Movie Review: I, Frankenstein

Title: I, Frankenstein
Rated: PG-13
Genres: Fantasy, Action, Supernatural Thriller
Director: Stuart Beattie
Writers: Stuart Beattie, Kevin Grevioux
Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Miranda Otto, Jai Courtney, Yvonne Strahovski
Rating: 2 Stars

Ever wonder what happened to Frankenstein’s monster after the book ended? Well, I, Frankenstein will let you in on how the creature, now called Adam (Aaron Eckhart), is pulled into the war between demons and gargoyles. It seems the supernatural  creatures want to know what keeps his formerly dead heart ticking and use that knowledge for their own means. Or at least kill him so others don’t find out.

First reaction: This is Underworld meets the plot of Van Helsing. . . with a new crop of supernatural creatures. It’s not surprising that there are similarities since Grevioux has had a hand in writing every Underworld film to date. Unfortunately, I, Frankenstein was dropped into it’s franchise formula. While the action scenes are wonderful, as expected, this film just lacked the originality that could’ve made it a fun addition to the genre.

Let’s take a look at those similarities:

• Two supernatural, warring factions 
• Dark and atmospheric, set mostly at night
• Stunning fight scenes and VFX
• Villain played by Bill Nighy
• Outsider protagonist
• Top notch soundtrack
• Themes of betrayal, humanity, good vs evil, and fighting for oneself
• Humans are oblivious to the unseen dangers and impending doom
• Unlocking physical traits means salvation or damnation, depending on your supernatural affiliation

Even though I went into this film expecting very little but a supernatural slug-fest, I am still extremely disappointed by the unoriginality and some of the blatant, yet ill-fitted hypocrisy from the characters. Queen Lenore (Miranda Otto, Lord of the Rings) drove me batty the entire film. “Our war is fought in the shadows,” then immediately after has an all out gargoyle vs. demon war in the streets. Also, this war has been waging for how many centuries and you didn’t have a contingency plan for when they attacked your HQ? Ridiculous and irresponsible.

So, what did I like about I, Frankenstein? Clearly, I enjoyed the battle scenes and VFX, especially the transformations of the gargoyles to human form and back which can be seen in the trailer above. I’ll always love seeing Bill Nighy at work. It was also great seeing some newcomers to the genre—Aaron Eckart (The Dark Night, Battle: Los Angeles) takes up his first role as a supernatural badass; Yvonne Strahovski (Chuck) plays leading scientist and sometimes damsel in distress; and Jai Courtney (Divergent) was that obligatory ‘now where have I seen him before?’ character that looks a bit different without his dystopian style from Divergent.

All in all, if you just want some pretty fights starring fun actors, by all means, catch this one on the cheap. Otherwise, pass it up and look for a strong plot elsewhere.

Find I, Frankenstein online:
Website | IMDB