Les monstres

Funny, entertaining, clever, and well acted. 7 out of 10. Unrated contains violence and mild language.

I've been looking for another Addams Family film for a long time, not finding any. This is the closes I've gotten so far. I've never seen the Munsters TV-series, so I didn't know exactly what to expect.

The film started perfectly, with a black and white tribute to old horror films. That sequence was absolutely brilliant in every aspect.

However, the rest of the film didn't come close to the excellence of the beginning, in fact it was terribly dull, boring and a complete and utter waste of time.

Thanks to the excellent beginning the film still saves a 3 out of 10, but nothing more...

In all my life I have never been so appalled at a film. In my mind this is without any shadow of doubt the very worst ever made. Number 1. Numero Uno.

The acting in it was truly dire, the plot line was ridiculous, the characters were diabolical, the sets were sparse, the 'effects' were what one might expect at a school play, the cameos of the remaining original cast were embarrassing. I have to this date never seen such a senseless waste of film stock and effort. I have probably seen the entire film now thanks to the blessings of repeats on cable but the most I could withstand was 20 minutes straight before either slipping into a coma or beating my head against the wall. If you have the misfortune to see this film in the listings, avoid it at ALL costs. I'm sorry to the makers and actors in this film, truly I am, for leaving such a negative review, but in my humble opinion it should have never been made.

When Elvis shot the television, he was watching this film.

This is the best effort yet to update the old series. The acting was good, the casting was good, and it managed to capture some of the feel of the original series. The cameo by the surviving members of the original cast in the restaurant being served by Herman was a nice tip of the hat too. Christine Taylor seems to be doing well playing updated characters, first Marcia Brady, then Marilyn Munster, then Marcia again. Oh well, she looks good here.

In Transylvania, a raged crowd expels the Munster family from their castle. While escaping from the villagers, Herman (Edward Herrmann) finds a piece of a letter from his sister Elsa Munster Hyde (Judy Gold) and his brother-in-law Norman Hyde (Max Grodénchik) from North America and the family decides to travel to California. When they meet their niece Marilyn (Christine Taylor), they are informed that Norman is missing and his wife is in coma due to her loss. On the next days, the Munster family faces problem with the adaptation in the new country: Lily (Veronica Hamel) meets her snoopy neighbors; Grandpa (Robert Morse) researches in the laboratory a cure for Elsa and finds a videotape that shows what has happened with Norman; and Eddie (Matthew Botuchis) goes to the school and has problem with the local bully. When the candidate to the Senate Brent Jeckyll (Jeff Trachta) arrives in the location in campaign, Grandpa discloses the truth about the past of the bigoted candidate.

"Here Come the Munsters" is a delightful homage to a great TV series. The gags are hilarious, a journey to my childhood, and the cameo appearance of Yvonne de Carlo, Al Lewis, Butch Patrick and Pat Priest is a plus in this funny, but unfortunately underrated, movie. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Os Monstros Estão de Volta" ("The Monsters Are Back")