Film review: 'I, Frankenstein' fails to raise a scare

Film: I, Frankenstein
Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Miranda Otto, Yvonne Strahovski
Director: Stuart Beattie
Rating: **

What’s it about:
An odd attempt to take an old literary classic monster and give him a modern day make over, I, Frankenstein comes across as a sold out attempt to cash in on the super hero franchise. Aaron Eckhart plays the lead role and while he might look the part the script doesn’t give him much meat to chew on. Having an Underworld hang over, the film has the same dark tone and deals with the ongoing battle between two species of gargoyles and demons.

What’s hot:
Trying to make it stylish like Sin City, the director lets his creative team get the better of the material it’s based on. Eckhart has worked on his physique to look the part and has a few scenes where he’s able to convincingly emote beneath all that make up! Fans of graphic novels will enjoy the visual depiction of the storyboard.

What’s not:
There is a certain lethargy that sets in early on in the film. You can predict the entire plot 10 minutes into the opening scene. Also Frankenstein has always been someone with a deep dark brooding sense of humor that is missing here. The fight sequences and big moments seem heavily inspired and borrowed from recent super hero flicks.  Trying to hard to fit into either the horror or thriller genre the film fails on retaining our interest as we drag ourselves into a tedious second half.

 What to do:
Mildly entertaining, I, Frankenstein fails to raise a scare or keep us on the edge of our seat. 

Watch the trailer: