The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

As the latest reimagining of Mary Shelley’s 1818’s classic gothic horror tale, Victor Frankenstein is certainly entertaining and even ambitious, but it’s uneven plotting and execution, plus the fact that, at the end of the day, it doesn’t really offer anything new – only some rather over-the-top action sequences.

Written by Max Landis – see American Ultra – the story takes place in 19^th century England, where a young, unnamed hunchback (Radcliffe) is working as a terribly deprived – and constantly mocked – circus clown who likes to spend his time learning about the human anatomy. His life soon changes when, after an incident during one of the circus shows, he comes across a loud and an eccentric medical student named, Victor Frankenstein (McAvoy), who is quickly drawn by the clown’s brilliant mind and understanding of science.

Deciding to take him under his wing, Victor cures his new protégé of his physical illness, gives him a new name – Igor – and provides him with a job as his lab assistant where he’s to help him experiment on reviving dead-body tissue through electricity. Shocked, but seemingly taken in by Victor’s enthusiasm, Igor soon begins helping his rescuer do the necessary research.  However, the pair soon draws in the unnecessary attention from Inspector Turpin (Scott), who doesn’t approve of Victor’s ungodly work and as mad scientist’s obsession grows, Igor is forced to wonder just how far he’s prepared to go in helping Victor to achieve his ultimate goal.

The film offers a blend of genres and elements, including a heavy serving of dark comedy, the kind of Victorian adventure set-up we’ve seen in Guy Ritchie’s adaptation of Sherlock Holmes and a hint of romance; but all the strands never really come together leaving Victor Frankenstein a little out of place in each of the genres it touches on. The film’s tonal imbalance is evident throughout and, although Paul McGuigan attempts to distract us with a series of stylish on-screen graphics intended to illustrate and describe the inner workings of his character’s minds, his efforts are relatively short-lived. Told entirely from Igor’s perspective, this deviation from the source material is welcoming, however any hopes of delivering fresh new angles or insights into Frankenstein’s long-established mythology is quickly dampened by the film’s inability to maintain a consistent beat to drum to.

Despite their efforts, though, Victor Frankenstein is a forgettable entry into a gothic world that has already seen numerous onscreen and onstage revivals since its birth almost two hundred years ago.