KENNETH BRANAGH gives dramatic Shakespearean treatment to Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN, playing every scene as if he's in a Greek tragedy of tremendous depth. His over-the-top histrionics become increasingly overwhelming as the film goes on and on, badly needing some tightening in story structure. Instead, it comes across vividly in bits and pieces, stitched together much the way the monster itself was created by Victor Frankenstein.
There are genuinely frightful moments with creepiness made more effective by Patrick Doyle's score, but there are equally moments that serve no purpose in the story and are there simply for shock effect, such as the mother's death during childbirth.
ROBERT DiNIRO has to suffer beneath extravagantly scarred make-up but does a creditable job as the creature. Despite the realistic make-up, he's never as scary as Boris Karloff in the original Universal film nor does he ever overact the role the way Branagh does with Victor Frankenstein.
HELENA BONHAM CARTER is fine as Elizabeth and has some shocking moments toward the film's climax. Visually the film has some majestic photography and the special effects for the fire scenes are both realistic and gruesome.
This may be a more faithful rendering of the "Frankenstein" tale, but due to clumsy story structure and length, it's never tight enough to produce the kind of thrills it was after.
There are genuinely frightful moments with creepiness made more effective by Patrick Doyle's score, but there are equally moments that serve no purpose in the story and are there simply for shock effect, such as the mother's death during childbirth.
ROBERT DiNIRO has to suffer beneath extravagantly scarred make-up but does a creditable job as the creature. Despite the realistic make-up, he's never as scary as Boris Karloff in the original Universal film nor does he ever overact the role the way Branagh does with Victor Frankenstein.
HELENA BONHAM CARTER is fine as Elizabeth and has some shocking moments toward the film's climax. Visually the film has some majestic photography and the special effects for the fire scenes are both realistic and gruesome.
This may be a more faithful rendering of the "Frankenstein" tale, but due to clumsy story structure and length, it's never tight enough to produce the kind of thrills it was after.