Victor Frankenstein (2015)

Victor Frankenstein (2015)

6/10

 

Starring

Daniel Radcliffe

James McAvoy

Jessica Brown Findlay

Andrew Scott

 

Directed by Paul McGuigan

 

This movie is a sci-fi fantasy based on a contemporary adaptation of Mary Shelley's 1818 book, Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus.

This movie is a bizarre idea trotting down a new path deciding not to focus on what we all look forward to, Frankenstein’s monster. Instead, it gives us the drama before the creation. The lives affected along the way and the changes that obsession can cause. I see many reviewers complain about the missed opportunity because in the last moments of the film the monster was created, and it turned out to be a zombie. We get to see the monster for like 5 minutes and it wanted to kill all before it, acting out animal instincts rather than anything intelligent. Victor’s experience of this sort of behavior happened earlier in the movie when he wanted to save a creature, he created regardless of the lives it would have killed. This time his life was on the line and what people saw as missed opportunity I saw as a certain realism. Who will not try to save his own life when the thing you created refuse to reason and wants to take your life?

The characters and their written actions in this movie is what I feel was a hit too many in the re-imaging of this story, the movie was written to have a gloom cloud hanging over it.

The movie sets this tone right from the start. Igor (Daniel Radcliffe) is seen as a hunchback who works in a circus. This hunchback has a thing for human anatomy and has read so much and can be looked upon as a physician. He is however mistreated in the circus in many gruesome ways. He is made to act as a clown, sometimes thrown into a cage and treated like a property. Victor Frankenstein (James McAvoy) came to his rescue from the circus after witnessing Igor do some sort of medical genius when a lady fell from the trapeze. You will think the cruel mistreating will end. But Victor even though he was miles better in the mistreatment of Igor, it felt like the movie wanted to maintain a somber mood all through. When things seem to lighten, for example Igor meeting someone and growing towards being a better image of himself, a dark thing will happen that will result in either his feelings being sidelined for Victor’s own purpose or some sort of incident that makes his gloom.

The romantic incident in Igor’s life was not well crafted. I feel they should have just left romance out of this totally. But then, I guess they wanted Igor to have an end which had nothing to do with Victor.

Victor on the other hand, after creating his first monster which he tried to save, but then had to kill – did this fit in front of a man who he wanted some form of sponsorship from. The man agreed to sponsor their work, so Victor and Igor can make a man.

Chasing this duo is an officer, a man who is so religious in everything that he figured out Victor’s plans in the most unrealistic genius way. As in there were no clues or anything solid enough that anyone in his shoes could have put together to figure this out. But this man, thanks to some divine intervention did.

He is after the two because he knows what they are up to and wants to stop them because it is against God’s will.

The movie is a nice one to see, from my books except for the shortcomings here and there.