Marcus Nispel clearly shows himself to be a talented filmmaker with this film. His Frankenstein has all the style of his Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake. Without a doubt, the man knows how to shoot a movie. However, despite the striking visuals, this movie winds up feeling a little vacuous. In a way, the movie itself mimics the creature of its title, being the somewhat half-formed, brainless and empty creation of a brilliant but misguided mind. In this case, Marcus Frankenstein started with good intentions and constructed a beautifully shot film, but neglected to put the brain into his creation. This version of Frankenstein suffers because it teeters on the brink of being unique and distinctive, but never really commits. Perhaps it's because it was made for television, and it's clearly been made with a strong PG aesthetic in mind.
This story is not as much of a straightforward adaptation as a revisionist's version of Mary Shelley's novel. Frankenstein himself is much more like the Terell character in Blade Runner. He's an egotistical, megalomaniac named Helios. Even with its departure from the standard Frankenstein story, this version feels much more in line with the tone and intention of Shelley's novel than most of the past cinematic versions of Frankenstein. Even keeping the tone intact, the story operates on a completely different engine, acting like a version of Seven, with Parker Posey playing the detective who is hunting down one of Frankenstein's psychotic creations.
While I'm on the subject, I need to vent momentarily. Parker Posey really is one of the worst actresses around. I used to like her when she was the quirky girl in movies like Best in Show. But her ridiculous vampire queen in Blade: Trinity and her laughable portrayal of a shotgun-toting detective in this movie have made me lose all respect for her. But not even Parker's silly acting can completely ruin this movie. Although it does feel a little thin at points, this is still an interesting and somewhat new approach to an old myth, beautifully shot and edited by Marcus Nispel... who may be a modern day Frankenstein.
This story is not as much of a straightforward adaptation as a revisionist's version of Mary Shelley's novel. Frankenstein himself is much more like the Terell character in Blade Runner. He's an egotistical, megalomaniac named Helios. Even with its departure from the standard Frankenstein story, this version feels much more in line with the tone and intention of Shelley's novel than most of the past cinematic versions of Frankenstein. Even keeping the tone intact, the story operates on a completely different engine, acting like a version of Seven, with Parker Posey playing the detective who is hunting down one of Frankenstein's psychotic creations.
While I'm on the subject, I need to vent momentarily. Parker Posey really is one of the worst actresses around. I used to like her when she was the quirky girl in movies like Best in Show. But her ridiculous vampire queen in Blade: Trinity and her laughable portrayal of a shotgun-toting detective in this movie have made me lose all respect for her. But not even Parker's silly acting can completely ruin this movie. Although it does feel a little thin at points, this is still an interesting and somewhat new approach to an old myth, beautifully shot and edited by Marcus Nispel... who may be a modern day Frankenstein.