Saturday, January 18, 2014

FRANKENSTEIN'S ARMY REVIEWED

Richard Raaphorst's Frankenstein's Army is an amazing monster film. Since I first saw stills from the production a couple of years ago I've been chomping at the bit to see this beast. There were a couple of teaser trailers on-line called Worst Case Scenario, which are a must see if you haven't yet, but they really don't prepare you for this tense and fast paced war horror work of art.
When I discovered that Frankenstein's Army would be a found footage film I lost a great amount of enthusiasm until I saw the first trailer. Now that I've seen the film, I can't imagine it being done any other way. Raaphorst places you in the film and makes you feel every ounce of tension and terror the damned camera man feels.
The film follows a battalion of Soviet soldiers making their way through Nazi territory in the latter days of World War II. Upon receiving a distress call from some comrades they set off for a small town to rescue them, but nothing is what it seems and it's a quick plunge into unbridled monster horror.
The creatures are fantastic and creepy as hell. The gore is gruesome. The level of craftsmanship that went into making Frankenstein's Army almost makes you forget the found footage device as you're immersed into the story.
At only 84 minutes(!) you'll either be thirsty for more or so stressed out you'll be grateful it's over so fast. Either way, we need sequels, lots and lots of sequels.
In the sub-genre of Frankenstein films, Frankenstein's Army is unparalleled in terms of high quality creature effects and originality in designs. Story wise, it's tight if not a bit thin. There are certainly more philosophical Frankenstein films, but there's no room, no time, for long speeches about man and God, life and death. You'll be too busy trying to get the hell out!
Worst Case Scenario #2 Blue


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