Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
"Frankenthumb" is an American English-language short film from 2002, so this one has its 15th anniversary this year and actually all these Thumb short movies came out that very year which was also around the time where writer Steve Oedekerk's career peaked with his Oscar nomination. The director of this slightly over half an hour is David Bourla and he also worked on several of these Thumb movies. I think I have seen them all by now and I must say that I was not amazed by the outcome of each and every one of them. Some have other strengths than others, but some also have major weaknesses. From a parody perspective, i.e. something that relies on other people's creative achievements to some extent, I was just not entertained well enough to recommend any of these. As for this one here, it is perhaps closer to the original story of the very old horror film than most of the other Thumbs films and that is a pro as far as I am concerned, but the moment the film tried to bring in individual creativity (Bat Thumb) is where it all goes south. Until then, maybe I'd have given it an even higher rating, but this inclusion sure was a negative deal-breaker for me. I still think it is probably one of the better Thumb movies, even if this is one of the lesser known, maybe the least known, but that is not because I think this one was really good for any reason, but just because the other ones were also truly weak. Thumbs-down from me. Not recommended.
shawshank86
this is one of those movies that will always be done again and again: a spin-off of frankenstein. it just seems to keep captivating our interests. because it just keeps getting done, so must the parodies. for me, this combats mel brooks' "young frankenstein" (frankensteen, if you will) for the best parody though i should also sight tim burton's early film short "frankenweenie" for being pretty great too. this film always gets me laughing no matter what mood i'm in. the big line will always be "we shall call him--pepper...he really spiced up our lives" what a great idea! if you enjoyed any of the other thumb movies, or even "kung-pow: enter the fist" i highly recommend this one, especially if you enjoyed the other films i referenced.
MartinHafer
While you might think my above comment is negative, it surely isn't--we all sometimes need a good laugh at really goofy and stupid films. And, when I need a chuckle, this film is just the answer--with lots of excellent moments.The film is one of a series of really cheesy but highly entertaining THUMB movies--where human thumbs are given computer generated faces and costumes and do wonderful parodies of movies. While this isn't the best of them (I'd give that nod to THUMB WARS or THUMBTANIC), it is one of the better ones. I also appreciate that this is a short that will appeal to both adults (provided they are not too straight-laced) and kids. So, pop it in an have a good silly laugh!
Kris Earle
I bought all 5 of the thumb flicks, this is probably the best one. Odekerk did a nice job on these, the extras are very cool, commentary, 'deleted' scenes (which are really just short jokes), 'interviews' (same, short jokes) and other extras -- there are some really funny moments in this one...Pepper and Humpy are fun and the Doc is easily the best of the thumbs with his mannerisms and general good nature. Look out for the one-eyed thumb, he's in all of them, whizzing by.... 8 out of 10. A solid B. I laughed out loud 1-2 times, which is always good in a flick. Spend 7-10$ and add it to the collection - I'd love to see more thumbmation movies! Oh, and rent Kung Pao the movie - Odekerk did this too and it's also very very funny!
AD
