The ice-locked crew of a ship searching for the Northwest Passage finds, to its collective astonishment, a near-dead man quite literally in the middle of nowhere. This individual is one Victor Frankenstein (Alec Newman), and he recounts to the captain (Donald Sutherland) his horrific tale of creating a monster (Luke Goss), and subsequently losing his family to the monster's vengeance.
Of all the versions of Mary Shelley's novel, this is probably the most faithful. The monster even comes close to resembling her description, at least on a rather basic level. The script, however, is very flat and prosaic, and Kevin (The Land That Time Forgot, Motel Hell) Connor's direction no more than workmanlike. The big mistake involves the monster. His makeup is insufficiently monstrous, rendering most reactions to him nonsensical, and his voice is disconcertingly high-pitched. He is far too vulnerable to make for a convincing menace. The film runs 174 minutes, not the 204 claimed on the case.
The sound comes in both 5.1 and 2.0 options. Though it pains me to say this, I would recommend selecting the 2.0. The surround effects in 5.1 are enormously weaker, and the best atmosphere (as conjured by Arctic winds and laboratory thunderstorms) are found with the 2.0. The picture is fullscreen (this is made-for-TV, remember).
A standard making-of featurette is accompanied by trailers for recent TV offerings 10.5 and King Solomon's Mines. The menu's intro, main screen, transitions and scene selection screen are fully animated and scored.
Well, they gave it a good try. Faithful this may be, and less silly than Kenneth Branagh's version, but it is not about to displace the James Whale masterpiece.
First to Follow
Of all the movies that have been brought to life throught Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, I was finally pleased to actually se something that follows the story. There are many other stories that make the Frankenstein all the more frightening, yet this takes the cake on following the book. If ever someone wanted to see something that follows the book, this movie is the best -and the best follower- of all the stories that follow. A great watch.
The "Shakespearian" version of Frankenstein
The actors were good, The gore was good, the lines where good, the picture and sound was good, but this movie was just a little too long winded and waaaaaaay tooooooo slooowwwww. ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz god, it was like watching paint dry. Some memorable scenes mixed in with a lot of boring scenes. Worth a rental though.
Let's be honest: this should be titled Wretched Excess' Frankenstein. Swooping, wild, bloody, and energetic, this is bad moviemaking from the best, which makes it all the more lovable. Kenneth Branagh plays Victor Frankenstein, a man so obsessed with conquering death that he decides to create life. What he gets, after a protoplasmic mud wrestle, is a Mean Streets monster (Robert De Niro) that isn't particularly happy to be back from the dead or thrilled about all the stitches. Helena Bonham Carter may, at several points in this film, actually be channeling Ramtha. The supporting cast couldn't be peopled with better performers (Tom Hulce, John Cleese, Ian Holm) but they all look like they're ringside at some Ultimate Fighting competition. A must for any midnight movie collector for... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Kenneth Branagh - Robert De Niro - Helena Bonham Carter Director(s): Kenneth Branagh DVD Release Date: Released the 07 August 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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"It's alive! Alive!" shouts Colin Clive's triumphant Dr. Frankenstein as electricity buzzes over the hulking body of a revived corpse. "In the name of God now I know what it's like to be God!" For years unheard, this line has been restored, along with the legendary scene of the childlike monster tossing a little girl into a lake, in James Whale's Frankenstein, one of the most famous and influential horror movies ever made. Coming off the tremendous success of Dracula, Universal assigned sophomore director Whale to helm an adaptation of Mary Shelley's famous novel with Bela Lugosi as the monster. When Lugosi declined the role, Whale cast the largely unknown character actor Boris Karloff and together with makeup designer Jack Pierce they created the most memorable monster in... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Colin Clive - Mae Clarke - Boris Karloff Director(s): James Whale DVD Release Date: Released the 27 April 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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While setting a milestone in the progress of digital filmmaking, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow resurrects a nostalgic fantasy world derived from a wide variety of vintage inspirations. It's a dazzling dream for anyone who appreciates the look and feel of golden-age sci-fi pulp magazines, drawing its unique, all-digital design from such diverse sources as Howard Hawks adventures, Fritz Lang's Metropolis, Buck Rogers, Blackhawk comics, The Third Man, cliffhanger serials, and the action-packed Indiana Jones franchise. Writer-director Kerry Conran's feature debut is also guaranteed to inspire digital dreamers everywhere, suggesting a paradigm shift in the way CGI-dominated movies are made. It's a giddy adventure for the young and young-at-heart, in... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Gwyneth Paltrow - Jude Law - Angelina Jolie Director(s): Kerry Conran DVD Release Date: Released the 25 January 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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While it works better as a somber mood piece than a futuristic thriller, The Final Cut posits a unique what-if scenario that some viewers will find fascinating. In a role that calls for his low-key One Hour Photo persona, Robin Williams plays an expert "cutter" who's in demand for his ability to distill anyone's lifetime into a feature-length "rememory" film that highlights the better side of anyone's nature. His profession is made possible by the "Zoe" chip, a prenatal brain implant capable of recording a person's entire lifetime--a technology opposed by a former cutter (Jim Caviezel) and puzzled over by Williams' on-and-off girlfriend (Mira Sorvino). First-time writer-director Omar Naim divided critics with his impressive visual style and lackluster screenplay, which fails... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Robin Williams - Mira Sorvino - James Caviezel Director(s): Omar Naim DVD Release Date: Released the 22 March 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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