Igor

Dr. Frankenstein himself could not revive Igor, an animated comedy about a hunchback lab assistant playing at mad scientist.

A potentially original premise and an eager voice cast led by John Cusack and Molly Shannon are left to decay amid a clunky story vaguely reminiscent of Monsters, Inc. and a clutter of cartoon images often resembling visuals rejected from Tim Burton's Corpse Bride.

Director Tony Leondis (Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch) and screenwriter Chris McKenna take a jumble of Hollywood horror cliches and shove them through a meat-grinder to concoct an awkward, unfunny comic twist on the evil-genius genre.

It all starts with a clumsy voiceover introduction by Igor (Cusack), one of the unsung lab gofers who help the kingdom of Malaria's demented inventors come up with their diabolical creations.

After Igor's crazy master (John Cleese) snuffs himself in an experiment gone bad, the hunchback seizes the opportunity to become a mad scientist himself by creating a behemoth terror of a woman (Shannon) out of spare parts.

Trouble is: His beast turns out to be a pussycat who calls herself Eva, would never hurt a fly and dreams only of becoming an actress.

There's nothing truly bad or baneful about any of this. Igor is just completely empty of laughs.

Where's the torch-wielding village mob when you need it? - David Germain, AP