I, Frankenstein

Out Tuesday, May 13, on home video — or now, if you want a digital copy — is I, Frankenstein, a steampunk action movie starring Aaron Eckhart as the titular creature, Adam.

Aaron Eckhart in I, Frankenstein

After killing his creator’s beloved — and inadvertantly his creator, who followed the monster into the winter wastes and perished — Adam is now being hunted by demons. They’re battled by gargoyles, angelic-powered warriors led by the sympathetic Queen Leonore (Miranda Otto). I was impressed by the effect in which the giant leathery wings turned into swirling capes when the gargoyles went human. (You can see that in the trailer at the end of this post.)

The demons, led by Prince Naberius (Bill Nighy in evil businessman mode), finally find Adam in the modern day, which brings him back to civilization. Naberius’ scientists, led by Yvonne Strahovski (Chuck), are trying to master reincarnation with a bunch of tech toys. If they get their hands on the creature, they’ll gain Frankenstein’s secret of making it happen.

Aaron Eckhart and Yvonne Strahovski in I, Frankenstein

I, Frankenstein is from the producers of Underworld, and from what I know of that series, they’re similar. I was also reminded of Van Helsing, which isn’t as much of a recommendation. During the prologue section of this film, Adam narrates a bunch of events that we’re shown in abbreviated glimpses. I think that story — the original, from the novel — would have made a better film, but that’s not what they’re going for here.

There are plenty of cool CGI effects and supernatural creatures battling each other. If you like this kind of action movie, I, Frankenstein is a good choice for a viewing, because the settings are visually interesting and the actors have skills. Plus, lots of British accents make the silliest dialogue sound more important.

Aaron Eckhart ready for battle in I, Frankenstein

Special Features

In addition to the film’s trailer, there are two commentaries; one by co-writer/director Stuart Beattie, the other with producer Gary Lucchesi, producer Richard Wright, visual effects supervisor James McQuaide, and co-writer/co-star Kevin Grevioux. There are also two featurettes:

• “Creating a Monster” (13 minutes) is about the makeup effects, costumes, and settings.
• “Frankenstein’s Creatures” (14 minutes) looks at the genesis of the movie as well as featuring the actors commenting on their roles.

There’s a new home video trailer, below, that shows off plenty of the special effects. (The studio provided a review copy.)