Frankenstein



Plot Synopsis:

Henry Frankenstein makes the ultimate scientific breakthrough when he creates a man made from dead body parts and manages to bring it to life. His creation is almost immediately seen as an abomination, and this leads to, perhaps the ultimate question: who is the true monster? 

Positives: 

My first positive is the fact that this movie is relatively short. This allows the film to move at a pretty nice, quick pace. I feel like the movie knows when it should move quickly and when it should take its time. My next positive is James Whale's direction. The man shows an understanding of the gothic feel and atmosphere needed for Frankenstein to work. Even though this movie is in black and white, I get a good sense for angles and shadows throughout the movie. Colin Clive also gives a solid performance as Frankenstein. I feel he gives the character a good mix of madness and tragedy. Finally, I love everything involving the monster. Boris Karloff gives a really good performance. What I like the most is that this character you would immediately assume to be the villain is arguably the most sympathetic character in the entire film. He's essentially an infant that trying to understand the world around him, and that leads him to do some villainous things. 

Mixed Aspects: 

Something this movie toys with is the idea that Frankenstein, the man, is the true monster. He's a man driven mad to accomplish his goal. While I don't entirely want to compare this film to the book. I do think this is a story element the book handles much better. Keep in mind, this is neither something I like nor is it something I dislike. It is just an observation I have towards the movie. 

Negatives: 

My main negative with this movie is how the Elizabeth character is handled. In the book, she's killed by the creature as something of a way to punish Frankenstein for his own sins. This is sort of what I mean when I say that the book does a better job of portraying Frankenstein as more of the villain of the story. My problem with Elizabeth in this movie is not that she survives. My problem is that she feels more like a stock character than anything else. In fact, this is something I could probably extend to a good chunk of the supporting characters. They aren't amazing. They aren't awful. They are just kind of there. 

Final Thoughts: 

This is a movie that I think kind of knows what the focus needs to be on in terms of story. Because it is only 70 minutes long, the story doesn't have a lot of fat on it. I do think some story elements could have been fleshed out a little bit more, but I also don't see it as a huge issue. While I think the monster is very well handled, I think fleshing out could have come much more from some of the other characters in the film. I can see why this movie is considered a classic. It's a quick, easy watch that I really do have to recommend. 

My Rating: 

🩸🩸🩸🩸 

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