Everyone knows the story of Mary Shelley’s timeless horror novel Frankenstein, and you’ve undoubtedly seen Frankenstein’s monster appearing in classic movies, numerous TV shows, and every halloween party you’ve ever attended, but you’ve never seen him like this; as a modern day action hero.
Based on the graphic novel of the same name, and starring Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight) as Frankenstein’s creature, I, Frankenstein sees the mythic monster quickly journey from his beginnings as a mere scientific experiment to being the key instrument in a holy war that threatens the very existence of mankind; where demons battle gargoyles (the holy instrument of God) for dominance of the human world, and Frankenstein’s monster (or Adam, as the Gargoyle Queen kindly names him) is caught in the middle, being neither demon, gargoyle, or human, and fighting only for himself.
Eckhart is acceptable as the hardy, two-hundred-year-old, solitary, creature, though for the majority of the film it feels like we’re simply watching Two-Face Vs. Demons; as this character is just like Harvey Dent; not only is he visibly scarred and played by the same actor, but a miserable loner who’s annoyed because he’s different and looking for a fight, and were it not for the constant Frankenstein reminders you could almost forget he’s not supposed to be Gotham’s White Knight; a problem that can be be largely attributed to a lacklustre screenplay.
None of the characters are fully fleshed out here; Bill Nighy’s (Shaun Of The Dead) Demon Prince is a stereotypical rich CEO type who’s after world domination, and surrounded by millions of hench-demons (and sadly can’t carry the role fully, as his run of high-profile comedy roles mean that even when he’s attempting to be intimidating it’s hard to take him completely seriously), the Gargoyle Queen (Miranda Otto, The Lord of the Rings) is your typical beaten-down general with a kind heart, and her right-hand solider (Jai Courtney, A Good Day To Die Hard) is nothing but the blustering hard-man you’d expect from a musclebound second-in-command; and even the story itself (demons try to take over the world, while gargoyles try to stop them, and Frankenstein’s monster throws a spanner in the works for everyone) lacks originality, and leaves something to be desired, but somehow none of that matters.
It’s true, there are so many failings within the works of I, Frankenstein it’d be easy to write it off as a disaster, yet while it may be utterly typical of the action/fantasy/sci-fi genre, if you’re a fan of those types of movies (and find yourself dribbling at the thought of a new Underworld, screaming for a Priest sequel, or wondering why Van Helsing hasn’t made it back to the big screen), there’s a lot you’ll enjoy here; the effects are fantastic (the way in which the gargoyles shift into their human forms and back will amaze at every turn), there’s plenty of action from the get-go (and some huge set-pieces and battles to gawp at), and a few scenes where Frankie just looks plain cool.
So no, it’s not exactly a thinking man’s film, it’s not up there with the big awards contenders in terms of plot, character development, acting, or even music, but it’s was never supposed to be, and while it does have it’s failings, I, Frankenstein delivers just about everything it was supposed to; it successfully brings Frankenstein’s monster to the modern day in an interesting way, has plenty of action, decent effects, and a more than acceptable cast. Neither a memorable, or especially praise-worthy film, I, Frankenstein is pure escapism, a slice of cinematic fun, and a movie to please any an Underworld fan.
Matt Wheeldon – @TheMattWheeldon.
I, Frankenstein was viewed in The Regent Cinema, Newtown.
