Victor Frankenstein (2015)

Absolutely brilliant

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Because it did so poorly in the movie theaters (maybe it was released along side some blockbusters . . I don't know), I didn't expect much. That being said I'm always interested in a twist on a familiar story. THIS DELIVERED! Igor's perspective.I've never liked Daniel Radcliffe in anything (especially Swiss Army Man) but I have always been a fan of James MacAvoy. They both deliver! The only reason I didn't give it a better rating was because I had hoped for a better ending. Who knows, maybe they were holding out for a sequel . . . ?Enjoy this one.

I can't give this film below 6 stars because of the cast and the direction of their acting. But I admit that I had great difficulty watching the film due to the topic matter. Making dead body parts into a "living" creature is really tough to present as an aesthetically pleasant art form. And sadly, the story line had its flaws. But I'm surprised the overall rating of this film isn't higher, because it does have many strengths; including its cast's work, their direction, the character development and to a certain degree, the script. I can't pin point the piece of the puzzle that was missing in the director's vision. But this film at least reaffirms that combining critics' and public's review averages does usually offer a reliable gauge of where my (realistic) expectations should be prior to watching a film -- which sometimes can make a poorly reviewed movie more enjoyable or easier to appreciate for its strengths...

The opening statements to "Victor Frankenstein" is "you know the story..." and indeed we all know from the pages of Mary Shelley's classic horror novel from 1818 and to the numerous adaptations that gave graced the silver screens. Here we have another take from the classic story that's an added addition towards the other previous adaptations. Director Paul McGuigan collaborated with scriptwriter Max Landis gives us an original take of the movie seen for once through the eyes of Dr. Frankenstein's humble assistant Igor Strausman (Daniel Radcliffe). We first meet Igor as a nameless hunchbacked circus clown who had to encounter a lot of physical abuse all for the sake of entertainment. When not pleasing the crowd, Igor also serves as a physician to the other acts. When an incident involving a trapeze artist goes awry, Igor is introduced to Dr. Frankenstein (James McAvoy).Feeling that his gifts are being wasted, Frankenstein frees Igor from this uncompromising lifestyle to come work with him. Their escape wasn't easy because a strong man, a knife thrower and several performers were on their tails. The estate Dr. Frankenstein calls home resembles a posh and resourceful science laboratory. After removing a cyst, and replacing a back brace concealer on him, Dr. Frankenstein adopts him the name of Igor Strausman. It seems the Frankenstein and Igor were once roommates who was once involved in taking part in recreational drugs who's been MIA for a while. With a hired assistant, Frankenstein can now propose his latest creation that will make him famous.Set in the murky and dreary 19th century London, the movie takes in the effort of going for a new approach to the lore of Frankenstein by narrating the story seen through the eyes of Igor for a change. However, it still doesn't seem to stand up to the other adaptations based on Shelley's novel. It looks like its teetering towards an origin tale, but it never goes to deeper scrutiny as to how Dr. Frankenstein got the notion of bringing the deceased back to life. There's a few snippets of Victor's childhood involving his father's visitation (Charles Dance, but it offers very little insight.Thrown in the thick of things is Inspector Turpin (Andrew Scott) who's called to the scene to investigate on stolen animal parts missing from the London Zoo and the Royal Veterinary College and murder at the scene of the circus. Turpin suspects Victor and Igor are up to something as his investigation leads toward their path. Turpin tries to challenge Victor's progressive points of view with Turpin's having more religious way of thinking. The whole science vs. religion conflict is handled subtle but to the point along with the contrasting wardrobes the two rivals wear. Victor is seen wearing flashy colourful clothing while Turpin's choice of clothing is mundane and in grey.As we get to know Victor and Igor, their friendship is stronger to the point of bordering towards homosexuality. But that theory gets put to rest once Igor develops an infatuation with trapeze artist Lorelai (Jessica Brown Findlay). Like Igor she left the circus and has lived a life of freedom. Lorelai catches onto Victor and Igor's creation and it's this scene plus the unveiling of their creation that make up for the rather mundane dialogue throughout most of the film. Sure we may see the sci-fi genre come alive here, but it's only very sporadic when more could have been added on to hold your interest.Radcliffe tries to make us forget about Harry Potter and succeeds in making a morally inclined character in Igor as he clings onto his new life by staying loyal to his master while questioning if playing God is good or bad. McAvoy clearly is the star here as he plays Frankenstein with dimensions ranging from a delusional lunatic to a lighter funny side with his interactions with Igor. There's some great chemistry between McAvoy and Radcliffe, if only they had a more competent direction of where they were going with the story they'd be better.So while it is mildly enthralling to watch, and the special effects are quite eye-catching, with some light humour and good action to keep one intrigued. It's a good watch for a rainy afternoon, just don't expect any drastic impact compared to the other interpretations from the other adaptations from the classic Mary Shelley novel.

A story told more times than this has needed to be, it is proof to me that the alterations to the plots of classic literature is as wrong as messing with nature. James McAvoy is Victor Frankenstein, rescuing abused hunchback Daniel Radcliffe and renaming him Igor after de-humping him by removing the liquid from a severe growth. He knows that the newly monikered Igor is a genius when it comes to medical procedures and utilizes him in his bizarre scientific experiments. It's up to the moral Igor to stop McAvoy from going too far, which is an understatement considering his plans.Starting off perfectly fine, this quickly descends into predictable melodrama and noisy, dizzifying camera work, and even a disturbing creature I can only refer to as Frankenchimp. Not giving you moments to think or breathe, it goes right back to the issues of 1994's "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" which tried too hard to engage its audiences through visual tricks.Looking like Vincent Price at the height of his American International. Edgar Alan Poe era, McAvoy is far too intense, melodramatic and yet not quite camp. Radcliffe manages to be subtle and seems to be trying to tone what the legend of Igor was, much like the melodramatic manner that Robert De Niro attempted to play the creature. It just gets to be too much rushed together, and even with the look of authenticity towards the setting never really completely gels.