Reviewed by: John Maid
Written & Directed by: Rob Zombie
Cast: Jeff Daniel Phillips, Sheri Moon Zombie, Daniel Roebuck, Richard Brake, Sylvester McCoy, Jorge Garcia, Catherine Schell, and Cassandra Peterson
Synopsis: In this reboot/prequel of The Munsters TV series from the 60's, Lily, a typical 150-year-old lovelorn vampire, is looking for the
man of her nightmares, when she lays her eyes on Herman, a
7-foot-tall green experiment with a heart of gold. It's love at first
shock as these two ghouls fall fangs over feet for each other in a
Transylvanian romance. Unfortunately, it's not all smooth sailing in the
cemetery as Lily's father has other plans for his beloved daughter's
future, and they don't involve her new bumbling beau.
As someone who was familiar with the TV series, I have to admit that this movie had me intrigued a bit, and with it having Rob Zombie at the wheel, of course I needed to check it out. The Munsters is a movie that will disappoint many fans of the old TV show. I was only mildly entertained here, as it was not a movie that got me worked up in any real positive way. The lack of character dynamics, and the fact that some characters were all together omitted, left me wanting more.
Something that works in its favor is the costumes, wardrobes, props, and general set design of the movie. You can clearly see Rob Zombie's influence on the style, while still giving nods to the show that paved the way.
Zombie managed to put together a good cast ensemble, but seemed to fall flat on delivery. Jeff Daniel Phillips did his absolute best trying to fill the huge shoes left behind by Fred Gwynne. while Sheri Moon Zombie grasped at straws as Lily Munster, failing to make the character anything more than a hollow shell of herself.
While The Munsters was a watchable movie, it was not outstanding in any way, nor was it a particularly memorable movie. And for Rob Zombie, it ranks mediocre, at best. As a big fan of Zombie, I had to come to terms with the fact that just because it was directed by him, didn't mean it was automatically going to be something great.
John's Score: 4/10
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