James McAvoy meets his creation (Spencer Wilding) in VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN, a new go at Mary Shelley’s tale penned by Max Landis.
However, it is available online at knock-down prices.
VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN
2015, 20th Century Fox, 109m 16s, $14.99 DVD-1, $39.99 BD-A
By Shane M. Dallmann
While Calvin Floyd’s 1977 of- fering of the same title (released as TERROR OF FRANKENSTEIN in the US) stood as a sincere at- tempt to faithfully transcribe Mary Shelley’s novel to the screen, di- rector Paul McGuigan (PUSH, the BBC’s SHERLOCK) offered VIC- TOR FRANKENSTEIN as a lavish continuation of the purely cin- ematic Frankenstein legacy as scripted by Max Landis (the son of veteran director John Landis, CHRONICLE and AMERICAN ULTRA).
Though tradition (not to mention audience recognition) demands that the Maker of Mon- sters be cited by name in the title of any proper Frankenstein film
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(the animated IGOR was scarcely that), McGuigan’s offering is pre- sented from the viewpoint of his assistant, first seen as a name- less, hunchbacked circus clown (Daniel Radcliffe). While said clown is treated with contempt and abuse by the only world he has ever known, his passion for book-learning and anatomical research is tolerated by the cir- cus because it occasionally comes in handy—no more so than when he saves the life of aerialist Lorelei (Jessica Brown Findlay of DOWNTON ABBEY) af- ter a traumatic accident. The skills of the clown are duly noted by the visiting medical student of the title (James McAvoy of the X- Men prequels); but when Victor offers the former a ticket out of his miserable existence, the cir- cus owner takes drastic steps to prevent such circumstances, and the ensuing fracas results in an unintentional fatality. And while Inspector Turpin (Andrew Scott of SPECTRE and the
aforementioned SHERLOCK) eas- ily concludes that the fugitives are innocent of murder, evidence that Victor is engaging in experiments that defy the will of God steels the devout detective’s resolve to stop him by any means necessary. Indeed, Victor is on the verge of creating artificial life, and he now has the perfect accomplice, whom he freshly introduces to humanity by curing his physical afflictions and providing him with a new identity—the clown is now “Igor Strassman,” named for Victor’s perpetually absent room- mate. The freshly-christened Igor is given free reign over Frankenstein’s library and laboratory apparatus and en- thusiastically applies his skills to the creation of Victor’s first “Prometheus” (a simian mon- strosity cobbled together from various animal parts). The pre- sentation is a near-complete di- saster, but it’s enough to attract the interest of Frankenstein’s con- temptuous classmate Finnegan
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