Manfred ThamMovie Review: Victor Frankenstein
Mention Igor, and you’ll probably think of a bug-eyed decrepit hunchback servant best known for pulling the switch that reanimates Frankenstein’s monster, a creature born of stitched together organs.
Not in your wildest nightmares would you have cast Daniel Radcliffe, one of the world’s most recognisable big screen teen heroes and surely an eligible bachelor of the highest order (wizard or otherwise), in the role.
But then Radcliffe’s Igor has been entirely transformed in this latest retelling of Mary Shelley’s 1818 classic dream-turned-bestseller. Now, he’s a medical genius on par with the show’s dubious protagonist, Dr Victor Frankenstein (James McAvoy), the notorious creator of the infamous necromantic abomination.
After being rescued from the circus, where he was working as a clown, Igor is doubly indebted to the doctor; who also violently straightens his back within hours of their first meeting (so Igor isn’t even a hunchback).
Igor returns the favour by aiding Frankenstein’s handiwork on his reconstructed organs for his macabre plans of creating life from death. And now we have an intelligent and able partner with dishy long locks in the backstory of the iconic insane genius.
But suddenly Andrew Scott is thrown in. Scott plays not a villain but detective Roderick Turpin, who begins investigating the doctor after many animals’ parts go missing around London. Best known as Sherlock’s arch nemesis, Moriarity, in the beloved BBC modern-day remake of the super sleuth’s cases, Scott becomes the third supposedly compelling reason to catch this.
Frankenstein’s monster might be ‘undead’, but the acting of the star-studded cast sure isn’t. Radcliffe (The Woman in Black) and McAvoy (Atonement) are already thoroughly impressive actors on their own. But as a pair, the duo delivers a performance that enthrals for the whole 110 minutes run time.
McAvoy’s maniacal, fanatical Frankenstein unnerves even the bravest with his spittle-flecked beard as he rants and berates those he deems ignorant and unenlightened. Frankenstein’s zeal to his cause of defying death is more than shown with McAvoy’s acting as the scared and intimidated audience is pulled along into his madness.
Concurrently, though Radcliffe has stated his mild resentment at always being recognized as the inquisitive Harry Potter, his Igor has a similarly insatiable thirst for knowledge. Igor’s bright-eyed enthusiasm for Frankenstein’s radical advancements and vision has you pitying the poor, lovable boy being coerced into helping the manipulative genius.
Sadly, despite the fantastic acting that could bring any story to life, perhaps Victor Frankenstein’s additions to the original tale should be left cold and dead. The entire detective plot line with Trupin and its supposed intrigue are incredibly uninspired and could’ve been omitted.
It is rushed and the only explanation offered for the pacing and lack of elaboration is Roderick’s talent in Sherlock-esque deduction. The many logical leaps in his deductions show up as glaring plot holes – a waste of Andrew Scott’s superb acting. .
At least they didn’t take any creative liberty with Frankenstein’s monster: he’s a pale sickly greyish-yellow, just as he should be.
Since we’re on about the Sherlock-inspired ‘detective’ work, you’ll notice the aesthetic and feel of Victor Frankenstein visually is also reminiscent of the Baker Street consulting detective. We’re guessing this has to do with the fact that director Paul McGuigan also directed 4 episodes of the aforementioned BBC series about the legendary English sleuth.
Thanks to McGuigan’s eye for detail, you’ll be blessed with gratuitous close ups of McAvoy’s deranged eyes as he deliberates and tension-filled shots of characters facing off. It’s a different way to show Frankenstein’s grotesque horror with saturated tones of Victorian England instead of the gloom and black-and-white doom we expect of the knitted monster.
Victor Frankenstein is a stunningly beautiful and well-acted film just like the last Frankenstein flick, I, Frankenstein. But just like I, Frankenstein, both have coherency issues. You might also be confused what film you’re watching halfway through, with the detective arc being shoved into the genesis of Frankenstein’s monster as the movie looks and sounds like Sherlock.
But omitting that, Victor Frankenstein is just telling the story of the first few chapters of the 1818 novel. Much like the reanimated monster itself, it’s a beautiful concept in theory, but the actual product has unforeseen kinks even with the superb acting of the 2 leads.
[xrr rating=2/5 display_as=textstars label=”Our Rating:”]
Information
Release Date: 26 November 2015
Runtime: 111 minutes
Language: English
Rating: PG13
Genre: Science Fiction, Horror
Director: Paul McGuigan
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy, Jessica Brown Findlay, Andrew Scott, Charles Dance
Photos courtesy of Warner Brothers