I, Frankenstein
It doesn’t break new ground but I, Frankenstein is not the ridiculous train wreck that some hardcore movie buffs were expecting.
InI , Frankenstein , Mary Shelley ’s monster , Adam ( Aaron Eckhart ) , is still " alive " and roaming the world - nearly two centuries after his creation ( at the titulary hands of Dr. Frankenstein ) . Gifted ( or cursed ) with immortality , Adam lives his life on the run , in a perpetual country of ego - saving , dispatching malevolent monster that have chase after him since they first learned of his " Renascence . "
However , when Adam ’s hunt results in the death of an innocent human , he ’s pulled back into the ancient conflict between his demonic pursuers , led by Prince Naberius ( Bill Nighy ) , and an army of gargoyle commissioned by the Angelica Archangelica to protect innocuous souls . As the daimon and gargoyles airstream to line up the secret behind Frankenstein ’s creation , Adam meets electro - physiologist , Terra ( Yvonne Strahovski ) , who helps him uncover fresh Revelation about his own history - revelations that could threaten the time to come of human race .
Kevin Grevioux , known respectable for creating Len Wiseman’sUnderworldfranchise , penned both theI , Frankensteingraphic novel seed material as well as a first tipple of the screenplay adaptation ( he also play one of the chief ogre henchman , Dekar ) . Grevioux ’s success with theUnderworldseries was clearly a starting point for Lakeshore Entertainment and sophomore film director Stuart Beattie ( whose report cite includeG.I. Joe : The Rise of CobraandPirates of the Caribbean : The Curse of the Black Pearl ) in bring Grevioux ’s Frankenstein story to the bighearted screen . While there are some interesting element to this particular take on the Adam / Monster character , along with very intriguing mythology behind the daimon / gargoyle war , I , Frankensteinis ( mostly ) panache over substance at about every turn .
fortuitously , that style delivers - meaning that anyone who has been entertain by similar offerings ( specially theUnderworldseries ) will find reason to enjoy in Beattie ’s photographic film . optic effects look budgeted , especially the demonic makeup and CGI gargoyle penny-pinching - ups , but the film maker grapple to furnish some genuinely coolheaded sequence of Adam combat demons - especially those centered on the character ’s unique pick of Kali stick fighting .
Still , the story is a mixed suitcase full of compelling Earth - building ( the descending of demons and ascension of gargoyles , for example ) and downright glaring plot holes . For every fresh theme , there ’s a mind - numbing present moment of mental rejection to fall out - not to name several thwarting selection by Adam , Terra , and other elementary role player , that clearly prioritize set ahead the plot of land instead of dish up case arc . In spite of the camp central premiss , a warriorlike art wielding modernistic Frankenstein animate being , Adam ’s core narrative journeying is secure than some watcher might have take for granted . It ’s still a very formulaic floor about seek for the " human race " within but there are also some worthwhile thematic elements at play - the most obvious being : what does it mean to be a " colossus " ?
To that last , Eckhart attempts a careful balance between injecting a " soul " into Adam while also keep a confused rage within the horror picture . The performance is pretty on - the - nose , jumping between looks of bewilderment to exciting natural process fighting stage dancing - with the actor clearly stretch to make his take on the demon more nuanced and self-examining than prior looping . At time , Eckhart succeeds at promote the role , and establish a serviceable founding to explore Adam in succeeding installments , but hammy dialogue and overall sparse characterization limit how far the talented doer can campaign the cloth .
Supporting roles are all serviceable but not particularly memorable . Nighy is par for the course as Prince Naberius , cobbling the villain together from anterior part in his filmography - so as to birth any necessary exposition from the demonic side ofI , Frankenstein ’s plot . Fulfilling a alike function on the gargoyle side is Miranda Otto as Lenore - the gargoyles ' verbatim link to the archangels . Otto is give more or less more to do than Nighy ; though , the more engrossing aspects of her fiber ( including insight into the large mythology : life , God , and divinity ) are underserved in favor of how she can help or hinder Adam as the story progresses .
Jai Courtney ’s Gideon is saddled with similar baggage . He gets plentitude of epic activity beats butI , Frankensteinignores several opportunities to define how the hot - tempered Gargoyle reconciles his rebellious nature , and disgust of Adam , with a commitment to the orderliness ’s main charge - protect life sentence at all cost . Equally flat is Yvonne Strahovski ’s Terra - who audiences find out next - to - nothing about and is only included to redefine Adam , explicate scientific jargon , and force dramatic event into the final act . deplorably , Terra is little more than a property - not developed enough to make , or give credibleness for , a key choice she makes ( let alone ensure her romance / infatuation with Adam is convincing ) .
I , Frankensteinis also work as both a 3D and IMAX 3D presentation . give the film ’s reliance on visual flare , either upgraded ticket could be worth the added toll . The 3D approach relies on depth , not pop - out moments , and many of the effects ( especially fiery tedious - moment fiendish descendings ) search slap-up in 3D as well as on the with child IMAX screen data formatting . The decision is solely dependent on predilection this fourth dimension : viewers who regularly relish insurance premium theater experiences will in all likelihood get their money ’s Charles Frederick Worth but those who typically prefer to stay put with the fundamentals , except for cases where 3D or IMAX dramatically ameliorate the experience , wo n’t be miss much with a regular 2D viewing .
Aaron Eckhart as Adam in ‘I, Frankenstein’
It does n’t smash new dry land butI , Frankensteinis not the ludicrous train wreck that some hard-core movie buffs were expecting . The cinema is unbelievable to get ahead - over likely viewers that were never onboard with the ( arguably ) campy premise , but for fantasy activity fan that have been entertained by like update to movie monsters in the past , I , Frankensteinsuccessfully turn in enough pat action stage dancing and interesting mythology to provide fun ( though admittedly dopey ) escapism . If nothing else , Grevioux and Beattie have establish an interesting sandbox - one that , given a stronger story and more highly-developed characters , might even be worth revisit .
If you ’re still on the fence aboutI , Frankenstein , check out the trailer below :
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Yvonne Strahovski as Terra in ‘I, Frankenstein’
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I , Frankensteinruns 93 minutes and is Rated PG-13 for sequences of vivid phantasy action and violence throughout . Now playing in 2D , 3D , and IMAX 3D dramatic art .
‘I, Frankenstein’ writer Kevin Grevioux as Dekar
Let us know what you thought of the film in the remark section below .
For an in - astuteness discussion of the moving-picture show by the Screen Rant editors check back presently for ourI , Frankensteinepisode of theSR Underground podcast .
After Victor Frankenstein die pursuing his notorious creation in the Arctic , Frankenstein ’s Monster is rescue from demons by two gargoyle . consume the name Adam , he conjoin their battle against the demons and their loss leader that seek to take over the world .
Jai Courtney as Gideon in ‘I, Frankenstein’
