Here Come the Munsters

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...

I have always been a mad fan of the Munsters. I loved the show when it was on prime time (CBS) from the first time I watched the show in 1964, right till the end when it was canceled in 1966.

I even sent a postcard to CBS in protest of the proposed cancellation. (At least I think I did. If I didn't, well, I wish I did. It's the thought that counts, right?)

When the Munsters hit the silver screen in 1966 with "Munster Go Home", I made it a point not to miss it when it came to a theater near me! I loved the movie!

In 1988, I saw "The Munsters Today". I hated it! The characters may had looked like the original Munsters. But the series was so dry, so bland and so un-funny that it was sheer torture to sit through it. I decided that there was only one "Herman" and only the one and only Fred Gwynne could tackle the role.

In 1995, with the memory of "The Munsters Today" still fresh on my mind, I was apprehensive about watching this TV-movie.

I was pleasantly surprised. It was really funny! The cast was good.

The scene with Herman's first (and last) day as a butler, was classic comedy at its best and alone, well worth the trouble in finding this movie! The surviving members of the original series, making a cameo appearance as "sympathetic customers who thought that Herman, as a waiter, was good", was the icing on the cake.

The cast of "Here Come the Munsters", not only succeeded in continuing where the original (1964-66) cast left off, but obviously won the seal of approval from the surviving cast members, whose cameo appearance was the icing on the cake.

Could you imagine Al Lewis & company making such an appearance on "The Munsters Today"? I can't. I rest my case!

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.

OK, it wasn't the original series. *NOTHING* will be the original series. That said, it was a worthy followup.

Let's get the honesty part out of the way. I am a major fan of The Munsters. I thought the update "The Munsters Today" was horrible - because it violated the basic premise of the show. In "The Munsters Today", a good part of it had to do with the Munsters wanting to be "normal" - Eddie even changing his clothes and hairstyle. The main premise of The Munsters is that the family believed that they *WERE* "normal". That was it's charm.

In this version, the Munsters were what we knew and loved. They saw themselves as the average family. It gave us a bit of background to their being here. I *LOVED* Eddie actually changing into a werewolf - and Lilly biting someone on the neck.

I wish this had gone to series - it would have almost made up for "The Munsters Today". I wouldn't have had the chemistry of the original cast - but it did have a good one of it's own.

The Munsters aren't dead ... they're just waiting to rise again - and I can hardly wait.

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