The Munsters

2022

PG

Just in time for October, The Munsters are back in this modern take of the TV show from the 60s. This is a Rob Zombie creation and to tell you the truth, I haven’t seen a lot of stuff that he is involved with, but I know people either really love his work or don’t with no in between. I thought I would give this a watch, because I am familiar with the TV show. When I was a kid, I used to watch this at my grandparents’ house and I always enjoyed it. I knew this modern adaptation wasn’t going to be the same, but I was hoping that it would at least capture the essence of the show. This is a new movie and you can watch it on Netflix or if you collect physical media, it is available on Blu-Ray or DVD. So, did it live up to expectations? Keep reading to find out. There aren't really any “spoilers” in this film, but if you don’t want any, skip the next two paragraphs.

Dr. Henry Augustus Wolfgang (Richard Brake) and his assistant Floop (Jorge Garcia) attempt to create a monstrous/intelligent creature, but mistakenly create a big, giant goofball with super strength. Floop names their creation Herman Munster (Jeff Daniel Phillips), although Dr. Wolfgang doesn’t care for the name. Meanwhile, Lily (Sheri Moon Zombie) is looking for love but is having no luck. Lily’s brother, Lester (Tomas Boykin) wants their father, The Count (Daniel Roebuck) to sell their Transylvania castle to The Count’s ex-wife, Zoya (Catherine Schell), but The Count declines to do so.

While watching TV, Lily discovers the man of her dreams. That man is Herman Munster, who at this time as turned his goofiness into a comedy career of sorts. She meets him in a club that he is performing at and they fall in love. They get married and go on their honeymoon to Paris. The Count finds out that Herman sold their Transylvania castle and they must move away. The family moves to Hollywood in hopes that Herman can become a star. They buy a house and realize that their neighbors aren't who they think they are because their appearance isn't the same after the Halloween party. After realizing this, the Munsters are afraid to go out into the world but are welcome by a familiar face. Lester returns with a big check from the sale of their home that was turned into a casino and their fears are suddenly gone.

I was anxious to see how this movie was going to be. I loved the TV show and occasionally watch it still. I didn’t have high expectations for it, so my personal bar was set pretty low. Did it exceed expectation? No, but It was pretty much what I expected. This movie isn't the typical Rob Zombie slasher, horror film and I knew that. This film was as advertised, a modern take on The Munsters. The TV show was a goofy comedy show and was never meant to be taken seriously and this movie is the same in that respect.

The cast of the film did a great job. They leaned into their roles wonderfully. You can't beat the originals and they didn’t really attempt to here. They made them modern. I thought Sheri Moon Zombie’s take on Lily was great. I thought her character stood out the most to me. For that matter, Jeff Daniel Phillips didn’t do so badly as Herman either. I think that people will have the TV show in the back of their mind and they won’t budge on something new. Floop was my least favorite of the bunch. In something that was meant to cheesy comedy, he was too stupid. Part of genius of The Munsters is the fact that The Munsters are ignorant and oblivious to the fact that they’re not normal, but I think Floop was created to be too stupid in this movie. Other than that, the cast was good. It was cool to see Pam Priest and Butch Patrick featured in the film too. They played Marilyn and Eddie Munster in the original series respectively.

I don’t have a lot to say about this movie. I thought it was fine. I didn’t love it by any means, but I didn’t hate it. I thought it was a decent modern take on the TV show, but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It was basically a two-hour movie stretched out from 45 minutes of material. It definitely drags in the first 45 minutes or so, so be prepared for that. I didn’t have high expectations, and neither should you. Don’t go into this movie expecting to be blown away and you should enjoy it. It reminded me of a cheesy 90’s movie and not in a terrible way. It took me back to my childhood in a sense. I think this is a fun family movie just in time for Halloween.

With that being said, you probably won’t appreciate this film if you have never seen the series. If you have never seen an episode of The Munsters, you will think this is a bad movie, but knowing what I know about the series, it wasn’t bad. It wasn’t particularly good, but it wasn’t bad. Will I watch it again? Only time will tell, but I would say probably not, but who knows? I may be in the mood to break it out again sometime.

GRADE: 2.6/5

Yacs

Movie Review: The Munsters (2022)