Igor (2008)

I can see why some people hated this film, because if you bought the DVD to keep your young children occupied, you didn't get your money's worth. 'Igor' is really for old horror buffs, but it tried to play both sides of the field. It's too adult for kids and not dark enough for adults.

The animation is very good and looks more than a little inspired by 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'. The voice work isn't bad, but the film doesn't have enough inspired characters to keep the momentum going. Most of the comic relief comes from an immortal rabbit who wants to die!

Overall I think if you like old horror films and animated films you'll like 'Igor', but it will not keep the little ones interested. The DVD has an excellent transfer, but not a lot of extras. There is an alternate beginning that is interesting.

I have seen most of the computer generated animated movies. The Pixar ones, naturally, are the best in terms of script quality and overall likability for all ages. The non-Pixar ones are usually pretty good but not up to that quality (Shrek, Over the Hedge, Madagascar, etc.), but some are not good at all in my opinion such as Madagascar 2 and Happy Feet to name a few. It all depends on what you want out of an animated movie. I personaly look for an engaging plot and most of all the funny one-line quips that are a staple of this genre. The main thing for me with this movie was its originality. The plot is really unique and there were tons of funny one-liners that I chuckled at throughout. My kids 7 & 9 also were laughing and we watched it twice. I had never even heard of this movie and just picked it off the shelf at Blockbuster, and I am really glad I did. I would say this is one of the best non-Pixar animated movies I've seen.

Buy Igor (2008) Now

I picked up IGOR at a discount, not knowing anything about it other than what was written on the back of the case. I love old horror movies and I love wacky comedy, so I figured it might be worth it. I've watched it three times now, enjoying it more each time. True, it gets off to a slow start. John Cusack's voice-over back-story opening is very weak. It's not particularly funny and he doesn't do it well. I almost gave up. But I'm nothing if not persistent. The result: It's a stitch! Once Eva, the monster who thinks she's an actress, takes stage, the movie picks up tremendously. There are funny situations, brilliant one-liners, great acting, clever animation. Okay, I admit it: when the message arrives ("We're all born with an evil bone. It's up to us whether or not we use it."), it screams: MESSAGE!!! But that's okay, because the road there is paved with such great stuff. This was an indie production, so without the Pixar-type funding, it falls somewhat short of the visual brilliance of the big-studio animation films. But it's miles and miles above BARNYARD. (Hell, ANY movie is miles and miles above BARNYARD!) I don't particularly recommend this for kids. They wouldn't get through the opening and they wouldn't get 15% of the humor. But for those of us who like ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN and DRACULA: DEAD AND LOVING IT, it's a must-see. Oh yes, there's also the wonderful voice of Jennifer Coolidge. Can't go wrong with that!

Read Best Reviews of Igor (2008) Here

I should start by saying that, as a fan of both classic horror films and spoofs of classic horror films, I really wanted to like Igor. I really did. But I couldn't help feeling through most of the movie that the creators _really_ should've spent more time on the script. You can see what they were going for, and you can also see how the concept should have been great. But the execution however, never quite hits the mark.

A big problem is the design. You cannot watch Igor without comparing it to The Nightmare Before Christmas, not only because of the stop-action animation similarity but because the sheer look of the film seems so clearly derivative of Nightmare Before Christmas. Eva is modelled on Sally, and I could swear that they actually reused Nightmare's Mayor action figure for Igor's King Malbert. And even if you can get past the visual derivation, there's the problem of characters seeming derivative. Brain, the classic sci-fi/horror "brain in a jar", has a personality derived from a different source: B.O.B. the Blob in Monsters Vs Aliens.

Only two characters really stand out. Igor (voiced by John Cusack) is clearly drawn and likeable and can _almost_ make you care enough to ignore the film's short-comings. And Scamper (voiced by the inimitable Steve Buscemi) is actually the best thing about the film: an acerbic, immortal rabbit who wants desperately to commit suicide. And who has all of the best lines:

Igor: [shouts] Pull the switch!

[Nothing happens. He looks over at Scamper, standing by the switch]

Scamper: Do *not* yell at me.

Igor: Oh, I-I'm sorry. I just... pull the switch?

[No response]

Igor: Please pull the switch.

Scamper: That's better.

Brain: Our work here is done.

Scamper: 'Our work'? You spent the whole time playing with a piece of ribbon.

Igor isn't a bad film. It's an okay film with occasional moments where it's actually good. But it could've been a really good film if the writers and designers had just given it one more good going-over before putting it into production. Recommended for fans of stop-action animation and of spoofs of horror films with an hour and a half to kill. And for Steve Buscemi fans.

Want Igor (2008) Discount?

All Igor(voiced by John Cusack) ever wanted was to be an evil scientist, unfortunately in the kingdom of Malaria(where our tale takes place) that big ole' hunch on his back could only mean one thing, he would always be just an Igor.(If he didn't get recycled for parts first!)

One day Igor gets the chance to prove be can really be an evil scientist when his master Dr. Glickenstein(John Cleese) becomes the victim of his own experiment and Igor decides to take his only chance to fulfill his dreams of winning the evil science fair.

Igor turns to his only two friends to help him, a Brain who named himself Brian on accident(Sean Hayes) and Scamper(Steve Buscemi) who Igor accidentally made immortal and constantly tries to commit suicide. Their plan comes into motion when Igor remembers his blueprints to create life into a purely evil monster, something no evil scientist has ever done in the entire history of Malaria!

Only their plan goes awry when Igor forgets to activate their new creations evil bone, and Eva(Molly Shannon) instead becomes overly kind and instead of destroying cities or killing blind orphans dreams of becoming an actress.

Maybe an homage to Tim Burton, definitely a re-telling of Frankenstein but Igor still carries a completely fresh and poignant look at a beloved genre in the film industry; horror.

Igor is creative, witty and completely different from any animated film that I for one have seen in a very long time. The humor is sarcastic, and a little sardonic and honestly it probably flies right over 80 percent of it's viewers heads.

Maybe I'm biased seeing as how I love pretty much everything Cusak touches, but I for one wouldn't mind adding this one to my dvd collection.

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