such instant classics as Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo and Ratatouille; or DreamWorks SKG, who have given us such animated films as Chicken Run, Madagascar, this summer’s Kung Fu Panda and, of course, the blockbuster Shrek franchise. While other studios have entered the fray from time to time such as Lionsgate’s Happily N’Ever After, The Weinstein Company’s Hoodwinked or Sony Pictures Animation’s Surf’s Up, no studio has really hit it big in the CGI animation genre outside of the big two with the exception of 20th Century Fox’s Ice Age series. Success from the other studios has been in varying degrees, their chances typically reined in by unfavorable comparisons to Pixar—comparison that are often unfavorable due, sadly, to the typical lack of strength in the story. It often seems like animation studios think that as long as they make the CGI animation look attractive, they don’t have to worry about characterization or strong plot dynamics, and this has caused the vast majority of computer films outside the big two to pale into almost nothingness, quickly forgotten and cast aside. The latest film that hopes to buck that trend is Igor, distributed by MGM and starring the voice talents of John Cusack, Steve Buscemi and Eddie Izzard.

As Igor begins, we’re introduced to the country of Malaria. Malaria is a place where, after a mass of dark clouds came to blot out the sun, everyone was inspired by King-to-be Malbert (Leno) to take up work in evil by necessity. As a result, a large segment of the population is evil geniuses, creating inventions every year to further their despicable plans. Of course, not everyone can be a mad scientist, and those poor souls who don’t often end up becoming henchmen to the scientists—the iconic Igors. One such Igor (Cusack), who narrates his origin over the opening credits, has always wished he could be one of the evil geniuses, and has made several inventions while working under the mad Dr. Glickenstein (Cleese). He’s even invented his own underlings—an immortal rabbit-like creature named Scamper (Buscemi) and the talking organ-in-a-jar named Brain (Hayes). When Dr. Glickenstein blows himself up trying to top the greatest mad scientist in all the land, the appropriately named Dr. Schadenfreude (Izzard), Igor sees this as his chance. He does what no other scientist has ever done—he actually creates life. The problem? His creation, Eva (Shannon) isn’t evil. A botched attempt to make her so has made her want to be an actress. And while Igor tries desperately to convince Eva to act evil enough for the Evil Science Fair so he can finally be the first Igor accepted as an evil genius, Dr. Schadenfreude has learned of his invention and wants it to pass off as his own.

As the first film from Exodus Film Company, Igor is certainly not a film that falls directly in the path a film studio would expect mainstream audiences to follow. While the plot generally fits well in the type of story audiences expect from CGI-animated films—part fantasy, part comedy with a good message—the way to get there is distinctly different from the kinds of fare that have brought crowds to the theater like Shrek, Ice Age or the Pixar Films. The movie has a sensibility that is equal parts Ratatouille and A Nightmare Before Christmas—the message that you can be anything you want if you set your mind to it is couched firmly between such characters as a cute Frankenstein-ish monster and an immortal yet suicidal rabbit who finds multiple creative ways to try and kill himself throughout the film. While it never really strays outside of the PG rating the MPAA applied, it does reach the higher edge of that with elements such as benign references to torture and some images that may be mildly disturbing to some, such as Scamper getting a hole blown through his head, which fixes itself brain and all on-camera. It’s not nearly as gross as it might sound, and director Anthony Leondis keeps the film and animation grounded firmly in “watchable by kids” territory throughout the eighty-seven minute length. It’s a delight to watch the film keep that potentially precarious balance, and the sensibilities, though they may not be for everyone’s taste, are light-hearted enough to make the gently twisted moments enjoyable and not jarring against the context of the film.

The script, by American Dad staff writer Chris McKenna, provides some great moments of dialogue and clever jokes and sight gags. The story may seem somewhat familiar, if only because of the iconic idea of mad scientists and their Igors—not to mention the moral of the story, which has been portrayed in many animated films, from the aforementioned Ratatouille to the other CGI invention-oriented film, Meet the Robinsons. McKenna lends some fresh moments to this type of story though, and it never seems too “been there, seen that” as a result. The only major failing from the script comes in the third act, when too much needs to happen for the story to unfold. After hints toward the climax, the film is too short at under an hour and a half for the conclusion to seem properly paced, and the end seems rushed as a result. McKenna also carries the man gag of Eva’s character—that she thinks she’s auditioning for the role of a psychotic Little Orphan Annie—too far, and it doesn’t seem to mesh overly well with the rest of the script. Everything beyond those failings is pretty enjoyable, and while there aren’t a whole lot of major laughs to be had due to more restrained humor, there’s a lot of enjoyment regardless.

The voice acting in the film is more than adequate. In the title role, John Cusack is able to take a step back from the sarcastic and world-weary roles he’s given in recent years and instead give Igor an enthusiastic but nervous quality. He makes Igor the kind of uncool kid from high school that every kid was or knew, but with his head in the clouds and dreaming of great things. In the role of his two assistants, Steve Buscemi and Sean Hayes are great as well. While Hayes plays Brain (called “Brian” by Scamper because he misspelled the name on his jar with permanent marker) with a well-intentioned daftness, Buscemi plays the kind of irascible character we’ve seen him excel at. Both men keep it light, though, and don’t take the movie too nasty. Molly Shannon makes Eva a fresh-faced and gullible yet sweet character, while Eddie Izzard threatens to steal the show as Schadenfreude. It’s the kind of nasty evil genius that you can’t help but love to hate, and Izzard gives him some serious charm. The rest of the cast is perfectly serviceable as voice talent, and no one distracts from their characters the way some higher-profile talent has in films past.

The visual style developed in the movie is one of the things that sets it apart, at least from other computer-animated films. It looks a lot like a melding of the more traditional CGI style with the stop-motion elements of Tim Burton’s films. Eva in particular brings forth comparisons to the titular character of The Corpse Bride and Sally from A Nightmare Before Christmas. It’s an interesting choice that really gives the film a unique and enjoyable look. It may not be the incredible CGI designs of Pixar, but it services the storyline which is what the visuals should do in an ideal situation.

The 411: Featuring a gently twisted sensibility, a Burton-esque animation style and a enjoyable storyline, Igor is an animated film that adults can watch while letting their kids take the strong moral away with them. The voice acting is solid and the riffs on the Frankenstein tale are easily relatable, and they carry the film through some stumbles in the third act. While it isn't necessarily a film for everyone, for those with the right sensibilities Igor is, if not quite Pixar or DreamWorks quality, a very good CGI film and one of the better ones this year.

Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]