Igor (film)
| Igor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Tony Leondis |
| Written by | Chris McKenna |
| Produced by | John D. Eraklis Max Howard John McKenna Darius A. Kamali Matthew Parker Jamee Deruso Jean Luc De Fanti |
| Starring | John Cusack Steve Buscemi John Cleese Jennifer Coolidge Arsenio Hall Sean Hayes Eddie Izzard Jay Leno Molly Shannon Christian Slater |
| Music by | Patrick Doyle |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (USA) The Weinstein Company (UK Distribution only)) Alliance Films (Canada & France) Universal Studios (Canada Distributor) |
Release date | September 19 2008 |
Running time | 87 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $30,000,000 |
| Box office | Domestic: $19,105,096 Worldwide: $26,289,633 |
Igor is a 2008 computer animated comedy film, it is a humorous take on the stock character Igor. The plot revolves around the grotesque title figure Igor (voiced by Cusack) and his dreams of winning first place at the Evil Science Fair. The movie was released on September 19, 2008.
Plot
The film is set in a fantasy world that contains elements of the horror film and steampunk genres with a hint of Tim Burton in the design. Located in this world is a thriving village grimly named "Malaria", whose economy was based almost exclusively on agriculture until a mysterious change in climate caused the crops to wilt, impoverishing the people. A newly-risen leader styling himself "King Malbert" (Jay Leno) eventually proposes a new economy based on the creation of increasingly sophisticated, bizarre, monstrous, terrifying inventions; an idea that soon becomes the community's cultural core. Thereafter the inventors of frightening machines, who are known as "Evil Scientists", become the ruling class and are depicted overall as commanding, arrogant figures. Those born with a hunch on the back (an evidently common deformity) are forced to become laboratory assistants nicknamed "Igor", who are treated as an oppressed lower class and often thought stupid by the Evil Scientists who employ them. The protagonist of the film is an Igor (John Cusack) who is scientifically intelligent, despite being shunned by his own master, Doctor Glickenstein (John Cleese). According to the film's premise, this Igor has brought a cynical rabbit named Scamper (Steve Buscemi) back to life from death, and had made him immortal, much to Scamper's chagrin. Igor is also said to have transplanted a human brain into a life-support robot, which is thereafter nicknamed Brian (Sean Hayes).
As the film progresses, Doctor Glickenstein invents a rocket to demonstrate his skill at the annual Evil Scientists' Fair; but, during a malfunctioning test run, the rocket he goes into explodes and only his arm remains, thus resulting in his death. Taking a chance to reveal his own powers, the protagonist Igor decides to participate in the Fair himself. He therefore assembles a huge, monstrous being (in effect a female version of Frankenstein's Monster) from human tissue. When he brings her to life, Igor discovers, contrary to his expectations and the norms of Malaria, that the giant is gentle, polite, and affectionate. When Igor explains his expectations of her, the giant (Molly Shannon) mispronounces the word "evil" and converts it to "Eva", which becomes her name. Igor surmises that the 'Evil Bone' (her version of a component that presumably bestows malice on any invention) had not activated properly, and therefore brings Eva to the "Brain-Wash" to correct this by having her watch violent acts on television. As she watches, Brain absent-mindedly changes the channel in the midst of the treatment and thereby causes Eva to adapt the personality of a kind-hearted Hollywood actress. Igor uses this to his advantage by telling her that the Fair is an audition for the role of Annie, convincing her to co-operate with him. While preparing for her role, Eva becomes close friends with Igor and supports him in his goal of defying convention.
Meanwhile, a prosperous, ambitious Evil Scientist named Doctor Schadenfreude (Eddie Izzard) is at odds with the King, whose respect he has not earned sufficiently despite having won seventeen of the annual contests. Upon learning of Eva's existence, he attempts to plagiarize her, but is unsuccessful.
Eventually, Igor comes to believe that his affections toward Eva have overshadowed his intentions and tries to overcome this factor, which he perceives as a disadvantage. Not long after, Doctor Glickenstein's former assistant Heidi pays them a visit. When Eva inquires into the reason for this, Heidi admits she has become enamoured of Igor during his self-transformation, and adds a comment that puts Eva's self-esteem in doubt. During the night before the Fair, Eva sees Igor sharing a kiss with Heidi, who is later revealed to be Doctor Schadenfreude's girlfriend Jaclyn (Jennifer Coolidge) in disguise. Igor is subsequently exposed and arrested by the King, who throws Igor into the shaft designated as an "Igor Disposal". Eva is then approached by Doctor Schadenfreude, who persuades her to work for himself. He then reactivates her 'Evil Bone' by coercing her into committing an act of violence against himself, which apparently by unlocking potential malice transforms her into a growling monster.
