In the next few weeks, I hope to view both of the James Whale Frankenstein movies and discuss my thoughts on them. For now though, I'm going to start w/ the Robert DeNiro version that was released in 1994, for no other reason that I've recently watched that movie and it's still fresh in my mind.
It's hard to believe that it's been 20 years since this movie came out. I was in high school at the time, and though I was very much a fan of the Gary Oldman Dracula flick, the previews for this newly updated Frankenstein didn't impress me much. In other words, I didn't see it. Over the years that followed I caught chunks of the movie on various channels at various times but never took the time to sit and watch it straight through. I suppose I was almost always up for a new take on vampires or werewolves but when it came to Frankenstein's monster, I always preferred to just stick with the older Universal flicks.
Recently, that changed when I picked up a used copy of Frankenstein (1994) on DVD. Twenty years later and it was time to give this movie a go. The first thing that I need to point out is that I did enjoy this movie. I would have liked to seen some different casting choices but I wasn't turned off by any of the actors in this. These actor/actress's worked just fine. I found John Cleese to be particularly interesting as I couldn't think of another time when Cleese played a non comedic role. He works well here and I was a bit saddened to see Cleese exit the movie so soon after we meet him. While the first 30 minutes or so of the movie is necessary to establish some things, it's really after this point that the movie starts to get good. I was immediately jealous of Victor Frankenstein's new attic bachelor pad. That's the kind of apartment that I wouldn't mind living in. I suppose that it was really a downgrade compared to the castle/mansion that Victor grew up in. That place had a pretty killer attic too. But the solidarity of his school apartment seemed to make it appealing to me. From there on, Dr. Frankenstein's creation takes shape and things get dreary all over. The last one third of this film might be the most depressing in the history of film. The end holds nothing for us but fire and death. What do you take away from a film like this? Do not tamper with the laws of nature? Wasn't that the message of the 1932 classic and well, the Frankenstein mythos in general? I guess so, but unlike its Karloff counterpart, this is not a monster movie. It's a movie that's more about the desolation of the Frankenstein household and in particular the downfall of Baron Victor Frankenstein than anything else. I'd be interested to know what Robert DeNiro thinks of this movie 20 years later. Again, I did enjoy the movie. But it's not a movie that takes you on an incredible journey. It's one that shows a man's world torn apart by his own doing, with no happy ending in sight. If you feel that you are up to it, then by all means, put this movie in and let Dr. Victor Frankenstein tell you his story. But be cautious, you may not like where his story takes you.
GRADE: C
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