Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		1.5

Army of Frankensteins Blu-ray Movie Review

Movie bad.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 24, 2015

We may have the inimitable Phil Hartman to thank for the supposed “memory” of the Frankenstein monster proclaiming “Fire bad!”, though a cursory reacquaintance with the famous “hermit” scene in Bride of Frankenstein shows that Karloff’s iconic creature actually says “Fire no good.” A rose by any other name, as they say, for whether you call it “bad” or “no good,” Army of Frankensteins is a pretty haphazard mash up, one of those “newfangled” genre casseroles that are in fact kind of like Frankenstein’s monster himself (itself?), sewn together from seemingly disparate elements in an attempt to create an interesting hybrid.

This micro-budgeted feature involves a time travelling schlub named Alan Jones (Jordan Farris) who finds himself transported back to the Civil War era, where he finds himself ensconced in various battles that not so coincidentally also include a kind of cloned army of Frankenstein monsters. The film desperately wants to be a cheeky, post-Modern update on the monster film, but it tends to come off mostly as an admittedly decently produced student film. Army of Frankensteins is neither very scary nor very funny, two fatal flaws in an entry that markets itself as a horror comedy.

Army of Frankensteins Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Army of Frankensteins is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Scream Factory, an imprint of Shout! Factory, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. The image is generally very sharp and well detailed, though director Ryan Bellgardt and cinematographer Josh McKamie employ occasional bells and whistles like "POV" shots that are intentionally smeary and soft looking (see screenshot 2). In bright outdoor environments the palette looks appealingly natural, and the image is suitably crisp and detailed. Nighttime sequences don't fare quite as well, with some murky shadow detail and occasional minor but noticeable compression issues.

Army of Frankensteins Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Army of Frankensteins features a serviceable DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which provides occasional immersion courtesy of discretely placed sound effects (most noticeable in some of the battle scenes), but which is overall rather front heavy. Prioritization is occasionally slightly less than optimal, with dialogue sometimes being overwhelmed by busy sound design choices. Fidelity is fine and dynamic range fairly wide.

Army of Frankensteins Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer (1080p; 2:01)

Army of Frankensteins Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Frankenstein monster(s), if not the devil himself, is in the details, and Army of Frankensteins simply can't overcome some pretty clunky writing and not quite ready for prime time performances. The film is often surprisingly scenic, and some of the special effects and makeup work is reasonably effective. Technical merits are generally fine for those considering a purchase.