“Daniel Radcliffe. James McAvoy. Victor Frankenstein. Those three names were all I needed to know that this was going on my MUST list. Hell, even just two of those names in any combination would have probably done it. Those are both actors I adore (Radcliffe especially), and I’m excited by the thought of a classic gothic horror. Heck, it even drove me to see I Frankenstein, despite knowing that it would be one of that year’s worst. Victor Frankenstein is a thankfully a few steps up from that, but didn’t quite reach the higher expectations I had for it.
What’s cool about this telling of the tale, is that it’s from Igor’s perspective (Radcliffe). We meet the initially nameless hunchback who is discovered in a circus by young student Victor Frankenstein (McAvoy). Recognizing his talents for medicine and biology, Frankenstein helps the huncback escape. He provides for him, including giving him an identity as Igor, in exchange for his assistance at his lab. We pretty much know what happens from there.
Or we sort of know. Before the big monster experiment, there’s a smaller scale one involving an ape-like homunculus. I was with it that far. Diving into creating and animating the future monster is where it lost me, since it felt like a lot of repetition from the smaller scientific endeavor. Simply put, it just got downright dull and predictable.
Our leads were fantastic, as to be expected, and the gothic vibe was wonderful. There were some wonderful references to Boris Karloff’s Frankenstein, and even Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein. I just wish more attention could have been paid to the story and pacing. This could have been a real knockout, but it just never got that necessary bolt of electricity needed to jump start it.
Victor Frankenstein – \m/ \m/ \n”