Branagh-stein

While producing and starring in Frankenstein (1994), Kenneth Branagh should have noticed how closely the story of Victor Frankenstein and his monster paralleled Branagh's own production. What happens when a overzealous creator becomes too invested in his brainchild? The answer, of course, is utter chaos, and Branagh is foolish for having thought otherwise.

Branagh plays Dr. Frankenstein, the aspiring physician-in-training whose desire to practice medicine stems from the death of his mother. But the medicine Dr. Frankenstein wants to practice is largely considered taboo by his colleagues. Nonetheless, with the help of an older and more unorthodox physician, Dr. Frankenstein is able to start trying to reanimate corpses. The irony here is that his best friend and source of moral advice is a character played by Tom Hulce from Animal House. If that's not a sign that things will soon go wrong, then I don't know what is.

Just as Dr. Frankenstein's project turns messy, so does Branagh's. Instead of remaining completely faithful to the 1818 novel, he adds his own offbeat elements to the storyline which includes violence, overly-dramatic music, and more violence. Perhaps Branagh was worried that an accurate retelling of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein would be too boring for modern audiences to enjoy. This concern would explain some of the more ridiculous displays of action and carnage such as the bungee jump style lynching, or the Yeti-like climbing skills with which the monster scales the Swiss Alps. Even more gratuitous is scene in which the monster, with nothing but his bare hand, eviscerates the heart of Dr. Frankenstein's wife. It is one of those cinematic moments that leaves the audience asking, "Did that really just happen?"

Unfortunately, it did.