Now that I’ve seen ” I, Frankenstein”   I must say it was not what I thought it would be. I was expecting a green skinned, neck bolted guy.

Nope.  This movie is based on the graphic novel I, Frankenstein by Kevin Grevioux. This Frankenstein’s monster is the original from 200 years ago, but the story is set in the present day. No spoilers, I won’t say how, but the present day setting is part of a great story in the movie!

This monster looks like the actor who plays him,  a nicely tan and muscular Aaron Eckhart.  Tough as nails, stronger than the average man, and not prone to the mental challenges that typically characterize both Frankenstein and the Incredible Hulk,  this Frankenstein’s monster  can think, talk,  and put together a good sentence.

This story is a classic tale about good and evil. In this movie  there are many angels (the Good guys) and many demons (Bad guys)  The Angels, (disguised as gargoyles, who are disguised at times as good looking  humans) battle demons (who are disguised as well-dressed, not-so-good-looking  professional men and security personnel in suits.)

I have, in the past, thought that gargoyles represented demons, therefore I’ve never liked them,– neither on top of cathedrals, nor on private property.  But here in this movie, knowing they represent good angels, that their ‘gargoyle-ness’ is just a disguise,  I found they weren’t so creepy. In fact, in their ‘human’ form, as they often appear in the movie, they’re just cool tough guys.  The gargoyles are the good guys?  In fact, they’re angels in disguise to protect humans from the demons. It was certainly a new way to look at gargoyles.

(I suppose to demons, angels in all their goodness must appear quite as frightening as gargoyles appear to humans!)

The producers of this movie did well by not making this horror movie too frightening.  No body parts flying during the battle scenes. No fire-hose of blood shooting on everyone and spraying the camera.  In fact, in hindsight, I don’t think I saw ANY blood at all. So in that sense it is a family movie.  The demons are usually in human form, though the movie gives brief glimpses into their real (slightly more scary) appearance  right before the demons are going to die. But the images are brief.

Typically the death of an Angel/gargoyle was depicted with white light shooting up to heaven. When the demons died, there was orange streaks that shot off like errant fireworks. I do think this movie is too much for young children. But this was a good movie for older teens, showing goodness, virtue, right choices, and  evil portrayed as not desirable.  Evil was not ‘glamorized’ as it is in some movies.

Even the Prince of Demons, ( played by the actor Bill Nighy) is portrayed as very ‘uncool.’ Bill Nighy is not the average teens picture of coolness.

NO teen EVER wants to grow up to be Bill Nighy!!

Although Frankenstein’s creation does have skin graphs everywhere, my daughter pointed out that in the original book, by Mary Shelly, the skin and parts were supposed to be taken from many different bodies.

She reasoned that the skin should have had different colors, some patches being very white, others tan, and still others brown.

Instead, this monster has a tan that is evenly distributed throughout all his different supposed skin-graph-parts. While it might have been more true to the story to give him the mis-matched skin and body parts, I personally preferred that they go easy on the monster’s skin graphs and  misshapenned looks. Instead, Frankenstein’s monster is a tough looking, tanned, muscular modern ‘monster’ who isn’t too scary, and maybe even slightly handsome.

Some may rant that  this movie isn’t ‘theologically’ correct, and they are correct. There is a bit in the movie that says something like God is threatened  because, prior to Frankenstein’s monster, only God has ever been able to create life. But now that Frankenstein did it, God isn’t too happy– or words to that effect.  Later, though, the movie clarifies that God is the only one who can create ‘Souls’- and therefore, Frankenstein’s creation doesn’t have a soul. This is developed more later in the movie. And then they discover at the very end… BUT WAIT!  NO spoilers!

Would I recommend this movie? If you like an occasional horror movie then definitely yes.

While there was no sex in this movie, it was still Not for children, due to scary images.

(Note: Rating is PG 13)

If you are a fan of the Frankenstein story, I recommend this movie- it was well done! Actually, unlike my kids, I never read the book, and don’t intend to, but I really liked this movie!

Michele Marie