So, a documentary film crew follows a crazy academic up to Northern Canada in search of the Frankenstein monster.  Yeah...for real.

For such a totally absurd premise, they play it straight, and totally beat my (admittedly low) expectations for the found-footage genre -- for a number of reasons.

First, this thing is shot pro.  Very minimal running-at-night-shaky-cam.  It all looks good here, and some of the scenery is downright splendid.  I am not sure where they shot this, but they definitely succeed in making you feel the cold isolation they were after.  It must have been an agonizing shoot -- but it looks great -- with an authenticity throughout that I am sure they earned the hard way.

Second, this is really well-written.  The characters actually have something to say besides "Oh f*ck!" and "Oh sh*t!" every three seconds -- which was very refreshing for this type of film.  And (even bigger surprise) the characters are likable here, particularly the gruff guide that leads them into the wilderness. Idiotic decisions by the doomed team are kept to a minimum -- and frankly, their options are pretty limited anyway.

Third, it has an ending!  Thank you!  Some argue for the merits of ambiguous endings, but I will forever maintain that they are cr*p.  If I want to write the ending of a movie I will write my own darn movie, you know?  Here we get a nice, provocative final image that lingers on the screen -- and sets your imagination to wandering – in a good way.

The pace is leisurely, but engaging -- and wisely, I think -- you do not get too many looks at ol' Frankenstein himself.  The premise is already so goofy that multiple shots of a growling Frankenstein would probably elicit more laughs than terror.  But you do hear the growls often enough -- effectively done to good effect.

I definitely did not expect to be recommending this film going in, but having seen it, I give it a passing grade and encourage others to check out some good low-budget, found-footage fun that is done well.

I'm a half hour into this Bert, and I want to slap you for recommending it.



EDIT:  The movie just ended and I want to beat Bert over the head with the internet!  If this movie was any slower, it would've played backwards.  The pay-off at the end was thin.  Terrible movie!


Phil

PS: Bert, we still love you!!  

PS:  No we don't!!


Phil

Yes, we do. Play nice.  
Though admittedly - for low budget found footage - I'm more a fan of Grave Encounters....

I'm about an hour into it.  Was hoping I'd get through it 1 sitting last night, but I was a bit hammied and tired from a long weekend of partying.

It is slow, but for me, that's not a problem yet.  The dialogue is, however.  It's pretty poor and although in a way I like the way this looks, it just doesn't come off very realistically, and I think that's due to the dialogue and the acting.

I'll finish it tonight.

Quoted from dogglebe I want to beat Bert over the head with the internet!

Quoted from wonkavite Bert, we still love you!

Quoted from dogglebe No we don't!

Quoted from Dreamscale The dialogue....is pretty poor

Haha...hope I don't wind up exiled on an ice floe myself for this one!

I honestly dug it, and cannot see how a big fan of Blair Witch (Phil) would not find this at least a decent effort.

Anyways, I stand by my earlier review and the points in it.  I dug its vibe, but I guess I can concede it isn't for everybody.

Maybe I watch too much cr*p on Netflix and this just seemed good by comparison...

Quoted from bert Maybe I watch too much cr*p on Netflix and this just seemed good by comparison...

I honestly know exactly what you mean, Bert.  The vast majority of all movies are total fucking crap (note, I didn't use the little star to conceal "crap", and I added an expletive     sorry).  Seriously, I agree - this has a much better look than most and I do appreciate the actual locations for the shoot.

I will finish tonight but no matter what happens from here on out, I agree, this is better than most I have the displeasure of watching.

Nothing really happens until the last fifteen minutes... and it wasn't that much.  I thought the premise was extremely interesting though.  This movie was about as exciting as watching laundry in a dryer.

I noticed my standards are lower when it comes to Netflix.  I'll flip through what's available and put six or eight movies in the que.  Whatever catches my fancy at the moment.  Then I curse at myself when I start watching them.

If Grave Encounters is still available, I strong recommend watching it.  While the premise is cliche, it was very well done.  Just don't watch the shitty sequel.



Phil

Quoted from dogglebe If Grave Encounters is still available, I strong recommend watching it.  While the premise is cliche, it was very well done.  Just don't watch the shitty sequel. Phil

Frankly, I can't stomach most of the Netflix swill that Phil's willing to look at.    And I don't think Blair Witch or Paranormal Activity were all that, either.  I've been trying to get him to cancel Netflix for several months now.  Nothing I WANT to see is on there. If it weren't for the intention of seeing Mad Men someday, I would've forced the issue awhile back...

However, I do very much recommend Grave Encounters.  As Phil mentioned, it's a cliche premise, but well done.  And the sequel's to be avoided at all costs!

I will say that the Frankenstein Theory is nicely shot, Bert...  

Quoted from Grandma Bear I love netflix. Watch something there every day.

Me 3!!!!

I've been on a big found footage kick recently and found The Frankenstein Theory to be better than most, but that ending was pretty dreadful.  I did like the premise and the characters are okay, as these movies go, but it's a pretty shoddy film viewing experience in light of the last half.  Some interesting moments, but it doesn't hold up to said premise.

+++Spoiler Warning+++

Yeah, I finished watching last night and was very unhappy with the 2nd half.  Even sadder is the fact that the 2nd half should be when this thing rocks.  They really dropped the ball, IMO.

Still, as I said, it's put together better than most zero budget crap.

The acting and dialogue is not good...at all.

Worst thing is this - think about it...so, a group of peeps decide to go find this monster...or any monster.  They hire a local guy.  Within 2 days, they've already found it.  Really?  It's that easy?  Maybe so, based on all the "unexplained" deaths in the area over the years.  It's just that they didn't do anything at all involved to find him and there he is and everyone's dead...except his new bride!  OK...

Two nubs up.  I loved it.  I thought the payoff was awesome.  

Don

Thank you to whoever added the spoiler warning on my post.  My bad for not including one.