There have been plenty of adaptations and riffs on Mary Shelley’s classic horror novel, Frankenstein. But if any might cause the author to turn in her grave, this could be the one. Despite its best efforts, I, Frankenstein is a clunky, malformed mess.
Picking up right where the original story left off, this tale finds the mad scientist’s monster given the moniker of Adam (Aaron Eckhart). After being attacked by demons, he’s quickly introduced to the High Queen of the Gargoyle Order (Miranda Otto). Our scarred hero learns that a great conflict for the fate of humanity rages between demons and gargoyles. He also discovers that minions of the Demon Prince Naberius (Bill Nighy) are out to kidnap him for a hidden purpose. Not wishing to become involved with any group, Adam disappears, only to return to his city of birth 200 years later. Thankfully, in his centuries of exile he has learned the crafts of stick-fighting and body building. Now, the protagonist finds himself hunting the very demons who are chasing him.
Inevitably, Adam is forced to choose a side in this secret war, “…that must be fought in the shadows.” What follows are large-scale battles between Adam (along with some of his gargoyle pals, who can appear in human form with armor and cowl/hoodie), and the vicious demons. These clashes cause immeasurable property damage and destroy vehicles as well as entire buildings. That is, when they aren’t sending giant beams of fire and holy light into the sky. So much for fighting in the shadows. Thank goodness that the large, modern day city center streets are completely unpopulated.
It’s no surprise that the majority of the film is devoted to these action scenes. And they are slickly shot and edited. Yet they can’t work if the story isn’t engaging. And between the fights, all that exists are clumsy breaks comprised of awkward exposition. These include conversations about the history of the gargoyle cause and explanations of a character’s position within the demon hierarchy. Even some sort of character arc for Adam might invest viewers in this tale, but his is about the slimmest seen in recent memory. All he truly desires is to find a purpose or meaning in life. To viewers, Adam appears to have two options: killing demons professionally and/or becoming a personal trainer.
Additionally, it doesn’t help to engage viewers when Adam’s inner torment partly comes from being shunned by humans for his disfigured appearance. The scar tissue displayed is extremely minimal, making his anguish seem, frankly, silly. Even stranger is the reaction of humans who do manage to look upon him. They react in shock and horror, which comes across as utterly unbelievable.
The weaknesses readily apparent aren’t the fault of the actors. The cast are all talented, but the material they’ve been given is far, far beneath them. As a result, they’re forced to slum their way through an extremely poor script. One can get a few unintentional laughs out of hearing Eckhart growl, “Descend in pain, demon!” or Nighy exclaim, “I am a Demon Prince! Kneel before me!” but on the whole the film isn’t even campy enough to enjoy in a so-bad-it’s-good manner.
I, Frankenstein may appeal to young boys looking for literally any kind of action film available to them. Everyone else would be wise to stay away. Frankly, there’s just no life to be found in this tale.