Mary Shelly's Frankenstein (1994)reviewed by Benn "Where's the Humanity?" Farrell
"Mary Shelly's Frankenstein" is based on the legendary book involving Victor Frankenstein's obsession with discovering how to sustain life in earthly animals, and eventually humans. He creates a person of his own by spare body parts, keeping a journal the entire time. Eventually, Frankenstein animates his creation, realizes the creature was an abomination and tries to destroy it; however, the creature escapes with the doctor's journal, learns about what he is, learns English from a family in a countryside home, and eventually seeks out his creator to have Frankenstein animate a mate for him. The best part of this movie was director Branagh's (Dead Again, Much Ado About Nothing) visual style. He uses his signature unending amount of tracking and steadycam shots to include every aspect of a scene and setting; however, his fault lies in the picture's pacing. The pacing of the movie was WAY TOO FAST. There was so much information thrown at the viewer in such a small amount of time, it was difficult to feel anything for the story's characters. Branagh was awesome as Frankenstein, and two time Academy Award® winner Robert DeNiro (Awakenings) was even more awesome as the creature. DeNiro really gave a new realistic spin on Frankenstein's creation. My only other favorite performance came from John Cleese (Rat Race) as Frankenstein's mentor. Cleese presented a very subdued and nervous character unlike anything I've seen him in before; no laughs from the Monty Python alumni this time around, all business. Outside of the picture's pacing, the story's third act was a joke. In the third act, Frankenstein's longtime love and adopted sister Elizabeth, played by Helena Bonham Carter (Fight Club) is killed by the creature, and a bereaved Frankenstein reanimates her. At that point, the movie becomes this struggle between creature and creator for the "new" Elizabeth's affections. This plot point was ridiculous, and it brought down a picture already struggling for legitimacy. Not that I care, but this point was never a part of Mary Shelly's novel. Why Branagh, screenwriter Steph Lady and producer Francis Ford Coppola decided to add it, I've never figure out, nor do I care to. With Branagh at the helm, I don't understand why "Mary Shelly's Frankenstein" wasn't better than it was. There are several sequences I really enjoyed, but overall, the picture was without that spark to make it memorable. Overall, I liked this version of this classic novel, but I don't think it's very well made. Its very romanticized and cool to watch, but there is little substance in the movie's material for me to mark this as a "must see." Benn - Where's the Humanity?
I had high hopes for this picture, and even though its production and costume design was awesome, it included a high powered cast and director Kenneth Branagh's directing style, somehow it still managed to fizzle.