Movie review: I, Frankenstein 3D

Aaron Eckhart.

A film about a battle between good and evil, I, Frankenstein is based on Kevin Grevioux's graphic novel that reimagined Mary Shelley's 1818 novel, and will be most enjoyed by those with an appreciation for angels and demons, secret underworlds and man-made monsters.

Grevioux has teamed with Australian screenwriter Stuart Beattie for his second film as director after the impressive low-budget flick Tomorrow, When the War Began.

Here, Beattie works on a larger scale, with impressive special effects and full-on action as divine archangels in the form of gargoyles battle ferocious demons. This supernatural story is set in the present, with humans having no idea how precarious the balance of power is between these two forces.

The war goes to a new level when Frankenstein, aka Adam (Eckhart), wanders into the picture.

It turns out Frankenstein's existence holds the key to the demons, led by a lively Bill Nighy, taking over the world.

This is a serious business; we know this because our strangely listless hero spends the film sulking underneath his hoodie, and when the action stops so too does all the fun.

Indeed, Beattie's characters are far too serious to take seriously, and they make it difficult to get worked up about who wins the battle for ultimate power.

You've got to wonder why the seasoned Eckhart took on the role of Frankenstein - a character so bland, unsociable and theoretically soulless that turning him into a charismatic hero was always going to be a stretch.

In this particular case, the monster might live, but unfortunately it gets lost within all the chaos surrounding him.

Cast:

Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Miranda Otto

Director:

Stuart Beattie

Running time:

93 mins

Rating:

M (fantasy violence)

Verdict:

Enjoyable action, but takes itself far too seriously

- TimeOut