Overview: Kenneth Branagh leads an all-star cast including Robert De Niro, Helena Bonham Carter, Tom Hulce, Ian Holm, John Cleese and Aidan Quinn in his definitive cinematic version of Mary Shelley’s classic tale of gothic terror.

At the turn of the 19th century, visionary scientist Victor Frankenstein (Kenneth Branagh) embarks on an obsessive quest to conquer the mysteries of human mortality. But his hubristic bid to create life out of death goes hideously wrong, and succeeds only in begetting a deformed monster (Robert De Niro).

Horrified by what he has wrought, the scientist attempts to destroy his creation, but fails. Rejected by his creator and shunned by the world of man, the tormented creature swears vengeance against Frankenstein and his family.

As the monster begins to enact his murderous revenge, Victor must face a terrible reckoning with the tragic consequences of attempting to play God.

Mary Shelley’s seminal novel is one of the most adapted books of all time, and this retelling faithfully goes back to the original source, lushly transforming the story’s twin themes of love and death into a darkly operatic gothic romance.

Unlike many versions of Shelley’s novel, Branagh’s adaptation understands that Frankenstein’s misbegotten creation is as pitiable as he is monstrous, and never loses sight of the human tragedy lying at the core of its horrific tale.

Filled with sweeping, atmospheric visuals and powerfully emotional performances from an award-winning ensemble of acting talent, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein stands as a landmark interpretation of this enduring masterpiece.

Blu-ray Verdict: For my money, Kenneth Branagh’s 1994 version of the oft-filmed Frankenstein story was the most faithful to Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel up to that point, which explains its name. It also features some fine actors and looks great re: sets, costumes, locations, etc.

There are several quality scenes, like the creature’s time spent with the peasant family where his unseen help is taken for a good spirit of the woods, but yet too many to mentioned here one-by-one, of course.

The first time I viewed the movie I was a little turned off by its manic style. People are introduced, scenes flash by, times shift and the soundtrack blares, which struck me as overdone. The characters seemed so melodramatic at times, emoting, yelling, running, confronting, fighting, and theatrically dying!

I just wanted them to stop, take their meds, and chill for 5-10 minutes! However, I’ve since read Mary Shelley’s book and watched a very enjoyable Hallmark version re: Frankenstein (2004) with Luke Goss playing the creature, and which runs almost 3 hours, and have to admit they all have this theatrical vein running through them.

Thus, seeing this version, again I appreciated it more and was able to see how Branagh provides a nice balance between the hyper moments and more subdued sequences.

If it sometimes seems too manic it’s because Branagh tried to cram the bulk of the novel into just 2 hours. On the positive side, this makes it play better for those who prefer constant thrills, melodrama and such.

The 2004 version has almost another hour to play with and is more subdued and brooding, but, and for sure, this one is more of a blockbuster, as they say.

Speaking of the 2004 rendition, the creature is more faithful to the book (with long black hair and white teeth), but he’s also just too bloody handsome in a dark gothic way!

The creature in this version removes the hair and opts for a more gruesome depiction, which fits Victor’s description of the creature as quote-unquote hideous. In any case, De Niro does a mighty fine job in the role.

My favorite part is when the monster finds sanctuary with the rural family, unbeknownst to them. It helps the viewer get to know the creature and have compassion on his plight, but soon all sympathy is pretty much lost, of course, as we know.

On the other hand, he IS a so-called monster and thus he has an interesting discussion with Victor in his remote glacial dwelling in the high country, which helps explain his actions. The locket-framing sequence is lame, but that was a weak point of the novel as well, truth be told.

While this version and the 2004 one are the most faithful to Shelley’s book, they each omit parts and change certain things. For instance, both omit Victor’s traveling to Scotland and, later, Ireland, which was a good call.

This version alters a certain character’s death to a lynching while in the novel it was court-ordered hanging. Regardless, I enjoyed the surprise plot turn in the last act, which I’m not going to give away. And the tragic ending is well executed, if you pardon the pun!

In closing, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is similar to Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) in that they both look awesome and were produced by Francis Ford Coppola.

Any problems are due to translating convoluted 19th century gothic horror classics to modern cinema, in my humble opinion, but seeing it now after all these years as a wondrous 4K UHD presentation, well, most all can be forgiven. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

New 4K restoration from the original camera negatives by Sony Pictures Entertainment
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original uncompressed stereo audio and DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new audio commentary by film historians Michael Brooke and Johnny Mains
Brand new interview with composer Patrick Doyle
Brand new interview with costumer designer James Acheson
Brand new interview with make-up designer Daniel Parker
Mary Shelley and The Creation of a Monster, a brand new documentary featurette on the origins and evolution of the Frankenstein story, featuring Gothic specialists David Pirie, Jonathan Rigby and Stephen Volk
Dissecting Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a brand new featurette with David Pirie, Jonathan Rigby and Stephen Volk on the differences between the novel and Kenneth Branagh’s screen adaptation
Frankenstein: A Liberal Adaptation from Mrs. Shelley’s Famous Story for Edison Production (1910): The first screen adaptation of Shelley’s story in a 2K restoration by the Library of Congress, with music by Donald Sosin
Original trailers
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Laz Marquez