Victor Frankenstein (2015 film)

Copyright: 20th Century Fox

Our final Frankenstein Week post, we have the most recent big budget film, Victor Frankenstein.  A bit of a change-up in this one, as we get a different point of view.  Not from the Doctor himself, not from the creation, but from the traditional assistant, Igor.  In this version, however, we find that the assistant is as intelligent as the Doctor, if not more so at times.

We open on the circus where the unnamed hunchback has been working all his life as a clown.  In his spare time, he's swiped medical books and tried to learn something about medicine, despite his roommate's ridicule.  One night, while the trapeze performer, Lorelei, was doing her act, the trapeze rope breaks and she falls to the floor of the tent, critically injuring herself.  The hunchback rushes to her side, along with a spectator from the audience, a doctor, who assesses her injuries and says there's nothing they can do for her, as her injuries are preventing her from breathing.  The hunchback, not to be balked, asks to see the doctor's watch, as he needs it to help her.  With the doctor's help, the hunchback is about to set both the broken bone and the dislocation, freeing up her airway and saving her life.  The doctor, Frankenstein, helps the other workers take her to the hospital.  Meanwhile, the owner and ringmaster locks the hunchback in one of the animal cages to prevent him from leaving, along with burning his medical books.

A little later, Frankenstein returns and uses a magnet to pick the lock on the cage, then leads the hunchback through an action packed chase through the circus, dodging away from the workers who the ringmaster's sent to try to stop them.  Eventually escaping, Frankenstein takes the hunchback back to his quarters and then assaults him... or so he thinks.  He actually drains the fluid from his back, caused by an abscess, then gives him a back brace he says was originally for "Gordon".  The last thing he does for the hunchback... he gives him a name, Igor, telling him that the name belonged to his roommate, who's disappeared.

The film goes on to show the interactions between Igor and Victor, at first just on a sort of student/mentor relationship (respectively), but when Igor shows his own aptitude towards understanding both how the human body works, and how to manipulate the energy needed towards Frankenstein's work's needs, Victor upgrades their relationship to master and assistant, then to full partner before they reveal Gordon to the school.

This movie was pretty fun.  There was a lot of action in places, and I found the interactions between Igor and Victor, and later Igor and Lorelei after she recovers, really interesting.  Victor was hilarious at places, trying to push his views on anyone who will listen, especially after he's had a little to drink (and after telling Igor not to embarrass him!).  The two actors work off pretty well.  The nemesis to Dr. Frankenstein, Inspector Turpin, was an interesting case, also, sort of like a mix of Inspector Javert from Les Miserables with a witch hunter: he believes in God's righteous fury against those with blasphemous views, and he'll stand at nothing to bring that wrath to whoever he feels holds them.

Playing as Igor is Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe.  He did a really good job here.  He was also in Woman in Black and Horns, along with the recent release Swiss Army Man.  Playing Victor Frankenstein himself is James McAvoy.  He was pretty funny here, at times, especially when playing the drunk at the party.  He was in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, as well as portraying Professor X in the recent X-Men films from First Class up to Apocalypse.  In a scene, portraying Victor's father, the Baron, was Charles Dance who we saw in last week's Dracula Untold as the Master Vampire.

All in all, a pretty fun movie, one I was happy to watch and review.  I happily give it a 4 out of 5.  Well, with the end of Frankenstein Week, we'll have a different subject next week, but I don't want to let you know ahead of time.  Until then, take care, and this is Red Hawk signing out!

I, Frankenstein (2014 film)

Copyright: Lionsgate Entertainment

Day 4 of Frankenstein Week and we're going a little more modern, with Frankenstein's creation living into the modern day and becoming reluctantly involved in a battle between good and evil, with the fate of humanity hanging in the balance.  But where does the newly christened Adam stand?

The film opens with a brief summary of the original story, ending with the creature giving Frankenstein a proper burial (better than he deserved, according to his narration).  In the middle of covering his creator's casket, he's attacked by several mysterious figures whose features shift into something monstrous. Attempting to capture the creature, he instead impales one of his attackers with their own weapon, causing the figure to up in a fireball that drives into the ground.  This attracts the attention of a pair of gargoyles from a nearby church, who fly over and help dispatch the creature's other attackers before assuming human form and attempting to talk to him.

After "persuading" the creature to come with them (by knocking him out and carrying him), he comes to at their fortress, a cathedral, and meets the queen of the gargoyles, Leonore, who gives the creature the name Adam (since Doctor Frankenstein never gave him a name).  She then tells him of their fight: the gargoyles, who represent the forces of good and light, have been fighting the demons, who represent evil and darkness, to protect humanity at the behest of the Archangel Michael, then ask him to join their cause, and offers hims shelter.  Adam still feels bitter over how humanity has treated him, so turns her down.  The gargoyles let him take some new weaponry from the armory (he takes a pair of bludgeoning staffs over something lighter) and send him on his way... not telling him they also kept Frankenstein's journal, as protection against proof that God is no longer the only one to be able to create life.

