There seems to be some confusion in “I, Frankenstein” about the name of the central character, Victor Frankenstein’s monster. I assumed it was Frankenstein, as did several of the characters in the movie, but then someone gives him the name Adam, which furrowed the brows of everyone in the room, and presumably the theater in which I was sitting. From then on, he’s called one or the other until the end of the movie, when he calls himself Frankenstein.
Fortunately, that’s the only point of confusion in what must have been a very direct screenplay. In the first five minutes of the film, we learn that Dr. Frankenstein created his monster 200 years ago from pieces of eight corpses and then reanimated him. Horrified, he tried to drown the creature, but failed - a mistake that cost him and his wife their lives.
After Frankenstein buried his creator, demons appeared, presumably to kill him. Smelling a fight, gargoyles in the cemetery spring to life and kill the demons. They then whisk Frankenstein to a massive cathedral, where he meets Leonora, their leader. She tells Frankenstein the gargoyles were sent to protect humanity from the angels who fell with Satan from Heaven.
Again - all of this happens in the first five minutes of the film.
Leonora goes on to say the demons are led by Prince Naberius, a demon who – well, I don’t want to give it ALL away, even though she seems eager to.
This is not your garden variety Frankenstein movie, nor does Aaron Eckhart play your typical Frankenstein. Instead, his version of Mary Shelley’s famous monster has a high tolerance for pain and packs a wallop in a fight - never mind the massive scars that make him look like the slightest punch would cause him to burst at the seams like a poorly stitched jacket. The secret to his Olympian strength is contained in his maker’s diary, which Naberius wants for reasons best discovered while watching the movie.
I wondered from the beginning why Eckhart agreed to star in the film. The dialogue makes that clear. He probably took one look at the script, which calls for him to say things like, “I am neither human nor gargoyle,” and “Descend in pain, demon,” and told his agent, “I have GOT to be in this thing.” Roles like this, and the lines associated with them, come around only once in an actor’s career. While the movie doesn’t stretch Eckhart’s considerable acting skills (I’ve seen him grimace effectively in other movies, though not for 90 minutes), it does call upon him to stretch his chiseled abs and chest muscles in several money shots.
I’m poking fun because “I, Frankenstein” is an hour and a half of silliness. I could not, with a straight face, say it’s good. I can, however, say I had fun watching it.
The movie is set in a modern gothic metropolis, where it’s always night and there appear to be no humans, save two scientists, a cop, and the crowd in a club. Demons fill the sky, gargoyles rise to fight them, buildings are reduced to rubble, and A LOT of windows are shattered but no one peeks outside to see what’s going on. Maybe they’re used to the racket. Regardless, I liked the look of the movie. A lot of money must have been spent on set design and creation.
More than a few bucks were shelled out for the special effects, too, though the shots of demons morphing from human to monster could have used a few more. Everything else looked passable, though, if not eye-popping.
Above all, I dug the action. Shelley’s novel is rich with explorations of the nature of life and man’s relationship with God, but the makers of “I, Frankenstein” skipped over the deeper currents of the story and focused instead on creating enjoyable set pieces. A massive battle has demons and gargoyles dipping and swooping among the towering spires of the cathedral, lit by the glow of the building’s massive stained glass windows. It’s a nice visual treat, as is Frankenstein’s well-choreographed melee fight with a demon commander.
Again, “I, Frankenstein” is silly, but I have to give credit where it’s due: there’s just enough characterization to keep things interesting; everyone’s motivations are clear; and the story never becomes muddled. Everyone involved in the production knew what they were making, and delivered precisely that and nothing more.
Whether or not you’ll like it is another matter.
Two-and-a-half stars out of four. Rated PG-13 for intense fantasy action and violence.