Victor Frankenstein - Bringing Creepy Stuff to life for 200 Years!

Victor Frankenstein
2015
Paul McGuigan
Rated PG-13 - Approx. 110 Min


Taglines:
 - Meet your makers

 - Discover the origin of the monster and his creation.

Alternate Titles:Victor: The Secret History of Dr. Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Igor






"Igor, you and I shall be at the heart of a scientific enterprise that will change the world. We shall create life out of death!"
                                                                        -Victor Frankenstein                      

Once again, I find myself going to bat for a movie that was much maligned by critics and public alike, yet I found enjoyable.  Victor Frankenstein is a new take on the nearly 200 year old novel by Mary Shelley and while it's certainly not going to end up on any "Best Of" lists, I found it to be an amusing and flashy Frankenstein romp.

Daniel Radcliffe's turn as Igor was exceptional and interestingly, I found his initial appearance in the circus to be a bit of an homage to the 1910 Edison version of The Frankenstein Monster.  Whether or not it was intentional, I don't know...but it was the first thing that I thought of.

In this updated retelling of the legend, Frankenstein finds Igor working as a clown/physician at a traveling circus.  When they first meet, he does not actually have a name.  Frankenstein gives his new friend that name after rescuing him from his abusive employers.

There is a police inspector on their trail as well, due to the fact that their escape from the circus did not go exactly according to plan and some circus folk ended up dead and/or disabled.  Such is the life of a mad scientist, eh?

The pair retreat back to Frankenstein's laboratory, where the good doctor informs Igor that he is in fact, not actually a hunchback, but rather has a large cystic sack of fluid on his back that he proceeds to drain, followed by some rather unorthodox chiropractic procedure.  After all is said and done, Igor is able to stand (mostly) straight with the help of a special harness.

I should probably back up a moment.  The reason that rescues Igor from the circus is because he discovers that Igor has a brilliant mind and is quite skilled in medicine, having performed a dangerous and rapid medical procedure on a fallen trapeze artist with whom he is infatuated.

Anyway, back at the lab, Frankenstein shows Igor the Lazarus Fork.  A special device that when coupled with a solution of certain electrolytes, metals, blah-blah-pseudoscience, etc, can bring life back to dead tissue.  He gives Igor and example with a pair of (I think) simian eyes.  Igor is suitably impressed but informs the good doctor that he's screwed up the nerves which is why the eyes aren't moving in sync.  Frankenstein begins bringing various organs to Igor piecemeal, having him work one organ at a time on his latest biggest experiment:  Bringing and ape back to life.

First of all, this humunculus is one of the most disturbing little critters I have seen in my entire life.  After a night out on the town drinking, Frankenstein brings Igor back to the lab and shows him what he's been working on on this time.  Being the rash and impatient man that he is, Frankenstein immediately takes the ape to the University to show off his findings.  Things predictably go a bit sideways, but none the less, he attracts the attention of a wealthy student there who agrees to fund his further project.  Now armed with all the money he needs, Frankenstein sets off on creating a thinking, intelligent man.

To go further into the plot is to spoil the film and so I shall stop there.  I will say that it was an interesting change to see the story through Igor's eyes.

While there are certainly some flaws in the film and it runs on the longer side, I never once found myself bored.  The cinematography was beautiful and the special effects, though there was a lot of CGI was also excellent.  The Frankenstein Monster is also very cool looking and probably one of my favorite designs.






GORE 
For a Frankenstein flick, it's actually pretty light on the gore, though there are a few nasty little bits.  The aforementioned eyes.  The various organs and such.

T&A 
Nope.  PG-13 my friends.

MONSTERS
Damn straight!  Frankenstein's Monster!  Not to mention the little humunculus that rampages through the University.

