After buying the 'Legacy' DVDs for the classic Universal Big Three (Wolf Man, Dracula, Frankenstein monster) I've had a good time going back & revisiting all the old favorites of my childhood. I started with the monster & have to admit I found this first interpretation of Whale's monster story to be a bit lacking. Not bad, but not as great as it's hyped to be, unlike its sequel.
The opening setting for the film is certainly impressive, with the tearful mourners and the 'mad' doctor and henchman lurking in the background, waiting to take the freshly buried corpse (He's just resting, waiting for a new life to come). Colin Clive sets the tone for the movie as he tosses a big shovel full of dirt in the face of the statue of Death that's positioned behind him. Clive is really the star in this one & it's his performance that kept me into this one for the most part, particularly the unforgettable sequence as he gives life to the monster in front of the stunned eyes of his soon to be wife Elizabeth, Victor, and his old mentor Dr. Waldman.
Any review of FRANKENSTEIN wouldn't be complete without a mention of "Karloff". He gives a good deal of humanity to the monster & I certainly empathized with his plight of being thrust into an alien world, where everyone, including his maker, is all too ready to shun him because of how different he is from the "normal" folks. But Karloff's screen time feels awfully small compared to how much we get of him in the "Bride". There's a feeling that there could've been a lot more for Whale to explore with the monster in the movie, but couldn't due to the limited runtime.
To conclude, I'll say 'Frankenstein' is just a "good" movie that certainly is a sufficient starting point for the greatness that would come 4 years later.
7/10
The opening setting for the film is certainly impressive, with the tearful mourners and the 'mad' doctor and henchman lurking in the background, waiting to take the freshly buried corpse (He's just resting, waiting for a new life to come). Colin Clive sets the tone for the movie as he tosses a big shovel full of dirt in the face of the statue of Death that's positioned behind him. Clive is really the star in this one & it's his performance that kept me into this one for the most part, particularly the unforgettable sequence as he gives life to the monster in front of the stunned eyes of his soon to be wife Elizabeth, Victor, and his old mentor Dr. Waldman.
Any review of FRANKENSTEIN wouldn't be complete without a mention of "Karloff". He gives a good deal of humanity to the monster & I certainly empathized with his plight of being thrust into an alien world, where everyone, including his maker, is all too ready to shun him because of how different he is from the "normal" folks. But Karloff's screen time feels awfully small compared to how much we get of him in the "Bride". There's a feeling that there could've been a lot more for Whale to explore with the monster in the movie, but couldn't due to the limited runtime.
To conclude, I'll say 'Frankenstein' is just a "good" movie that certainly is a sufficient starting point for the greatness that would come 4 years later.
7/10