I, Frankenstein

Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Billy Nighy, Yvonne Strahovski, Mirando Otto, Jai Courtney
Directed by: Stuart Beattie
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Science Fiction
2014

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Frankenstein's monster (Aaron Eckhart) finds himself stuck between two warring factions, and the fate of humankind rests in the balance.

Review:

Tim: I, Frankenstein just looked like a bad movie from the very outset. i harbored some hope that it was going to surprise me, but I have to admit my expectations were incredibly low. It looked like a cheap version of Underworld, and none of those movies were very good in the first place. Sadly, sometimes you can judge a book by its cover- this movie is as bad as we all expected it would be.

The film tries hard to build a mythology, but it all comes across as really cheesy. Apparently, there is a war between these angel-things and these demon-things. It's pretty much a direct ripoff of the whole Underworld lycans vs. vampires thing. The movie tries to put its own twist on it, but it's basically the same recycled story we've seen numerous times before. In the midst of these good vs. evil war, we drop Frankenstein's monster, called Adam. It's this hodgepodge of too many different elements that doesn't work. Adam feels completely forced and disconnected, like he belongs in a separate movie but just got crammed into this one. Nothing about the story feels organic in the least. Adam runs around and does a bunch of things, but it never matters because the story constructed around him is so unbelievably weak. This is a big part of the problem. The movie comes from the producers of Underworld and it's so obvious that they took that central concept and tried to twist it into a far too similar movie. The experiment was doomed from the outset. Rather than trying to come up with something innovative and new, they were content to recycle stories they've already told. That is not a recipe for success.

Aaron Eckhart's talent is completely wasted in this role. He looks a bit ridiculous and comes across as laughable. He's a good actor and he takes the part seriously, but it comes across like he's completely unaware that he is in a ridiculous, bad movie. The script doesn't do him any favors. Bill Nighy is slumming it and I felt bad for him. Yvonne Strahovski felt more at home here, which is a condemnation of her acting ability. Jai Courtney actually makes a fearsome angel-creature, so I was pleased with his contribution. Miranda Otto adds very little. The cast as a whole is underwhelming.

The special effects are okay, but there's nothing really special or memorable. We see the angel-gargoyle things transform, which is fine. There's a few moments that just feel far too cartoonish. Nothing in this movie comes across as even approaching realism. It requires massive amounts of suspended disbelief and turning off large chunks of your brain. That is never a good thing.

I could go on and on, but I've spent enough time with I, Frankenstein. It's a completely generic film. There's nothing exciting or memorable about it. It doesn't have its own voice- it's mimicking the voices of countless other films. That contributes to this feeling that the movie can't stand on its own. It's not particularly entertaining, it's not funny, it's not all that exciting. This is a film that crashed upon takeoff. I would avoid this film, as it's poor in every aspect.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Underworld