Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		2.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Frankenstein Blu-ray Movie Review

The classic reborn...again.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 23, 2016

Note: Mill Creek has released 'Frankenstein' in two parts, the first clocking in at 1:28:16 and the second at 1:28:15 for a total runtime of 2:56:31, or approximately 177 minutes. IMDB lists the series' runtime at 3:24:00, or approximately 204 minutes. If IMDB's runtime is correct, then this release has lost around 27 minutes of material. Also of note is that Wikipedia lists the DVD runtime at 204 minutes.

Mary Shelly's acclaimed novel Frankenstein is widely regarded as one of the giants of literature, exploring not only science well ahead of its time but, more importantly, humanity through the prism of life's most basic defining moments: birth and death. In the book, man essentially plays God, constructing life from its dead remnants and facing the consequences thereof, on the makeshift individual, its creator, and on the greater world around them. It's one of the most thought-provoking stories of all time, and it's seen near countless film adaptations, ranging from the classic Universal Monster movie starring Boris Karloff to the more contemporary film starring Robert De Niro. The story has been reimagined as a comedy and repurposed to modern times. Some are more faithful adaptations than others, but one of the more fluidly sincere adaptations is this 2004 miniseries, directed by Kevin Connor (Motel Hell) and starring Luke Goss as the creature.

Finding his place in the world.

Victor Frankenstein (Alec Newman) has been obsessed with the concepts of life and death for nearly his entire life, beginning with a hunting trip as a young boy and culminating with his mother's death years later, just as he's of college and marrying age. He travels to Germany to attend school and studies under acclaimed science professor Waldman (William Hurt) who is impressed with his pupil's knowledge, curiosity, and determination. But Frankenstein still holds hope for unraveling the mysteries of life and death. He briefly reanimates a dog that was run down in the streets and, eventually, brings life to a makeshift human being. However, the creature escapes and Frankenstein comes to terms with the errors of his ways but must ultimately confront his creation if either is ever to find peace in the world they share.

This TV adaptation of Frankenstein is a tale of two parts, literally in its split but more importantly figuratively in terms of how it plays. On one hand, the material proves as gripping as ever. The film embraces and explores, to some dramatic satisfaction, the overreaching core themes of life and death, what those words mean in the physical realm, and what they mean beyond the tangible body. It explores the consequences of creating life, accepting life, and understanding life. It follows the core ideas of finding a place in the world and coming to terms with differences and realities in it. It's compelling stuff, and how could it not be given the source and this film's faithful execution thereof. Even if the film doesn't always handle that exploration with the exact same keen insight as the book, it has the basics down to a science and satisfies as a precursor to greater ideas and certainly makes a fine companion to the book. On the other hand, the movie isn't particularly robust. While not limited in runtime, its comparatively scant resources, at least compared to other versions, like Kenneth Branagh's 1994 masterpiece, show in every way. Director Kevin Connor manages to elevate substance over style, but the film plays with an oftentimes fatigued pacing. It's slow and lanky, but again its faithfulness and ability to capture the book's spirit elevates it well above the average turn at adapting Shelly's work to the screen.

Performances are by-and-large strong. Only Donald Sutherland, who plays a smaller, but nevertheless crucial, bit part as Captain of the Prometheus, feels like he's there without any care or concern for the part, granted a part that tasks him with little to stretch his skills. Alec Newman captures both sides of the title character with plenty of youthful enthusiasm and grandiose curiosity as the story begins and capably shifts to a much darker place as the narrative progresses forward. Though hardly on the same level of Kenneth Branagh's work as the same character, Newman proves capably resilient through the characters' permutations and demonstrates a keen understanding of the character's driving forces, his maturation through the process, and the concepts that evolve the character all the way to his fate at film's end. Likewise, Luke Goss can't capture the same spirit as have some of the greats to come before him -- De Niro, Karloff -- but there's an unmistakable core to the character and the actors' ability to so precisely capture the creature's base emotions and, like Frankenstein, evolution throughout the story. He's supported by adequate makeup work and direction that often accentuates his supposed size and character qualities.

Frankenstein Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Frankenstein's 1080p transfer won't turn any heads: it's usually only a step or so above "serviceable." Colors lack punch and vitality. Even the brightest natural greens, as cheery as they may be, come up short when considering the finest shading nuances. Details satisfy. The creature's makeup effects aren't intimately revealing, but there's enough raw definition to grasp what the makeup artists were going for. General skin and clothing details fall disappointingly flat and devoid of all but the most rudimentary features. Little odds and ends in labs and classrooms enjoy enough definition to allow audiences to soak up all the raw details on the set but hardly enough to really experience the world. Grain is ever-present but tends to spike. Skin tones appear a bit pasty. Black levels hold firm enough.

Frankenstein Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Frankenstein's Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack falls into the "gets the job done" category. Don't expect much more than basic sound definition. Music presents adequately with little apparent stretch, pushing towards the middle and rarely finding more breathing room out to the sides. Clarity is muddled and instrumentals mushy. Cracking thunder, driving rain, and other more aggressive sound details present with enough definition to get the point across, nothing more. Mild atmospherics tend to stretch a little further. Dialogue presents with a center push and fair clarity.

Frankenstein Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Frankenstein contains no supplemental content. The main menu offers only the option to jump to parts one or two.

Frankenstein Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The 2004 miniseries adaptation of Frankenstein doesn't match the best of its many peers, but it ranks on the positive side of the scale, certainly in terms of its faithfulness to the source and also considering its good performances. Budget constraints are obvious, but the film gets by on strength of story and enough positive support to make for a good, enveloping Frankenstein experience. Mill Creek's Blu-ray appears to be trimmed down, and rather substantially, in terms of its total runtime. Video is fair and audio is merely passable. No extras are included. Recommended for the movie alone.