Film: The Munsters
Starring: Sheri Moon Zombie, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Daniel Roebuck, Cassandra Peterson
Director: Rob Zombie
Streaming: Netflix
Review: Klep Napier
Rating: 1X out of 5X’s
The Munsters 2022 has a hard time mixing classic campy TV with the sharp and witty realism that a lot of shows today are relying on. In other words, Instead of being more of a “What We Do In The Shadows”, Director Rob Zombie’s ghoulish adaptation pretends to be something outside box when it’s nothing more than a lesser copy of its predecessor casted with lesser than mediocre performances.
Thats right, the Munsters are back! Once again. This time directed by musician and acclaimed film maker, Rob Zombie. The Munster follows a young Herman Munster in the untold origin story about how he was created, meets a young lily and crashes through the front door of Mockingbird Lane for the first time.
I have got to be honest, the first trailer for this did absolutely nothing for the needle on my scale, so going in, my expectations were very low. The over the top performance from each cast member almost feels as though they are doing their best worst cosplay impressions of the original cast.
Speaking of the cast, does Zombie’s wife Sheri Moon Zombie (Lilly) come as a claus in all of his film contracts? Not saying the two shouldn’t work together, but do they always have to work together? However despite Jeff Daniel Phillips (Herman) physical appearance, he brings zero charm to the portrayal of Herman Munster but the real MVP award has to go to Daniel Roebuck, who’s portrayal of Grandpa is almost uncanny. Roebuck is left carrying most scenes on his back and not even a cameo from the Mistress Of The Dark herself, Elvira, could justify the campiness.
Overall the tone felt empty and dry making it impossible for jokes to land. My only wish was that zombie was allowed to stick to the basics. Not only using the black and white esthetic, but also simply producing an 8-10 episodic series, complete with a big old laugh track cherry on top.
Biggest disappointment of 2022 films. How about we lay The Munsters to rest now?