Movie review: 'Frankenweenie' - take a bow, burton!

Spoiler alert.

Director Anurag Basu, who claims the ripped off scenes in his film Barfi (2012) are a tribute to various classics, should take note. This is how you pay homage. Shot in black and white, and animated through some fantastic stop motion puppetry, Frankenweenie is, at once, both an amusing parody of and an endearing homage to the black and white horror film Frankenstein (1931).

This 3D horror/comedy film is a visually brooding film directed by Tim Burton, who appears to be at the height of his deliciously twisted artistry. Burton is an immensely talented filmmaker, whose career started with fine films such Beetlejuice (1988), Batman (1989), and Edward Scissorhands (1990).

Frustratingly, Burton over the years didn’t quite manage to match the compelling visual flair of his work with the storytelling, but fortunately the narrative in Frankenweenie is top notch. The tale is brought to life (pun intended) with a story that is deep, charming, and surprisingly touching, making it a family film that is engaging for viewers of all ages.

The message in Frankenweenie is about the challenge of recovering from the loss of a loved one. This challenge is unexpectedly taken on by Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan), a genius of a boy who lives in the small town of New Holland. Victor, who is a bit of a loner, spends his time making films and conducting scientific experiments.

His parents, who worry about him, encourage him to take on more social activities like baseball, and he complies with their wish. Here, a creepy girl (Catherine O’Hara), with her equally creepy psychic cat Mr Whiskers (who purrs constantly), tells him of an omen that predicts a significant change in his life.

This change in the life of Victor comes during a baseball match when his only real friend in the world, his adorable dog Sparky, is killed in a car accident. This moment is particularly moving, and will especially move those who have been fortunate enough to have found the love of a faithful pet dog.

While recovering from the loss of his best friend, Victor is inadvertently led into believing by his long-faced eccentric science teacher Mr Rzykruski (Martin Landau) that he can bring Sparky back to life. What follows is a beautifully visualised fifteen-minute scene, where Victor uses his contraptions to bring Sparky back to life, using loads of electricity and the special ingredient of love. When Sparky’s corpse is reanimated, he is more affectionate than ever, though his excited energy are often too much for his patched up body, where pieces of the poor dog keep falling off.

Victor isn’t able to keep this miracle a secret, and his schoolmates, including one who hilariously looks like a child Igor from Frankenstein, start following suit with their own dead pets. Unfortunately, none of the other children are able to apply Victor’s special ingredient in their own experiments, which results in trouble for the whole town. This is depicted in scenes that look like they are out of classic Japanese horror films.

Also written by Burton, Frankenweenie, is quite hilarious. During its final thirty minutes, the film delivers a rapid fire of sidesplitting pop culture references, including a particularly funny one to the scary video game Bioshock. In Frankenweenie, Burton not only shows a passion for comedy and horror, but a love for dogs as well. In the film’s finale, Sparky encapsulates everything that a loyal and selfless companion is, and it is clear that the spunky pooch is the real star of this film.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, November 11^th, 2012.

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