(Review contains minor spoilers)
Don't get me wrong. I love Abbott and Costello and I love this film, but at the same time I can't help thinking how far once mighty characters like Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster had fallen. Back in 1931 they dominated the screen and scared the hell of out of people. By 1948, they were straight men to two of Hollywood's most popular film comics.
"Meet Frankenstein" marked the triple swan song of Universal's "big 3" monsters: Dracula, Frankenstein's creature, and the Wolf Man. The producers scored a coup by casting the original and definitive Dracula, Bela Lugosi, in what was, incredibly only his second and final screen appearance as his most famous character. As The Wolf Man, Lon Chaney Jr. is wonderfully consistent as the tormented Lawrence Talbot, though perhaps in deference to the comedy trappings, his desire to die takes a back seat and he actually takes on the air of the hero, even as his monsterous alter ego. (The fact he was cured in the previous monster film, House of Dracula, is conveniently ignored; maybe he had a relapse). Glenn Strange meets Boris Karloff's record by making his third appearance as the Monster. Sadly, once again he never really gets a chance to do much with the role. The pattern of his previous two appearances continues: he spends most of the film comatose, only to come to life in the last few minutes. He does, however, get a few lines of dialogue - the first time the creature has spoken since Ghost of Frankenstein.
The supporting cast are basically just "there." A pair of duelling femme fatales make nice eye candy, but otherwise don't make a big impact. Nor does the film's resident good guy scientist.
Abbott and Costello are fun, as usual. Abbott gets a bit tiresome with his skepticism, but Costello is in top form. Some have said that A&C's decline began after this film, so it could be said this is in some respects their swan song, too. The same goes for Lugosi, who had already been written off for dead by movie producers by the time this film was made; only obscure b-movies and rock-bottom Ed Wood features lay ahead of him. Likewise Chaney's career never really prospered away from the Wolf Man.
For fans of the monsters, this is a delight because it pokes fun at most of the conventions and the cliches the Universal series created. It's also worthwhile for film buffs who want to see Lugosi's second performance as the Count. But it's a shame that the beloved trio of monsters never got a chance for a serious, scary send off.
Don't get me wrong. I love Abbott and Costello and I love this film, but at the same time I can't help thinking how far once mighty characters like Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster had fallen. Back in 1931 they dominated the screen and scared the hell of out of people. By 1948, they were straight men to two of Hollywood's most popular film comics.
"Meet Frankenstein" marked the triple swan song of Universal's "big 3" monsters: Dracula, Frankenstein's creature, and the Wolf Man. The producers scored a coup by casting the original and definitive Dracula, Bela Lugosi, in what was, incredibly only his second and final screen appearance as his most famous character. As The Wolf Man, Lon Chaney Jr. is wonderfully consistent as the tormented Lawrence Talbot, though perhaps in deference to the comedy trappings, his desire to die takes a back seat and he actually takes on the air of the hero, even as his monsterous alter ego. (The fact he was cured in the previous monster film, House of Dracula, is conveniently ignored; maybe he had a relapse). Glenn Strange meets Boris Karloff's record by making his third appearance as the Monster. Sadly, once again he never really gets a chance to do much with the role. The pattern of his previous two appearances continues: he spends most of the film comatose, only to come to life in the last few minutes. He does, however, get a few lines of dialogue - the first time the creature has spoken since Ghost of Frankenstein.
The supporting cast are basically just "there." A pair of duelling femme fatales make nice eye candy, but otherwise don't make a big impact. Nor does the film's resident good guy scientist.
Abbott and Costello are fun, as usual. Abbott gets a bit tiresome with his skepticism, but Costello is in top form. Some have said that A&C's decline began after this film, so it could be said this is in some respects their swan song, too. The same goes for Lugosi, who had already been written off for dead by movie producers by the time this film was made; only obscure b-movies and rock-bottom Ed Wood features lay ahead of him. Likewise Chaney's career never really prospered away from the Wolf Man.
For fans of the monsters, this is a delight because it pokes fun at most of the conventions and the cliches the Universal series created. It's also worthwhile for film buffs who want to see Lugosi's second performance as the Count. But it's a shame that the beloved trio of monsters never got a chance for a serious, scary send off.