Victor Frankenstein (2015)

After taking some time to deal with some softball season requirements and this week’s homework assignment, it was time to get back into the swing of things with the blog. Having spent some time over the past few days in Sci-Fi mode, I decided to venture back into something more gothic, with 2015s Victor Frankenstein.

Plot/ Told from Igor's perspective, we see the troubled young assistant's dark origins, his redemptive friendship with the young medical student Viktor Von Frankenstein, and become eyewitnesses to the emergence of how Frankenstein became the man - and the legend - we know today.

Having stayed away from this one for some time, I decided to give it a chance. While I love the story of Frankenstein, watching an attempt to pull it off in a PG-13 environment made me cringe a little. Yes, the classic would be considered PG, there are elements that can be exploited that can add to the darkness and atmosphere. This one was clearly a film made as homage to the famous Universal and Hammer films that became classics, mixing many foundations into an interesting story. Yes, the performances are solid, some of the special effects are tremendous, there is some amazing cinematography, and the chemistry seen throughout the film between the actors are magnificent, yet, there was something missing that made it feel extremely uneven in the end. This could be the pacing that did not match the gothic feel, the undeveloped supporting characters, or the editing and scripting that came across in a very disjointed manner. In the end, there was a lot to like about this film, but it was not able to reach all of the potential that it had inside. If you are a huge fan of Mary Shelley or Frankenstein, give it a shot; especially if you have kids, as this would be a decent introduction to a classic.