Victor Frankenstein

Victor Frankenstein

Starring James McAvoy, Daniel Radcliffe, Jessica Brown Findlay, Andrew Scott

Directed by Paul McGuigan

The Story:
In a circus in London, a lonely hunchback (Daniel Radcliffe) is the clown of the show, picked on by others, and pines for the beautiful acrobat Lorelei (Jessica Brown Findlay).  He's also studied medicine and is prolific in the human anatomy.  One day, during a show, Lorelei suffers a fall and with the aid of visiting doctor Victor Frankenstein (James McAvoy), the two save her life.  Victor frees the hunchback from the circus to join him in his exploits, fixes his hump, and gives him a name - Igor Strausman.

Victor tells Igor he's planning on bringing life to that which is dead, and Igor assists him in his endeavors.  As he gets to know Victor, he learns that there's a deeper meaning to his desire, and begins to understand the man behind the monster.  All the while, Roderick Turpin (Andrew Scott), a Scotland Yard officer, is hot on their pursuit, and strives to stop Victor from bringing the dead back to life, as he sees it as an abomination against God.  As the testing nears completion, Igor begins having second thoughts and worries Victor might have gone over the edge, and created a monster that no one can control.

The Synopsis:
"Victor Frankenstein" is the latest in the new Universal desire to create a cinematic universe featuring their classic monsters.  It started with "The Wolfman," continued with "Dracula Untold" and then this.  There's still plans for "The Mummy" (starring Tom Cruise...seems like an interesting casting choice), Creature From the Black Lagoon, The Invisible Man and Bride of Frankenstein.  Universal might be going a little too overboard with their dream though, as so far every film in this new rebooted universe has not just been universally panned, but bombed at the box office as well.

"Victor Frankenstein" was said to be a unique turn as it focused its tale from Igor's point of view, but even from his POV, it seems like a tale we've heard before.  To try to humanize Victor, the film turned itself into a dramatic period piece with little fanfare and, more sadly, a boring tale.  Even with James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe as the leads, the movie drags on with little excitement, character development or story.  We all know how the film ends, we don't really care how it gets there.

What I found most ironic about the movie is that Igor is not even in Mary Shelley's source material.  He's a creation of Hollywood, much like Frankenstein's monster itself.  Why should we care about a tale told from the point of view of someone that never existed in the original material?  Throw in the fact that everything about this film screams Guy Ritchie's "Sherlock Holmes" - from the eccentric lead, to the off-color palette, the costumes and actions, and you've got a film that doesn't add anything new, and leaves you feeling bored afterward.

The Summary:
While trying to reboot their original monster franchise, Universal has once again failed to deliver a compelling, exciting story and instead gives a re-tread of a "Sherlock Holmes" wannabe.

The Score: B-