Victor Frankenstein
‘Victor Frankenstein’ is the newest adaptation of the novel of the almost same name by Mary Shelley. “You know this story” is the preliminary sentence of the movie. Most people will know it, despite the attempted reinterpretation of Frankenstein’s monster. This time it’s told from the perspective of the assistant Igor, who is saved from his miserable life in the circus by Frankenstein. Out of gratitude, Igor stays with the insane medical student and supports him in his vision to bring life from death.
The relationship of the radical visionary and the clumsy but also handy intern, that ‘Victor Frankenstein’ brings to the screen is definitely enjoyable. The chemistry between Frankenstein (James McAvoy) and Igor (Daniel Radcliffe) can clearly be felt and is all in all pretty to watch. They obviously had a great time filming. McAvoy’s portrayal of Frankenstein is mesmerizing and adds along with an interesting back story new depth and complexity to the character. Sadly, the characters are the only thing that succed in Max Landis and Paul McGuigan reinterpretation. The original story itself has always been quite abstract and won’t be that no less than before, despite the new, more realistic touch. Especially the ending is in my opnion a little to excessive and adds action that the movie didn’t have up to this point and also didn’t need. Due to one or another unecessary storyline the movie drags on a little, after the first half and is with it’s almost two hours definetly too long. One more thing I didn’t like were those weird medical overlays, that the movie didn’t need. In the end, you can have fun with this movie if you allow it to, despite all it’s points of criticism.
‘Victor Frankenstein’ isn’t as bad as some other reinterpretations of classical monsters (Dracula Untold for one), but also isn’t the overwhelming event that you would want from a movie or story like ‘Frankenstein’. The story is neither well-rounded nor successful but everyone that expects simple, slightly exaggerated entertainment will get just that.
