Over 200 years ago, a person considered to be a madman gave him life. Dr. Frankenstein made promises to this creature that he did not fulfill; instead, he abandoned his creation by dropping him into the bottom of the river. However, the creature survived and took his revenge against Dr. Frankenstein for this betrayal. He is a monster without a soul, searching for his purpose in the world, at least that’s how an outsider would view him. From the producers of the “Underworld” movies comes a brand new take on this classic old tale of Frankenstein.
After taking his revenge, Frankenstein’s monster (Aaron Eckhart) traveled the world and found himself in a war between demons, gargoyles and divine beings who were given their purpose by the archangels to protect the earth against those demons. The Queen of Gargoyles, Leonore (Miranda Otto), names Frankenstein’s monster Adam. She offers him protection against the demons, but Adam refuses and goes out on his own to hunt down the demons who are after him.
Now, the reasons that the demons have been hunting Adam down are coming to light, and the gargoyles can’t let these demons get their hands on Adam. For these 200 years that Adam has been wandering the earth, the demon prince, Naberius (Bill Nighy), has been planning the end of all man-kind, and Adam is the key to this plan.
With the help of a naïve doctor (Yvonne Strahovski), who is trying to recreate Dr. Frankenstein’s experiment, Naberius will hopefully be successful in his plan to demolish man-kind.
Directed by Stuart Beattie, who also co-wrote the screenplay, comes a movie that fans of the “Underworld” franchise will enjoy. Viewers who have seen the “Underworld” movies will like the feel and flow of the movie, but even people who have never seen the “Underworld” movies should enjoy this tale. The movie is filled with action and suspense to the extent that slower parts were basically nonexistent. Every scene contributed to the larger story, and nothing was left out that would leave the viewer confused.
The graphics and concepts for the gargoyles and demons were unique and real. The makeup and special effects teams came together in a beautiful harmony to create these fabulous creatures and bring them to life. These elements helped contribute to the dark and gritty feel of an urban fantasy. The music composed by Johnny Klimek and Reinhold Heil added to the intensity of the movie and immersed the viewers into the story.
As for the actors, all of them were fabulous and great additions to a wonderful show. Eckhart beautifully captured the pain and conflict of Adam’s lack of knowledge about his creation or why Dr. Frankenstein betrayed him. Adam is caught up in a war that he doesn’t at first understand, but with the guide of the gargoyles, he learns the rules of this new world.
Miranda Otto is great as the leader of a race who feels like they were abandoned by the archangels. More than anything, she wants to help Adam, even though he is adamant about not needing her help. This conflict is a difficult one that Miranda Otto portrays very well.
The storyline wasn’t similar to “Underworld,” but the overall feeling was very similar. “I, Frankenstein” gets four stars for its originality, special effects and success as an urban fantasy. It’s got action, adventure and a little bit of romance.
People who like this kind of movie or who like the “Underworld” movies should definitely head to the theater to see this amazing film.