The movie follows Adam's attempts to distance himself from humanity, the demons' continued attempts to capture him, and his further existence in the modern day, when he decides to bring the fight to the demons.  But will Adam find what he's been looking for his entire life?

This was my first time seeing his film, even though I received it for Christmas two years ago.  I thought it looked good form the trailers, and I wasn't disappointed.  There was a lot of action, a few scares, and a really good story tying it all together.  Adam's makeup was effective, as was the looks of the demons.  The gargoyles were sort of noticeably CGI, but the effect worked nonetheless.

They had a good crop of actors for this film.  First off, playing Adam himself, was Aaron Eckhart, who brought a suitable mood to the role.  He also played Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight, as well as having roles in The Core, Suspect Zero and Battle: Los Angeles.  Bill Nighy played the Demon Prince Naberius and seemed like he was having a good time with the part.  He also plays Davy Jones in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Shaun's stepfather, Phillip, in Shaun of the Dead, Viktor in the Underworld series, and Slartibartfast in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy film.  Playing Gideon, commander of the gargoyles and Leonore's second in command, is Jai Courtney.  He was also in Terminator Genisys as Kyle Reese and Suicide Squad as Captain Boomerang.

I really enjoyed this movie, and thought it was a fun ride.  Lots of action happening in it, a pretty decent storyline, and some really good makeup and special effects work.  I give it a 4 out of 5.  My next article should be coming a little later tonight, to make up for lost time.  Until then, take care, and this is Red Hawk signing out!

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994 film)

Copyright: TriStar Pictures

Day 3 and we're checking out the Francis Ford Coppola produced film Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.  Two years after Dracula proved a hit, they decided to update another literary classic with Mrs. Shelley's book.  A couple years after this one, the Jeckyll and Hyde retelling Mary Reilley was also made, so historical period drama mixed with gothic horror seems to have been rather big.

The film starts in the Arctic, with a ship on a difficult journey, the crew attempting to find a passage to the North Pole.  Following a number of particularly deadly events, the captain has his men trying to chop their way out, despite his first mate's warnings of threats of mutiny.  They hear an unearthly howl from the horizon.  A figure approaches from a distance through the blinding snow, startling the crew watching.  The howl rises again, and the sled dogs of the expedition break loose of their bindings, only to be killed by something unseen.

The man is taken to the Captain's quarters where, upon hearing the captain's goal, compares it to his own past ambitions.  The man introduces himself as Victor Frankenstein and beings to recount his history.  From here, we follow Victor from his childhood, with his loving mother, and introduction to his adoptive sister, Elizabeth, to his teenage years, with his mother's death in childbirth.  This loss is what spurs Victor to try his hand at conquering death.

The film is really amazing, how it interprets the events of the book.  Instead of lightning, Victor uses the electricity from a mass of electric eels, combined with electrodes hooked to various parts of the subjects body (in a version of acupuncture, of a sort).  No neck bolts used in this creation!  We also get to see the creature learning to read and speak from watching over a poor family outside of the town after he's chased from it.  All in all, though, it does follow the formula we know from the original film.

Robert de Niro portrays the Creation, and the makeup used here, again, is rather well-done.  His face does have the look of stitched together skin.  He is, of course, one of the best known actors, with films like The Godfather Part II, Raging Bull, Bloody Mama and Taxi Driver.  Kenneth Branagh pulled double duty here, both as director of the film and playing Victor Frankenstein himself.  He also did several Shakespearean adaptations, as well as Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and the much reviled Wild Wild West.  Helena Bonham Carter played the adult Elizabeth, Victor's love.  She's been in quite a few of Tim Burton's films, plus the Harry Potter series, Les Miserables, and the live action Cinderella.

I give the film a 4 out of 5.  It was fun, exciting, and mostly pretty faithful to the original Mary Shelley work.  Frankenstein Week's almost over, just two more films to go!  Until next time, take care, and this is Red Hawk signing out!

Roger Corman's Frankenstein Unbound (1990 film)

Copyright: 20th Century Fox

Day 2 of Frankenstein Week, and we're visiting one of the lesser known adaptations of Mary Shelley's work... and it even has Mary Shelley in it!  When I first saw the poster art for the film, I was immediately intrigued.  I knew Frankenstein had pieced his creature together, but I never thought about stitching parts of parts together, as shown with the patchwork eye there, but it works, and it also appears in the film!

The film starts in the future where scientist Joseph Buchanan is demonstrating an implosion weapon on a small model of the Statue of Liberty.  The test is a success, but shortly afterward, a strange cloud appears in the sky.  It seems testing this weapon is causing disturbances, including mysterious disappearances, and the strange clouds, called time slips.  As he returns to his home, he sees some children burying an old bike (the owner just got a new one).  As a time slip opens above the group, Buchanan tells the kids to run for his house, but two run towards the new bike.  Buchanan runs to them, yelling for them to get inside, but then gets caught up in the slip, himself, and pulled through.

