Rated PG for some thematic elements, scary images, action, and mild language.
Recommended for ages 5 and up
Run Time: 86 minutes
Quick Take: A truly clever concept with made-for-kids sidekicks still isn't inventive enough to keep kids from getting squirmy.
The Story: Igor is not just a singular guy. He's a whole professional title -- the second-class shlubs who train to be mad-scientist assistants by going to school to speak "Igor," and learning important jobs like how to throw the switch on those evil inventions. In the dark, cloud-covered hamlet of Malaria, one Igor has been thrust into the spotlight when his master dies and he gets to create his own invention for the upcoming Mad Science Fair. But, the invention doesn't come out exactly as planned, challenging Igor and his goofy cohorts -- a "road kill rabbit" (looks like a kitty to me) whose death wish is stymied by his immortality, and some disembodied grey matter in a jar -- to decide whether they want to embrace good or evil, while fending off the underhanded attempts by Dr. Schadenfreude to claim credit for their invention.
Good If You Liked: Mad Monster Party, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
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Heads Up: Violence and sex are pretty minimal -- it is a cartoon. But, certain monster moments -- such as when Igor's invention comes to life or threatens to become evil -- teeter on the edge of being threatening. Still, not even the littlest kids in the theater seemed particularly bothered. Jennifer Coolidge's femme fatales (Jaclyn and Heidi) are, shall we say, quite buxom. And the interplay between Jaclyn and Dr. Schadenfreude -- "Is daddy still mad at me?" growls Jaclyn seductively to her paramour -- is, well, a little kinky.
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Cool Tunes, Hilarious Sidekicks Make Igor a Flick Parents and Kids Can Go (Mostly) Mad For
Behind every evil genius is an Igor throwing the switch. That's an Igor, as in a generic term for mad-scientist assistant, specially trained in second banana-dom with a "Yes, Masters" degree, and a minor in slurred speech.
Cleverness like that makes Igor, a new animated film, seem like a project by the smartest kids in school. Even if mad scientists and monsters aren't your speed, you have to appreciate the wit of folks who came up with Igors as a demographic, Dr. Schadenfreude as a weasely mad scientist, and the Annie anthem "Tomorrow" as part of a secret weapon to destroy all humankind. (The latter doesn't seem like so much of a stretch, no?)
The particular Igor in the title is goon Friday to Dr. Glickenstein, a guy who's so inept, he manages to vaporize himself with his invention, leaving loveable hunchback Igor free to finally take over the laboratory and throw the switch on his own Evil Science Fair entry.
Igor's creation -- a new body sewn up from the parts of a bunch of old dead ones -- turns out to be a mite different than he expected, and what starts as your average Diabolical Plot to Take Over the World veers in an entirely unexpected direction that, like Igor himself, is nothing if not entertainingly oddball. And, it grows on you. Maybe it's the cast -- names like John Cusack, John Cleese, Jennifer Coolidge, and Steve Buscemi -- a bunch of actors who create funny just by opening their mouths. Still, sometimes, Igor seems too clever for its own good. This might be especially true for kids who get the whole Igor thing (and love, love, love, his goofy sidekicks) but who haven't started thinking of playground justice -- say, getting a timeout for the bully who stole your lunch money -- in terms of Schadenfreude (the German word means taking pleasure in others' misery), nor have they read enough People magazine to get jokes about Method actors. Igor the character is adorable, but two-thirds through the film, the movie seems to run out of great ideas for keeping kids (and many adults) from wiggling in their seats. At my screening, it seemed like all the suddenly restless tots simultaneously asked for a bathroom break or got up for a quick jog around the theater. All of which makes you wonder who the movie's for.
There's a lot to keep parents chuckling. But, a movie that keeps a small child in place? That's an invention we could all get behind.
Kids Will Like:
Our lead Igor is adorable in that monster-with-a-heart, Hunchback of Notre Dame kind of way. But, Scamper, the immortal rabbit with a death wish, and Brain (whose name is self-explanatory), pretty much steal the show. Count on kids to be particularly enamored of the physical-humor moments. Scamper's attempts to do himself in provide some of the biggest kid laughs in the movie.
Parents Will Like:
Clever quips are made for adults, and there's a strong sense that the movie may get better with multiple viewings. There's a great soundtrack, featuring a bunch of tunes by Louis Prima. The vintage music paired with the off-kilter Frankenstein may leave many oldsters feeling nostalgic for the old 1969 chestnut, Mad Monster Party.
