YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is a Mel Brooks horror spoof that's oddly unfunny and rather serious when watched in a modern light. As a film it's very difficult to criticise because it's certainly above average in terms of quality. The cinematography and the set design are all exemplary, a real tribute to the horrors of old. Mel Brooks's direction is assured and Gene Wilder is a natural fit for the befuddled mad scientist who finds himself undertaking a very strange odyssey.
The only issue I had was with the script, which is never quite as funny as it should be. There are some very funny moments here but they seem few and far between in a film which is a bit overlong and repetitive in places. I'd rather take something sillier like SPACEBALLS than sit through this again, for instance. That's not to say that YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is a bad film, because it's certainly not. Marty Feldman is excellent as the hunchbacked Igor and everything that comes out of his mouth is funny. Peter Boyle makes for a memorable monster and the interlude with Gene Hackman's blind hermit is the highlight of the movie. I guess I was just expecting more from a film I had never seen with such a strong reputation.
The only issue I had was with the script, which is never quite as funny as it should be. There are some very funny moments here but they seem few and far between in a film which is a bit overlong and repetitive in places. I'd rather take something sillier like SPACEBALLS than sit through this again, for instance. That's not to say that YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is a bad film, because it's certainly not. Marty Feldman is excellent as the hunchbacked Igor and everything that comes out of his mouth is funny. Peter Boyle makes for a memorable monster and the interlude with Gene Hackman's blind hermit is the highlight of the movie. I guess I was just expecting more from a film I had never seen with such a strong reputation.