Frankenstein

I really enjoyed this movie, far, far more than the over the top Kenneth Branagh version. Randy Quaid is fabulous as the monster. I particularly loved the monster in this film, as he was very sweet and childlike until he had negative experiences with humans. His expressions were very poignant and heartfelt. Also, the concept of Frankenstein feeling his monster's pain was original and interesting. Definitely impressive for a made-for-tv movie!

So there we lay on a cold, dismal day wondering what the hell to watch. Finally, we decided on another made for TV movie entitled, "Frankenstein" (1993). This 116-minute adaptation of Mary Shelley's most famous novel starred Randy Quaid as the misunderstood monster. Yes folks, that's Randy "Are you sh**ting me, Clark?" Quaid. Mr. Quaid actually does very well with the character and I am not ashamed to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Who Knew? The movie tells the somewhat overdone, yet classic, story of Dr. Victor Frankenstein and his dubious research involving the attempt to create life on his own. I will say that it was not as annoying as Kenneth Branaugh's interpretation in the sense that it was not as overacted with all those annoying "We are so happy we will run around like idiots" scenes. Don't get me wrong, Branaugh's adaptation held its own brand of charm but its hectic nature was somewhat unbearable. One thing I would like to know is how come they always pick a butt-ugly woman to play Frankenstein's ill-fated fiancée', Elizabeth? I mean, Woah! The actress playing the role in this version was hideous. Maybe that shouldn't matter, but it was hard to pay attention to the movie when all we could think about was MAN that chick is FOUL! Surprisingly, this film contained a good bit of gore as, after all, it was made for television. And I will say the method they used for making the monster was original and kind of fascinating. Check it out if you are not yet too bored with the story line of "Doctor screws up playing God"!

Ok. It's only my opinion, maybe it's not "the best" adaptation, but one of the best TV movies of all time for sure. Frankenstein with Robert De Niro is good too, but this TV version is epic. It's not horror, more like love drama with dark fantasy elements. If you are into Mary Shelley, you should definitely watch this. 10/10 from me.

With the awakening of classic monsters back onto film, such as "Bram Stoker's Dracula" and "The Mummy," it's nice to see a "Frankenstein" film that manages to work nicely.

This was a made-for-cable production, and it was a good attempt. A lot more faithful to the novel than other carnations (but it still freely takes its liberties ), this movie presented some new ideas that were interesting to think about. But the major change was the film's biggest disappointment: The monster was no longer a resurrected assembly of corpses, but a being cloned from Dr. Frank himself. Therefore, they can feel each other's pain and emotions. "Two parts of a single man," as the good doctor states. The twist is more like a "Jekyll and Hyde" idea, rather than the usual father and son relationship. It was a fascinating concept, but not really a good idea for a Frankenstein film claiming it is faithful to the book.

Other than that, it is a top notch job. David Wickes directs with good timing and the suspense it well brought out. Bergin and Quaid are good in the leads as the doctor and the monster, and John Mills also brings in a powerful performance in a cameo as a blind man. This is worth a comparison to the much better "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein," directed by Kenneth Branagh. Both have similar style and terror.

***1/2 out of *****

There have been so many versions of this story made that it would almost seem superflous to make another, yet this is the best version that I have seen because it is the most faithful to Mary Shelly's book. I saw the classic 1931 version where Karloff was the monster and he would have been proud of Quaid's performance. People who know Randy Quaid only for his role as "Cousin Eddie" in the Chevy Chase vacation films would be astounded by his fine work here. He does a remarkable job of making the monster both scary and pitiful as society treats him so badly. He screams at Frankentstein "Why did you make me like this". The scene where he murders Frankenstein's family is the most disturbing part of the film. This is a great film and with the exception of Karloff's version, it is the best Frankenstein that I have ever seen.