Hey all. Capone in Chicago here. I'll admit, it's rare when I know absolutely nothing about a film going in, but I think it's safe to say that it's unheard of when I walk into an animated film knowing zip. But outside of an impressive cast list, that was my experience walking in IGOR last weekend. We've all been around long enough to know that an all-star cast doesn't necessarily mean a film is going to be any good. I think that rule holds doubly true for animated films, which can pull together a fantastic collection of well-known voices only to saddle them with a completely terrible screenplay. The examples of this are too numerous to mention (the one that pops to mind immediately is SHARK TALE). One of the highest-profile casts I've seen in an animated movie in quite some time (at least since KUNG FU PANDA) can be found in IGOR, a watered-down creepfest from the co-director of LILO & STITCH 2, Anthony Leondis. IGOR doesn't have a bunch of really ultra-bankable names doing voices, but they have pulled together a group of people I happen to like, for the most part, which is why it breaks my heart an teeny, tiny bit to say that the film is unimpressive, bordering on dull. I dug that the film attempted to be dark. For instance, the inclusion of a major character who is always trying to commit suicide is actually pretty great (he's immortal, so his perpetual, depression-driven attempts at self-inflicted death are successful but never permanent). But when you have such phenomenal works in the world like A NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS and CORPSE BRIDE, a film like Igor doesn't really stand a chance. Still, the film has some clever ideas and a few funny moments. John Cusack voices the title character. Actually, the name "Igor" isn't just a name; it's a rank as well, for anyone who is the assistant to a mad scientist. In the village of Malaria, the sole exports are evil designs meant to cause the world at large great harm. If you happen to be born with a hump, you become an Igor; if not, you will likely become a scientist. It just so happens that our Igor is the assistant to the least successful scientist in the town, Dr. Glickenstin (John Cleese), who kills himself experimenting on his latest creation. Igor is actually smarter than most of the people in the town, but because of his status, he'll never legally be allowed to be a scientist, despite the fact that he has secretly been working on a creature made of dead body parts. His best friends are a reanimated rabbit named Scamper (Steve Buscemi; this is the suicidal character) and the quite stupid Brain (Sean Hayes), an actual brain in a jar who some people call Brian because he wrote his name on his jar incorrectly. The top scientist in the realm is Dr. Schadenfreude (the five or six people who laughed when we first heart this name get bonus points), voiced by Eddie Izzard, is in fact nothing more than a scientist who steals the best evil inventions from others. His girlfriend Jaclyn (Jennifer Coolidge) plays a big part in these acts of thievery, and the pair soon discover what Igor is up to. One of the IGOR's most bizarre turns (and least interesting in the end) is that the creature that Igor creates is named Eva (voiced by Molly Shannon). When Igor doesn't believe that her brain is evil enough he takes her to a brain washer, who proceeds to inundate her mind with evil images and thoughts, until stupid Brain accidentally changes the images to that of "Inside the Actors Studio." As a result, Eva emerges as a peace-loving actress--not good considering the King (Jay Leno) has his heart set on the most evil creature in the realm. The actress plot twist is funny on paper, but Shannon doesn't do much more than spout cliché actor sayings like, "What's my motivation?" And her character doesn't do much except be ginormous and clumsy and act like a prima donna. The rest of IGOR, with maybe the exception of Buscemi, feels like they're holding back. Cusack is better than this, and Eddie Izzard is practically phoning in squeaky-clean comedy, when you want him to bust out with a little blue humor. Buscemi saves every scene his character is in, but that's not enough to save this movie. One can only hope that November's MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA is a little better... but I wouldn't count on that. -- Capone capone@aintitcoolmail.com
