Plot
In 1794, Victor Frankenstein retells the story of how he came to be lost and alone in the frozen seas near the North Pole to a ships Captain.
His story of love, loss, and creation – of a creature who came back from death, and is unable to return.
Direction
Kenneth Branagh directs (as well as stars) in this adaptation of the novel. It was originally supposed to be directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and it has similar look and feels to it as his 1992 film Dracula.
Some solid use of practical effects, especially in the “burning bride” sequence.
Cast/Characters
Robert DeNiro scores top billing (despite not appearing until well into the second act) as ‘The Creature”.
Kenneth Branagh plays Victor Frankenstein.
Helana Bonham Carter plays Elizabeth.
Other cast members include, Tom Hulce as Henry Clerval, Ian Holm as Victor’s father, John Cleese as Professor Waldman and Aidan Quinn as the Captain who Victor tells his story to.
Breakdown
Having just watched and reviewed Del Toro’s Frankenstein, I was intrigued to see what previous installments of the source material included (or excluded). It was interesting to discover that this film was much more faithful to the original novel.
I was pleasantly surprised by how similar they are at times, and how vastly different they are in others. Clearly both film makers took liberties to make each film their own.
What I thought could be done better here was the romance and melodrama. There was an abundance of this – primarily the melodrama and the ‘tension on top of tension’ such as the huge lighting bolt hitting the tree during Victor’s mothers death sequence.
Some moments throughout the film felt somewhat rushed, or even incomplete. The tension between Justine and her mother (which culminates in Justine’s death after being blamed for William’s death)/Williams death which is perceived to be accidental (until The Creature reveals it was himself) could have been expanded.
Some character dynamics seemed under developed too, such as the relationship between Victor and Elizabeth that goes from brother sister, to lovers wanting to be husband and wife. This could have been due to the obscure timeline during their teen early adulthood – but it came unexpected as I had not read the book. Also Victor’s obsession with ‘life after death’ came after his mothers death, but felt quite extreme as he was happy to play with “raw materials”.
I found the Waldman death sequence somewhat relevant to recent history – especially as he was trying to give out vaccines to stop the quarantine because of the epidemic.
Special mentions should go to the settings/set designs/hair/make up – pretty much all of the technical aspects of the film that are simply extraordinary. The ‘burning bride’ sequence especially is fantastic – given most of these are use of practical effects.
Overall
A solid and honest retelling of Mary Shelly’s novel, with some great direction from Branagh (and not as self indulgent as he would become).
Too much reliance on the melodrama, and less on the characters which could have helped this score a better mark.
Some moments do feel rushed, and a little more attention to these arcs (or removal entirely) would have made a better overall result.
3.5/5
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