FINAL THOUGHTS
I've got a serious soft spot (I seem to have a lot of those, don't I?) for the classic monsters.  I couldn't even begin to tell you how many Frankenstein movies there are in existence, let alone TV shows, cartoons, comics, video games, books, etc.  There is A LOT of Frankenstein out there.  This is certainly not going to land on the list anywhere near the Universal classics or the Hammer films, but it's a damn sight better than the lackluster '94 Frankenstein with Robert De Niro as the Monster!

Black Books: The Grapes of Wrath - Dr Frankenstein Makes Some Wine

As is most often the case for me, the shows that I love best are short lived.  Whether it be the classic 80's sci-fi cop show, Automan (1 Season, 13 Episodes), the awesome 90's War of the Worlds series (2 Seasons, 43 Episodes) or Black Books, which lasted only 3 Seasons, but carried a scant 18 episodes (only 6 per season).

Black Books is possibly the most hilarious British Comedy I have ever seen.  Actually, let me take that a step further.  It may quite possibly be the most hilarious TV Show, EVER.  Each episode is a masterwork in humor.  A perfect mix of dry British humor and absolute absurdity mesh together in the story of Bernard Black (Dylan Moran) and his second-hand bookstore.  Along with his assitant Manny (the ever hilarious Bill Baily) and next door shop owner Fran (Tamsin Grieg), the trio quite often stumble through the daylight hours in various hungover states while getting themselves into ever more ridiculous situations.  Perhaps someday I will write up a full entry on the series, but
today I really want to talk about one of my favorite episodes, called The Grapes of Wrath.

The episode beings with a monastery in 1900 Bordeaux where monks discover grapes grown from a thorned rose bush.  According to a prophecy, these grapes will be made into a wine which would be fit for the Holy Father himself.  Back in present day, we find that Manny is getting distressed by the filth in the store and the living quarters behind it.  He calls in help from a creepy fellow simply called The Cleaner.  Bernard is not very happy with Manny (as usual) protesting that the apartment isn't that dirty.  When the cleaner arrives, they are told that they will need to vacate the living quarters while he cleans.

As it so happens, their friend Freddie is going away and asks the boys to house sit for him.  Not having anywhere else to go, they agree.  Once at Freddie's they are given the tour.  Freddie takes Manny into the basement and shows him two wine racks.  One large one is full of ordinary wine and they can drink as much of it as they like.  Next to it is a smaller rack with old dusty bottles of wine, which are quite expensive.  One of them, called Le Vin du Rosier is to be presented to The Pope.

Freddie leaves and the boys make themselves at home and get to drinking some wine (which is a very common pastime for them).  When going down to the basement to get another bottle, an inebriated Manny mixes up the wine racks, and grabs the Le Vin du Rosier by mistake.  They drink the entire bottle and it is only afterward that Manny realized his mistake.  Looking up Le Vin du Rosier in a wine book, he discovers that it costs £7,000 (over $11,000 USD)!

The two of them concoct a scheme to replace the wine with a homebrew "Super Wine" by combining different wines, some nutmeg and a branch from an Oak tree.  This is one of the most hilarious scenes in the entire series.  Bernard becomes a vineyard Frankenstein, with Manny taking up the role of his Igor.  Manny (after chipping his tooth on some Taffy and an accident with a neck massager which leaves him with a cricked neck and a limp) shuffles back and forth bringing Bernard his needed ingredients.  Bernard cackles maniacally as he (in his mind) skillfully blends the ingredients.....and even beating him after sending out to grab some Oak from the tree outside.  I must have rewound this scene about 12 times, laughing harder each time.  It is truly comedic gold.

There is a subplot involving Fran's date with a clearly gay man, which is pretty humorous as well.  Fran's failed attempts at being seductive are quite amusing, indeed.  Naturally the date fails and at the end of the episode, the shop and Bernard and Manny's apartment are back to messy status.  Manny shows Bernard a newpaper stating that The Pope has died from ingesting inferior wine and Fran shows up with her new date.......The Cleaner.

Black Books is available to watch streaming on Netflix and on Amazon Instant Video.  If you have not seen this series, do so immediately.  If you love British comedies, then you will undoubtedly love Black Books.