Awakening, Joseph finds himself in the middle of a forest with his talking car.  Hiding the vehicle until he knows what's happening, Joe heads for the closest settlement he can find, receiving a few weird looks from the locals for his strange attire.  He heads for an inn, selling a ring for some local currency and buying a meal.  While waiting for his food, he notices a man reading a newspaper and moves closer, trying to figure out where and when he is.  The reader lowers the paper and starts talking to Joe, amazing at his digital watch, especially when he's told it runs on electricity.  Striking up a friendly conversation over science, Joe eventually discovers who his table mate is: Doctor Victor Frankenstein.

The film goes from here, with Joe not only meeting Frankenstein but his creation, as well, plus Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, and the author herself, Mary Shelley (under her maiden name, Godwin).  Joe's ultimate goal is to try to get back to his own time, especially when he sees the time slips have started manifesting here, as well.

This was a fun, interesting film.  The creature makeup is one of the most original I've seen, with the metal neck bolts being replaced with metal fins at his temples, the aforementioned multicolor patchwork eyes, and a rather unhealthy skin tone.  The creature is rather articulate, compared to the Karloff original, though not understanding of certain concepts, at least at first.

The sets were beautiful, with the film being shot in Italy.  There's a lot of wonderful architecture and beautiful forests.  The car that Joe Buchanan drove was interesting, as well, showing self driving and voice capabilities our cars are only now starting to develop.

John Hurt portrayed Joseph Buchanan, the temporal fish out of water who basically ignores the usual time travel prime directive (he even drives down the streets of Geneva in his car, with Mary Shelley riding with him, while people stare or flee).  He was also in Alien, played the War Doctor in Doctor Who, the Harry Potter series, and a LOT of other films.  This man is prolific!  Playing the good Doctor Frankenstein is the late, great, Raul Julia.  One of the best known and loved actors of all time, Julia's mainly known for his work as Gomez Addams in the Addams Family films, as well as M. Bison in the much-maligned Street Fighter opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme.

I give this film a 4 out of 5.  It's a favorite of mine, and I highly recommend it, but there are a few small things that keep me from giving it a perfect score.  At any rate, I liked it, and do hope others look for it to see if they do, too.  Until next time, this is Red Hawk signing out!

Frankenstein (1931 film)

Copyright: Universal Studios

I had a lot of fun with Dracula Week, so let's do it again, this time with one of the other popular Universal monster films, Frankenstein.  I've got a great lineup ready for the week, starting with the classic, Boris Karloff version and leading into the recent Victor Frankenstein.  I've been a little bit behind schedule, but I promise that I've got plans to make up for those lost days.  For now, though, let's get into the action!

The film opens on a funeral, with two uninvited guests watching from behind a nearby stone wall: Henry Frankenstein and his assistant, Fritz (Not Igor... he doesn't come along until the third film, at least, with the spelling of Ygor).  Once the crowd has cleared and the grave digger departs, Fritz and Frankenstein move in and harvest the body from the grave.  Along the way back from the graveyard, the duo also stop to cut down a hanging corpse, while Frankenstein raves about his purpose in corpse collecting: to create a new human, built from the parts taken from the bodies and given life by his machines.

Meanwhile, Frankenstein's friend, Victor, meets with his fiancee, Elizabeth.  Both are concerned over not hearing from Henry in a long while, outside of letters saying not to visit.  After talking to his father, the Baron von Frankenstein, they seek out Henry's professor, Dr. Waldman, who tells them he hasn't seen Henry since he left school, but informs them of Henry's ambition.  Together, the three of them head for where Henry's set up his lab... on a dark and stormy night...

This film is a classic for a reason.  The sets are amazing, the makeup for the monster is rightfully considered some of the best in movie history (heck, almost every rendition of Frankenstein's monster uses some variation on it), the acting was great, everything comes together to make an excellent film.

The good doctor, Henry Frankenstein, was portrayed by Colin Clive.  He'd go on to reprise the role in Bride of Frankenstein, but he didn't do much else, genre-wise, and passed away at 37 from tuberculosis.  Boris Karloff portrays his creation, the Monster.  He'd parlay this role into a very successful acting career, going on to get two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in television and film.  He was also, later, the inspiration for Bobby "Boris" Pickett's Monster Mash song (and its various sequels).  The film also features Edward Van Sloane and Dwight Frye, both of whom appeared in Dracula, as Dr. Waldman and Fritz, respectively.

All in all, a good, fun movie, one I'm honored to give a 5 out of 5.  Tomorrow, we'll be jumping ahead to 1990, almost 60 years, for the next film, Frankenstein Unbound, from Roger Corman.  I'll see you there!  Until then, this is Red Hawk signing out!