The Munsters is a 2022 remake of the classic 1960s sitcom. It is directed by Rob Zombie who also wrote and produced it for Universal Pictures.

Mad scientist Dr. Henry Augustus Wolfgang (Richard Brake) steals body parts to create the perfect man, but his assistant Floop (Jorge Garcia) steals the brain of a failed comedian instead of a scientific genius. Because of this, Herman Munster (Jeff Daniel Phillips) is born and becomes a comedic sensation in Transylvania. The Count (Daniel Roebuck) is seeking a husband for his daughter Lily (Sheri Moon Zombie), but she falls head over heels for Herman and they soon are married. Deep in debt, Lily’s brother Lester (Tomas Boykin) tricks Herman into signing away the mansion to The Count’s ex-wife Zoya (Catherine Schell). This forces the family to move to Los Angeles, California where they find it very different from Transylvania.

First of all, I would like to say the actors did their best. They jumped in with both feet and absolutely brought their A-game. The cast did not hesitate and I applauded their efforts at acting in this movie.

I especially want to praise Sheri Moon Zombie. She did not hold back her talent and I thought she was the best at replicating the personality of Lily Munster. Yvonne De Carlo and Lee Meriwether are the two actresses more associated with the role and while I’m not prepared to say Moon Zombie is on par, she definitely worked the hardest.

As the son of a preacher man, content with ghouls, unless curated by a Christian creator or in a fantasy context, was strictly prohibited. That being said, there were two exceptions: The Addams Family and The Munsters since they were considered family-friendly. I am by no means a “scholar” of these shows but watching The Musters reruns on local TV always gave me a laugh.

I applaud Rob Zombie for wanting to maintain that family version of the show. A lot of remake directors want to “revise” or “modernize” the property. He maintained its original purpose of being a show that everything can enjoy.

That is where the accolades end. The fact is, the movie is just kind of boring. I do not know why Zombie felt the need to insert a whole bunch of new characters, an origin story, or the excessive dutch angles. You are immediately flooded with a bunch of dad jokes and obvious pranks that feel forced. From there, you keep hoping for some sort of payoff, but it never comes. To be honest, it felt like a cheap knock-off instead of a reboot of a beloved property.

It lacked all of the charms of the original television series and instead try to overload you with references, cameos, and weird effects to keep you entertained. Unfortunately, the plot goes all over the place and feels more episodic than cohesive.

Bottom line, The Munsters felt like a cheap knockoff instead of a reboot. I applaud the cast for doing their best, but it does not save the movie from being boring.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Cartoonish violence

FAVORITE QUOTE: I knew the moment I laid eyes on you that you were special. I understand if you don’t feel the same. I’m just a regular gal living a boring, normal life.

Check out the trailer below:

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