There’s a morbidly funny idea hidden somewhere inside of “Lisa Frankenstein”. Unfortunately it never rises to the surface in what turns out to be a messy, rhythmless, and forgettable horror-tinted romantic comedy. Pulling from the Mary Shelley literary classic and countless teen comedies that came before it, “Lisa Frankenstein” attempts to meld its multiple inspirations into something playful, ghoulish, and original. But the movie flatlines early and never is able to gain any kind of momentum.

The film is the feature-length directorial debut from Zelda Williams who shows off some occasional flash. But the bigger surprise (or should I say disappointment) is that it’s written by Academy Award winner Diablo Cody. This is Cody’s first script since 2018 and it’s a far cry from the much lauded work that launched her career. In fact, it’s the script that weighs things down. Williams makes some vain attempts to energize the movie. But the story sputters, the characters go nowhere, and the humor consistently falls flat.

Among the few bright spots is lead actress Kathryn Newton. She does what she can with the character Lisa Swallows, a socially awkward outcast trying to fit in at a new high school. Many of her problems stem from her difficult past, most notably her mother being killed by an axe murderer. In the years since, her father Dale (Joe Chrest) has remarried. Lisa’s insufferable new step-mother Janet (Carla Gugino) gave her a new stepsister, the shallow, sometimes snobby, but oddly sympathetic Taffy (Liza Soberano).

To find solace, Lisa spends her free time in the old abandoned Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery where she takes a special liking to a young man’s Victorian-era grave monument. But then something happens that alters the course of Lisa’s life. Lightning strikes the young man’s grave somehow reanimating his corpse (science I guess). In a number of ways that defy belief, Lisa keeps her new zombie beau (played by Cole Sprouse) hidden, slowly growing closer to him in the process.

I suppose there are a few paper-thin coming-of-age themes and the movie has a little to say about self-discovery. But those kinds of things feel like afterthoughts. The film has no real convictions of any kind. It has nothing much to say about anything. You could make a case that it tries. But its efforts are so lackadaisical that any message is easily lost as you slog through the unfunny antics, the flat dialogue, and the uninspired characters. Lisa (thanks to Newton) is the exception. She’s someone we really want to root for, but unfortunately the material doesn’t let us.

“Lisa Frankenstein” wraps up with a truly awful ending that falls somewhere between crude absurdity and lazy predictability. It pretty much kills any sympathies you may have held onto. It’s the final straw for a movie that never seems sure of itself, wastes so much potential, and squanders a gothic horror-comedy idea that could have been a slam-dunk. It even fails to tap into the nostalgia of its late 1980s setting. Altogether it left me with a lot of frustration and one big sigh of relief once the final credits started to roll. “Lisa Frankenstein” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

Director William Eubank ventures to the Philippines (as portrayed by Australia) in the awkwardly titled “Land of Bad”, a somewhat conventional yet meticulously crafted military movie set in South Asia’s Sulu Sea. While the basic outline of the story will feel pretty familiar to anyone who has watched thrillers of this kind, Eubank shows a great eye for action. From setting it up to its execution, he and cinematographer Agustin Claramunt put together some stunning combat sequences that more than make up for the flaws.

The story (co-written by Eubank and David Frigerio) unfolds on two fronts that gel together pretty well despite one being significantly more compelling than the other. At Palawan Air Base in the Philippines an antsy 27-year-old JTAC (Joint Terminal Attack Controller) officer named Kinney (Liam Hemsworth) preps for his first field mission with fellow soldiers. He’ll be joining a trio of highly trained Delta Force operatives that includes team leader Sugar (Milo Ventimiglia), Abel (Luke Hemsworth), and Bishop (Ricky Whittle).

The four HALO jump down to an island occupied by extremist militants. Their mission is to rescue a captured CIA asset who was gathering intel on a Russian arms dealer named Alexander Petrov. Meanwhile at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, a crusty drone pilot who goes by Reaper (Russell Crowe) along with his partner Nia (Chika Ikogwe) will be providing them surveillance and air support from a remote controlled MQ-9 drone up above.

After navigating through the dense jungle the team arrives at Petrov’s base and begin preparing to go in. The time and level of detail Eubank puts into their precise and by-the-numbers reconnaissance adds to the realism and does a good job building tension leading up to the inevitable action. But the team’s mission immediately goes sideways following the unexpected arrival of a brutal terrorist named Saeed Hashimi (Robert Rabiah). Soon bullets are flying as the team finds themselves fighting for their lives.

Following the overwhelming chaos of battle (and the first of several great action set pieces), Kinney ends up alone in the enemy infested jungle with only Reaper on the radio and his drone in the air to guide the young soldier to his extraction point. But once Kinney arrives, Eubank hits us with his second big set piece – a fiercely intense and visually jaw-dropping sequence that sets the story on an entirely different trajectory.

While chunks of the story may feel familiar, Eubank’s keeps things moving at a propulsive pace, specifically when on the ground in the Philippines. The scenes back in Vegas are a lot shakier. The attempts at adding tension and drama at the airbase mostly fall flat and distract from the actual mission. Crowe’s Reaper spends as much time arguing with his Commanding Officer over basketball and complaining about the disorder of the kitchen’s coffee cabinet than in his chair trying to guide Kinney to freedom.

There’s also not a lot of depth when it comes to its characters. They try with Reaper who we learn is on his fourth marriage and has a pregnant wife at home who could go into labor at any second. But none of it leaves much of an impressive. There are also a few odd choices that don’t work at all. Take later in the film where we get a whimsical sequence in a grocery store intercut with a much more serious torture scene in the field. It’s a jarring contrast that doesn’t have whatever effect Eubank was going for.

Yet even with its story-based issues, “Land of Bad” kept me glued to my screen. As a pure military action movie, it hits its marks. Firefights, hand-to-hand combat, air strikes – we get it all and Eubank shoots it as well as anyone you’ll see. The performances are solid especially from Liam Hemsworth and Crowe (despite the material letting down the latter). A tighter script with less crass military speak and more investment in the characters would have done wonders. Still, “Land of Bad” has the edge-of-your-seat thrills and the immersive detail to keep us engaged. “Land of Bad” hits theaters February 16th.

VERDICT – 3 STARS