Excuse the pun, but this story, both in print and on screen,
has been done to death. In fact, it has
been rebooted and regurgitated so many
times, portrayed from every plausible vantage point, that it would be nearly
impossible to conceive of a way to resurrect it in some innovative
incarnation. So, I went into this with
as much expectation as one would expect, factoring in an almost guarantee of
disappointment. I was pleasantly
surprised, that this twice-told tale was given a very fresh, engaging, and
darkly humorous take on Mary Shelly's literary classic. Instead of focusing on the monster or solely
his maker, this film cunningly and quite endearingly trained its eye on Frankenstein's
outcast of an assistant. Here, we aren't treated to the same
grotesque, miscreant that, over time and
telling, has become a caricature of itself.
Rather, director McGuigan successfully fleshes out the hapless minion
and reimagines him as an oddly intelligent, authentic, and wholly captivating
soul who is trying to find a purpose and place in a harsh world. It is a touching yet darkly conflicting
story of his origin and relationship with the man, who in this retelling stole
him away from obscurity and oppression to become part of his genius and
madness. It is so definitively written
that it quickly and impressively moves from being the standard soulless horror fare to a poignant tale of
codependency. Radcliffe and McAvoy
deliver stellar performances as Igor and the good doctor, respectively, and
their portrayals literally carry this feature.
But unfortunately, even their remarkable talents and a well-crafted
build-up can't eclipse the predictable, utter letdown
of a conclusion that beleaguered this feature.
You just can't escape the monster in the room, or lab if you prefer, and
when we arrive there, it feels all too wrote.
The effects are solid, starkly eerie in many cases while avoiding the
typical over indulgences. Although, I
have to admit, the creature looks like a more fearsome version of Van Helsing’s
kindly beast. 2 out of 5 Kernels; an A
for effort and experimentation; but fails, by the end, at trying to create
something very different but stymied by
an unavoidable redundancy.
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