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Frankenthumb

Warner Vision/Warner Vision . R4 . COLOR . 31 mins . PG . PAL

  Feature
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From James Whale’s 1935 horror classic to Kenneth Branagh’s more recent adaptation, Mary Shelly’s demonic creation has made countless big screen appearances. And now, venerable figures in western popular culture as they are, Frankenstein and his monster provide not only a fertile source of trashy cinema, but for parody as well. And so we have Steve Oedekerk’s newest 'Thumbation' production Frankenthumb; not a patch on Mel Brooks’ 1974 classic Young Frankenstein, but piss-funny nonetheless.

"I think I’ll call him… Pepper."

Working in his hill-top castle, the misunderstood and completely mad Doctor Frankenthumb (Oedekerk) works feverishly to finish his life’s work – the reanimation of a long dead thumb. However, when the brain stolen by his faithful, yet hideously deformed assistant Humpy turns out to be that of a deranged, ultra-violent killer, Frankenthumb’s newly risen creature escapes and wreaks havoc on the local village. And with the local angry mob having a very hard time finding something worth milling about, it couldn’t have come at a better time. Can Frankenstein and Humpy come to young Pepper’s rescue before he’s consumed in a fiery death?

With lavish production design - easily the series’ best thus far - Oedekerk and his enthusiastic team have worked hard to recreate the Gothic look and feel of James Whale’s original horror classic. The minute details to be found in Frankenthumb’s lab and the ‘Bad Brain Institute’ are impressive, as are the costumes and Pepper’s monster ‘makeup’. The sledgehammer-subtlety of Oedekerk’s wit is also back on top form; easily the equal of the original Thumb Wars. Certainly, for those who have seen Whale’s original film, Frankenthumb’s insider gags are sure to elicit a giggle or three. You just gotta love those thumbs.

  Video
Contract

Frankenthumb continues the run of great video transfers shared by the 'Thumbation' titles, displaying a sharp, clean and almost flawless digital image. Like the other titles in the series, it does display an almost constant amount of low-level background grain, but is otherwise free of aliasing and other film-to-video artefacts. Detail is great, with the image conveying the often subtle detail to be found in the sets and costumes. Thankfully the detail continues into the many shadows of the Gothic production design. Where available, colours too are also faithfully rendered with Pepper’s greenish hue and other erm skin tones looking natural, and all supported by deep solid blacks. In terms of compression artefacts only one blemish is reportable, but it’s a biggy – one of the worst cases of macro-blocking I have yet seen appears momentarily in the background of the final scene. Other than that, it’s another fine job from Image Entertainment.

  Audio
Contract

Like all previous 'Thumbation' releases, our region 4 edition of Frankenthumb misses out on the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix afforded other regions; supplied instead with a quite serviceable Dolby Digital surround track. Certainly for a surround mix produced on a limited budget the results are reasonable, with the surround channel continuously called upon to convey both a balanced portion of the overtly dramatic score and a number of ambient sounds. These include the clash of lightning and the roll of thunder to the hum of Frankenstein’s electrodes. The remainder of the mix, including clear and distinct dialogue, is rooted squarely in the front channels, with rudimentary foley effects positioned at various locations across the front soundstage. The subwoofer is also used subtly and sparingly to add its voice to various elements of the soundtrack, including thunder and the more ominous portions of the score.

  Extras
Contract

Another reasonable batch of extras this time around, accessed via a set of nicely animated menus.

  • Commentary – director Steve Oedekerk, DOP Mike Deprez, producer Paul Marshal, production designer Jorg Dubin, and visual effects supervisor Dave Merril: These five guys just muck around for the half hour, bouncing off each other and taking the piss out of their creation. Believe it or not, they do actually relate a few facts about the production this time around! It’s all pretty funny, but chances are you won't want to listen to them twice.

  • Cast Interviews: (3:02) interviews with the thumb actors about working on the film. Some great laughs here.

  • Outtakes: (1:24) Some funny mock-outtakes from on set include fluffed lines, falling props and actor tantrums.

  • Storyboards: 25 images covering a range of key scenes. Of little interest.

  • Thumbation trailers: Full frame trailers for the entire 'Thumbation' collection: Thumb Wars, Thumbtanic, The Blair Thumb, Bat Thumb, Frankenthumb, and The Godthumb.

  Overall  
Contract

Frankenthumb is a little different to the previous 'Thumbation' releases. For me, one of the reasons that Thumb Wars and Bat Thumb were successful was the impact of applying Oedekerk’s distinctly low-tech medium to what was a modern effects-laden feature film. Not so with Frankenthumb, which relies instead both on sharp writing and well-timed comedic performances to sell the parody. And at this it succeeds admirably indeed. Although failing to reach the comedic heights of Young Frankenstein (now that’s an ask!), Frankenthumb is a great spoof of a much-loved original, and has fast become my new favourite amongst the 'Thumbation' productions released thus far. Highly recommended!


  • LINK: http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=2304
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      And I quote...
    "Sharp writing and well-timed comedic performances give life to Mary Shelly's most famous erm thumbs..."
    - Gavin Turner
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Toshiba SD-2108
    • TV:
          Panasonic TC-68P90A TAU (80cm)
    • Receiver:
          Yamaha RX-V795
    • Amplifier:
          Yamaha RX-V795
    • Speakers:
          B&W 602
    • Centre Speaker:
          B&W CC6 S2
    • Surrounds:
          JM Lab Cobalt SR20
    • Subwoofer:
          B&W ASW-500
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard Optical
    • Video Cables:
          Standard Component RCA
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