Scamper and Brain follow Igor into the Disposal and free him. All three rush toward the Fair to save Eva. While searching for a means of approach, Igor discovers that the darkening of the sky which resulted in the climate's change over Malaria is caused and sustained by a machine implied to have been created by King Malbert. This suggests that Malbert himself caused the changes on purpose to assume the role of leader and re-organize the society according to his plans. Having discovered this, Igor rushes into the arena where all mobile inventions are fighting, including a deranged Eva, and tells Eva in particular that potential for evil (represented by the 'Evil Bone') exists in all beings, but that each being may choose to disobey it. Hearing this in spite of her madness, Eva regains her sanity and reconciles with Igor. Scamper and Brain, meanwhile deactivate the weather-manipulation machine, allowing the climate to return to its temperate character, and dropping the device onto King Malbert, killing him.
For his heroism, Igor is soon dubbed the new king. Doctor Schadenfreude takes the throne for a brief few minutes, but is stripped of his occupation and respect. The Fair is changed to an annual musical theater showcase, with Eva as the centerpiece of the first event, while all of Igor's former colleagues become equals to their erstwhile masters.
Voice cast
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| John Cusack | Igor |
| Steve Buscemi | Scamper |
| John Cleese | Doctor Glickenstein |
| Eddie Izzard | Doctor Schadenfreude |
| Molly Shannon | Eva |
| Jennifer Coolidge | Jaclyn / Heidi |
| Jay Leno | King Malbert |
| Sean Hayes | Brain |
| Paul Vogt | Buzz Offmann |
| Christian Slater | Doctor Schadenfreude's Igor |
| Arsenio Hall | Carl Cristall |
Casting
Producer Max Howard explained how they came to attract so many A-list actors into the cast of this relatively obscure studio: "We sent them the script... Steve Buscemi signed on very early, and he's an 'actor's actor.' Then others signed on... it just took off that way". [1]
Christian Slater was originally cast for the voice of Igor. Jeremy Piven was originally cast as Doctor Schadenfreude.
James Lipton appears as himself during a television viewing.
Production
This is the first animated feature film produced by Exodus Productions; the CG animation was created by French studio Sparx*[2]. Distribution is by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (The Weinstein Company is no longer involved).[3].
Discworld
The concept of Igors is very close to the Igors in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series, although whether or not this is intentional is unknown.
Reception
Igor has received mostly negative reviews by critics. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 29% of critics gave positive reviews.[4] Among Rotten Tomatoes's Cream of the Crop, the film garnered an overall 21% rating based on 14 reviews. [5] Another review aggretator, Metacritic gave the film a 40/100 approval rating classifying the film has received "mixed or average reviews". [6]
John Anderson of Newsday stated that "Not all the jokes work, but most do, and the overall tenor of Igor is goofily funny -- probably a bit sophisticated for kids but certainly good-natured". Claudia Puig of USA Today awarded the film with a middling two-and-a-half stars, writing: "This story of a world of mad scientists and their Igor lab assistants has some inspired lunacy as it spoofs classic horror films, though sometimes the jokes grow belabored". Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune took his child to a screening and asked him to criticize the movie, reporting that they "had a fairly good time".
The film opened #4 with $7,803,347, behind Lakeview Terrace, Burn After Reading, and My Best Friend's Girl.[7] As of December 11, 2008, the film has grossed $19,343,566 in the United States and Canada and $7,526,562 in foreign countries totaling $26,870,128 worldwide. [8]
In the UK, the film opened on 32 screens with a gross of £56,177, placing it at 20 in the box office chart. The mainstream release opened on 17th October, at 418 screens, and made £981,750 with a screen average of £2,348. This placed it at No. 3 for that weekend. The UK total gross is £1,110,859.
Despite overall negative reviews, MGM still sent the film as their entry for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.[9]
See also
References
- ^ "Animation World Network article on the film".
- ^ "Exodus Prods. Enlists French Sparx on Igor". Animation World Magazine. Animation World Network. 2007-06-07. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "The Weinstein Company Acquires Igor". MovieWeb. 2007-05-23. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Igor Movie Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Igor Movie Reviews from Cream of the Crop". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
- ^ "Igor (2008):Reviews". Metacritic.
- ^ "Box Office Weekend Gross from 9/17 to 9/19". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Igor (2008)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
- ^ "14 Animated Features Submitted for 2008 Oscar®". Oscars.org.