Movie: Frankenstein (2015)

 

I came across this film by accident on Tubi.. I had no idea it even existed.

How many versions of Frankenstein have there been by now?  I wonder if we're most fascinated by Frankenstein or vampires or zombies.  Werewolves and mummies are far behind.

This version stars Xavier Samuel, Carrie-Anne Moss, Danny Huston and Tony Todd in the main roles.

My first reaction was that this was just another low budget flick, it surprised me that Carrie-Anne Moss had agreed to do it.  But as I watched I liked it more and more and by the end I came to feel that it was something rather special.

I haven't read the Mary Shelley original so I'm comparing it more to some sort of amalgam of the 1930s Frankenstein films and the versions that have followed.   

I liked the way things such as throwing the child in the water,  the blind friend,  Elizabeth (here as mother figure rather that fiancee/wife) were retained and reimagined.  

There was a lot of violence but it never felt gratuitous.  

There was a quality to the film that felt what we used to refer to as an "art film" back when European films were not as available in North America - I first became aware of them at campus showings when I was in university and at alternative cinemas that appeared in Toronto in the 1960s.  

The cast was solid throughout.  Especially Xavier Samuel and Carrie-Anne Moss.

I did find the voice-over spoken by the monster a bit jarring since it was obviously by someone with vocabulary and intellectual understanding and it gave the (false) impression that he somehow survived and developed.

For me a sure sign that a film is something special is that I find myself still thinking about it  or emotionally responding to it days later.  That has certainly happened in this case.