Review of Victor Frankenstein (2015) by Filmphonic — 05 Jan 2016

‘Victor Frankenstein’ kicks off with a narration by Daniel Radcliffe as “Igor” declaring to the audience that “you know this story”, implying that you’re in for something new, or perhaps lowering expectations, intentionally or not. What follows for the best part of 2 hours is a 21st century treatment of this 19th century story, originally set in the late 18th century.

To say that ‘Victor Frankenstein’ shares a lot with Robert Downey Jr.’s recent Sherlock Holmes films would be an understatement, from setting a typically mostly central European late 18th century story in Victorian London, to the stylized dramatic action sequences and overall aesthetic, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’re watching Guy Ritchie taking on Mary Shelley.

James McAvoy stars in the titular role accompanied by Daniel Radcliffe through whose eyes the story is seen, both deliver adequate performances with McAvoy given the chance to flamboyantly overact to his heart’s content, giving the film a graphic novel if not comic book sensibility. The production design is impressive as you might expect, with the dirty streets of Victorian London coming alive, as do the props and of course the creatures, literally.

The film is billed as a re-imagining of the “Frankenstein” story which brings something new, that’s certainly true in terms of veering away from the original novel, but in terms of the 80+ years of Hollywood treatment since, ‘Victor Frankenstein’ takes from virtually every version of this classic story making it disappointingly unimaginative for a “re-imagining”.

Director Paul McGuigan’s film does manage to shine a dim light on the original “mad scientist’s” motivational inner demons and the dangers of scientific overreaching, but despite a good momentum and the entertainment value, ultimately ‘Victor Frankenstein’ is a fuel-injected version of a well-trodden theme.

The Bottom Line….

Silly and fun, uninspired and forgettable, ‘Victor Frankenstein’ is an entertaining but unmemorable romp that offers little that’s new to an established story, beyond its lavish interpretation.