Frankenstein (2015)
I've always found Bernard Rose to be an interesting director. Not all his work is successful indeed much is quite flawed but his films i've seen - Candyman, Paperhouse, Chicago Joe and the Showgirl, and Snuff-Movie have always been worth watching and slightly different to the norm.
His version of Frankenstein is no different. Told solely from the 'monsters' point of view, Mary Shelley's classic Gothic horror story is thrust kicking and screaming into 21st century Los Angeles. The contemporary setting makes no difference to proceedings as Rose utilizes the main story points just as faithfully as any of the classic interpretations.
Viktor Frankenstein (Danny Huston) and his wife, Marie (Carrie-Anne Moss), are scientists who bring to life Adam - a fully-grown young man (Xavier Samuel) with the mind of an infant. Adam's cells fail to replicate correctly and he soon develops deformities on his face and body. Frankenstein decides to end his experiment by ending Adam's life but he is abnormally strong and escapes into the countryside. From that point onwards Rose adapts the stories classic scenes such as meeting the little girl, striking up a relationship with a blind drifter (a beautiful performance by Tony Todd) and several run ins with local torch wielding mobs before the final showdown with his 'mum and dad'.
I have to admit i really enjoyed Frankenstein. Largely because it was something different and yet so very familiar. Many of the problems the monster had whilst on the run in the original 1818 story are still relevant some two centuries later, mainly the human hatred of anything different to what we see as the norm.
Whilst at times touching and quite sad, the film also has some strong violence. The scene where the 'monster' escapes and part lobotomizes one of Viktor's colleagues is stomach churning in it's gruesomeness for example.
Bernard Rose certainly took a risk making this film and in my opinion it pays off handsomely and is a unique take on a classic story.
|