6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 3.2 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.7 |
Another adaption of Mary Shelley's novel about a scientist who brings life to a creature fashioned from corpses and various body parts.
Starring: Julie Delpy, William Hurt, Donald Sutherland, Alec Newman, Luke GossHorror | 100% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (448 kbps)
None
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 2.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
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.
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'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 contains no supplemental content. The main menu offers only the option to jump to parts one or two.
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.
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