Texan Mosaic

by SARA MARSHALL/Photo Editor

Throughout the centuries, fear of the unknown drove many in society to become skeptical and scared of developing new sciences, which “Victor Frankenstein” vividly portrays.

Directed by Paul McGuigan (“Push”) and produced by John Davis (“Alien vs. Predator”), “Victor Frankenstein” presents the audience with an action-packed, science-fiction film with a touch of horror and thrill. It was released in theaters in November 2015 and was just released on DVD.

This newest rendition of Mary Shelly’s classic tale “Frankenstein” is told from the viewpoint of the brilliant surgeon and Frankenstein’s beloved assistant and partner, Igor Strausman, played by Daniel Radcliffe (“Harry Potter”). James McAvoy (“X-Men: First Class”) plays the eccentric inventor, Victor Frankenstein, vividly illustrating the original character’s well-known brashness and egotistical attitude.

“Victor Frankenstein” delves deep into the relationship between the young inventor and circus doctor, and how they became the mad scientist duo they are so well known for. This movie provided the depth I believe previous movies lacked regarding how they met and came to coexist as friends and fellow scientists.

The movie begins as Frankenstein is searching the London Circus for animal body parts. In comes the “hunchback,” Igor, a clown and make-shift doctor for the circus. Frankenstein not only offers Igor his friendship, but also a chance to work with him on truly life-altering research that could change the world forever. When Frankenstein’s death-defying experiments go too far, only Igor is able to bring him back from his self-absorbed madness and save him from his own creation.

I felt that this movie had just the right amount of thrill and action to keep my attention, though some moments felt flat and too drawn out. When a story is retold too many times, certain moments just become expected and seem almost boring.

The love shown between Igor and Lorelei, played by Jessica Brown Findlay (“Downtown Abbey”), was rather touching and showed how sensitive and truly human Igor was, despite previous movie portrayals of his character. Many times Igor is portrayed as an ugly, unhappy person who is not altogether that smart. His character typically seems like a witless minion of sorts.

I believe having the history between the two men, as told by Igor, allowed the movie to portray a view which had never been told previously, which proved to be rather interesting. His optimistic and almost naïve nature gave a soft touch to the retelling of Shelly’s story. “Victor Frankenstein” truly presented a unique perspective into the mind of Shelly.

This movie definitely created an interesting atmosphere with its drama, horror and science. Despite just being one of many retellings of the classic “Frankenstein,” I would give “Victor Frankenstein” 3 out of 5 stars.