CREDIT: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX UK (2015)
Attempting to give a new spin to an old tale, Victor Frankenstein starts out strong, but falls flat in the final third.

Frankenstein. It’s a name we’re all familiar with, whether we’ve read the original novel by Mary Shelley, saw one of the old movies telling the tale or simply watched old episodes of The Munsters. The story of the mad scientist and his creation is the classic tale of hubris, love and life, told again and again in hundreds of different ways.

Attempting to give an old story a new spin, Victor Frankenstein is told more from Igor’s perspective, giving his insight into how and why Frankenstein chose to make his creation. There’s also a random Igor love story subplot thrown in, as well as an additional villain-type policeman.

The beginning of the movie is stylistically gorgeous. Appearing as though Moulin Rouge and Phantom of the Opera were used as inspiration, there’s an extremely artistic feel to the first half of the movie. Characters are overlain with anatomical sketches and there’s a significance to contrast in the costumes and scenery.

The writing and acting are also extremely well done. Daniel Radcliffe makes a surprisingly convincing hunchback at the beginning, and does an incredible job portraying a fairly slow improvement after being cured by Frankenstein. James McAvoy is, by turns, funny and uncomfortable, flipping from incredible intensity to whimsy in an instant. Jessica Brown Findlay, as the love interest Lorelei, is sadly used as a plot device more than a strong and brave woman should be.

Most of the problems, in fact, are with the directing and editing of the film. Director Paul McGuigan’s previous experience working on Sherlock is obvious, as he’s subtly changed the characters to be much more like Holmes and Watson.

The editing is a special type of terrible rarely seen in a big-budget production. A character wears an eye patch in exactly one scene, appearing both before and after without one. People appear on screen exactly when it’s convenient for the action, as if by magic. Two characters apparently teleport past a raised drawbridge surrounded by guards just so they can appear at or after the climax, one of whom had been kidnapped or arrested or something, but still managed to appear completely unhampered.

Whether the post-production was rushed or they just ran out of money, the fact is that the ending of the film has the feel of a completely different movie. In a few moments, Victor Frankenstein goes from a stylistic masterpiece to a B-level monster movie. The final scenes are full of missed opportunities.

While the design and portrayal of the monster almost save it, the actions of the main characters make little sense in the movie’s context. This is a movie focused on character growth and development, and yet little of that is maintained in the film’s conclusion.

Overall, Victor Frankenstein is a film with infinite potential that was let down by its director and editors. Gorgeous and well written, the first two-thirds of the movie show the audience an awesome image of what the story could have been. It’s unfortunate that the final third failed to fulfill its promise.