Igor (film) - Plot

Plot

In the kingdom of Malaria, the economy was once based on agriculture until a mysterious climate change killed their crops. The evil King, Malbert, restructured the economy based on "Evil Inventions" - to wit, blackmailing the rest of the world to pay Malaria not to unleash the various bizarre doomsday devices invented by a ruling class of Evil Scientists.

One Igor, servant to the somewhat dull-minded Doctor Glickenstein (Cleese), is actually a talented inventor who aspires to be an Evil Scientist himself. His inventions include "Scamper", a re-animated, immortal rabbit with a death wish, and "Brain" (Hayes), a dim-witted human brain transplanted into a life support jar. Igor gets his chance to shine when Glickenstein's entry into the annual Evil Science Fair malfunctions and explodes, taking Glickenstein with it. When King Malbert visits Glickenstein's castle, Igor pretends to be helping him with "creating life". The King is wary of the growing popularity of the reigning victor, Dr. Schadenfreude, which is beginning to rival his own. For his own part, Schadenfreude (who is in fact a complete fraud who steals work of other scientists) is sick of having to bow and scrape to the King, and decides to use his next winning "invention" to seize power. His main accomplice is his girlfriend, Jaclyn, a shapeshifter who masquerades as the girlfriends of Malaria's other Evil Scientists in order to steal their inventions for Schadenfreude.

With Brain and Scamper's help, Igor assembles a huge, monstrous being from human remains, endowed with super-strength, invulnerability, and an "evil bone". But when he brings her to life, Igor is dismayed to discover that the bone has not been activated, and the giant is gentle, affectionate, and feminine. Trying to convince it of its "evil" nature, Igor inadvertently dubs it "Eva". Igor takes Eva to a "Brain-Wash", a service which uses television to alter the personalities of those who use it, which attempts to turn Eva violent by exposing her to violent images. However, Brain, who is watching television in the next room, mistakenly changes the channel while trying to fix his own television. Eva ends up watching an episode of Inside the Actor's Studio, and adopts, permanently, the personality of a kind-hearted aspiring actress. Igor can only get her to cooperate by convincing her that the upcoming Evil Science Fair is in fact an audition for the role of Little Orphan Annie.

Learning of Eva's existence, Dr. Schadenfreude attempts to steal her, first through outright theft which fails due to his incompetence, then by inviting Igor into his castle. When Igor refuses to help him, Schadenfreude exposes him to the King, who throws him into an "Igor Recycling Chute", which leads to the "Igor Recycling Plant", while Schadenfreude takes control of Eva. Just before the Science Fair, Schadenfreude manages to activate her "Evil Bone" by goading her into attacking him, which transforms her into a violent monster. Unleashed into the Evil Science Fair, she destroys all the other Evil Inventions while singing "Tomorrow" from Annie. Igor escapes from the Recycling Plant with Scamper and Brain's help, and rushes to the Fair to save Eva. Ascending into the King's castle which overlooks the arena, Igor discovers a machine at the top (called the "Evil Beacon") that acts as a magnet for the storm clouds that have plagued Malaria for years. Shocked, Igor realizes that King Malbert deliberately killed Malaria's crops, to keep them enslaved to his "Evil Inventions" plan and ensure his vast power over Malaria.

Igor rushes into the arena and reasons with Eva, telling her that all beings have the potential for evil, but it is their choice to ignore it. Eva regains her normal personality. Scamper and Brain, meanwhile, deactivate the weather-manipulation machine, allowing the climate to return to its temperate character. The enormous device accidentally falls on King Malbert, killing him. Schadenfreude takes the throne after Malbert's death for a brief few minutes, but he is shouted down when the people realize that Malbert had deceived them all and revolt against the monarchy. At the same time, Jaclyn, who is dependent on special pills to retain her shapeshifting abilities, runs out of pills and reverts to her normal form: a female Igor.

Some time later, Malaria regains its former pastoral character. The monarchy has been dissolved and Malaria is now a republic. Igor has been elected President of Malaria, and has ended the sub-status of Igors, who now enjoy equal status with all citizens. The prestige of "Evil Scientist" has been abrogated, as a defrocked Schadenfreude is seen working at the only job he is skilled at: pickle salesman, and Jaclyn starts dating Schadenfreude's former Igor. The annual Science Fair is changed into an annual musical theater showcase, with Eva as the star, and Scamper and Brain as costume designer and properties manager. Igor and Eva stand together while the Blind Orphans sing "I Can See Clearly Now".