'Lisa Frankenstein' Can't Figure Itself Out In Order to Stand Out

'Lisa Frankenstein' (2024)

“Lisa Frankenstein” is the latest effort from screenwriter Diablo Cody and the feature-length directorial debut for Zelda Williams. The movie is set in 1989 and Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) is a goth girl who suffered a terrible trauma two years prior when her mother was brutally murdered.

Her favorite thing to do is hang out at the grave of an unknown young man from the Victorian era while she avoids her evil stepmother Janet (Carla Gugino) and those at school who look down on her.

To her surprise, the deceased man of her dreams comes back to life and she now finds herself hiding the Creature (Cole Sprouse) while trying to figure things out. As the title already suggests, the movie is an update on the “Frankenstein” storyline with a look at what it’s like to be the outcast.

However, I could never completely get behind the movie. It took me a moment to figure out why that was because the performances are good and the direction from Williams is solid. I would seriously consider watching anything else that she may want to helm in the future.

Kathryn Newton and Cole Sprouse star in 'Lisa Frankenstein'.

After thinking about it for a minute and talking to my friend with whom I watched the movie, I realized what the main problem was. The movie’s identity never settles on what it wants to be. Does it want to be a horror comedy? Does it want to be taken seriously? Does it want to go over-the-top and do zany things? I don’t know and it would appear that the movie doesn’t know either.

Another problem is that I thought the film’s story would escalate more than it actually does. It gets to a certain point and then it stalls for the most part. There is one moment where I thought things were about to get even more interesting, but then it just ends.

That was another problem I had: the ending. I won’t spoil it here, obviously, but by the time the movie reaches the credits, I don’t feel like the movie earned its ending. I was left wanting more and all I got was an ultimately mediocre movie.

Finally, I think another reason that I felt something was missing was due to the fact that the movie forgets some of its own set up. For example, remember when I said that Lisa’s mother had been murdered prior to the film’s events? The movie goes to some lengths to set up that her mother’s murderer got away, but the movie quickly forgets this and moves on without ever mentioning it again.

So, in conclusion, the movie looks good and the movie has good performances. Unfortunately, that’s all I felt this movie succeeded at due to the story’s uneven and confused tone. There was potential with this story, but the final movie fails to make good on that potential.