Do you have a favorite zombot?
One for the cult list, Frankenstein’s Army is a Dutch-American-Czech collaboration in the “found footage” style. Although found footage isn’t always the best choice, and not my choice, in this case it may be the best way to show this normally unbelievable storyline.
It takes place toward the end of WWII as the Russian army is pushing into Nazi Germany. While filming their mission the Russians stumble across a secret underground lab. The mad scientist, (Karel Roden) who claims to be Dr. Frankenstein’s grandson, is running the underground lab. Using a journal written by his grandfather he is making creatures called “zombots” that are a combination of body parts from humans and mechanical devises. He believes he can create a super army in the hopes of resurrecting the third Reich. The Russian soldiers become lost in the labyrinth of underground catacombs to the lab and eventually become part of the army being created.
The film is disturbing, insane, intense, gross and downright bizarre. There are a lot of adjectives that can be attached to this unique movie. The best way I can describe it is a blend of genres and sub-genres. Nazi/horror/science fiction/zombie/found footage with a twist.
The different types of zombots are fascinating. A lot of imagination went into each one and the zombots seem to have more character than the Russians.
The movie is good but it does have flaws. There are problems with found footage stories in that they can be confusing at times and also are prone to slow spots in the narrative. And this one has that. In the beginning there is lots of marching and raiding and not much in the way of character building, but it is still gritty. Another problem is the shakiness of the camera and the confined space of the catacombs as well as the dim lighting makes it difficult to see the zombots at times.
Once you get into the secret lab and are confronted with the zombots and the doctor is when the fantasy really blooms. Things get weirder and more terrifying. And not always easy to look at. It’s basically a torture movie and the end results are walking robots. This movie is definitely not for everyone.
This might appeal to fans of the "SAW" movie franchise, or perhaps even the "Hostel" movie franchise.