Birth of Frankenstein
Genre: Sci-Fi / Horror
Director: J.A. Bayona
Writer: D.R. Cobb
MONSTER UNIVERSE
Cast:
Dan Stevens .... Victor Frankenstein
Edgar Ramirez .... Frankenstein's Creation
Imogen Poots .... Elizabeth
Jeffrey Wright .... Igor
John Lithgow .... Baron Frankenstein
Geoffrey Rush .... Dr. Pretorius
Plot: A young scientist named Victor Frankenstein (Dan Stevens) approaches his professor, Dr. Pretorius (Geoffrey Rush), about project he wants to do - create human life. Pretorius is intrigued by the idea, but cautions Victor to keep quiet about any plans around the university or they may expel him.
Victor recruits an assistant, Igor (Jeffrey Wright), a former student of Pretorius. Together, Victor and Igor, break into a graveyard to try to steal a body, but are caught on their first attempt. Victor is kicked out of school, but he is still determined to conduct his experiment. Having learned what not to do on their first attempt, Victor and Igor begin to piece together a human body, the parts of which have been collected from various sources, including stealing freshly buried criminals in a cemetery. Unsatisfied with the criminal brains at their disposal, Victor sends Igor to break into the university and steal a brain from Dr. Pretorius' lab. The heist does not go as planned though, and the brain is destroyed. They settle on one of the criminal brains already at their disposal.
Elizabeth (Imogen Poots), Victor's fiance, becomes worried about the amount of time Victor has been spending in his lab, which he has built inside of an old clock tower. She goes to visit Dr. Pretorius to ask him if he knows what Victor is working on because he won't tell her. Pretorius tells her that Victor has been working on creating life. Elizabeth and Dr. Pretorius go to Victor's lab just as Victor and Igor are doing their final tests. Victor tells them to watch. Victor starts his machines which begin zapping electrical currents into the body they assembled. The hand of the creature begins to move - to the amazement of everyone there.
Frankenstein's creation (Edgar Ramirez), despite its grotesque form, initially appears to be a simple, innocent creature. Victor welcomes it into his lab and asks it to sit down with him and Dr. Pretorius. Igor drops some glass beakers on the staircase, frightening the creature, who starts destroying the lab in a tantrum. Victor and Igor chain the creature up in a back room. They leave the creature locked up while they consider its fate. While Victor and Pretorius discuss what to do with the creature, they hear a scream come from the back room. They run in to find that the creature has snapped Igor's neck. The creature lunges at them, but they manage to get out of the room and lock the door. Realizing the creature must be destroyed, Victor prepares an injection of a powerful drug which he hands to Pretorius. Victor unlocks the door, and as the creature attacks Victor, Pretorius injects the drug into the creature's back. Victor collapses from exhaustion.
Elizabeth comes to the lab with Victor's father, Baron Frankenstein (John Lithgow), and take him home. Victor is worried about the creature, but Pretorius reassures im that he will destroy it. While Victor is at home preparing for his wedding, Dr. Pretorius is at the lab preparing to vivisect the creature. Suddenly, the creature reawakens, throws Pretorius against a wall and escapes the lab.
The creature runs out of the city and into farmland. He comes across a young girl by a lake. She is not afraid of him and asks him to play a game with her in which they toss flowers into a lake and watch them float. The creature enjoys the game, but when they run out of flowers he thinks the girl will float as well, so he throws her into the lake where, to his puzzlement, she drowns. Upset by this outcome, the creature runs away.
Preparations for the wedding are completed. As Elizabeth is preparing her dress, the creature sneaks into her room. She screams and the creature runs away. The little girl's body is found by her father, who begins rallying the townspeople together to find the murderer. Henry searches for the creature as well, and is discovered by the creature in the forest. The creatures knocks Victor unconscious and drags him through the woods to an old abandoned barn. The townspeople eventually surround the barn to keep the creature inside and set fire to it, not knowing that Victor is inside as well. Victor wakes up to fire around him. Victor apologizes to the creature for locking him up in the lab and asks the creature to let him escape the barn while he still can.
Victor escapes the burning barn. The townspeople watch the barn burn to the ground. In the morning, they inspect the burnt remains of the barn, but are unable to find the creature's body.
At the Frankenstein estate, Baron Frankenstein gives a toast at Victor and Elizabeth's wedding. As Baron Frankenstein speaks, Victor notices a figure watching the wedding from a nearby hillside.
Director: J.A. Bayona
Writer: D.R. Cobb
MONSTER UNIVERSE
Cast:
Dan Stevens .... Victor Frankenstein
Edgar Ramirez .... Frankenstein's Creation
Imogen Poots .... Elizabeth
Jeffrey Wright .... Igor
John Lithgow .... Baron Frankenstein
Geoffrey Rush .... Dr. Pretorius
Plot: A young scientist named Victor Frankenstein (Dan Stevens) approaches his professor, Dr. Pretorius (Geoffrey Rush), about project he wants to do - create human life. Pretorius is intrigued by the idea, but cautions Victor to keep quiet about any plans around the university or they may expel him.
Victor recruits an assistant, Igor (Jeffrey Wright), a former student of Pretorius. Together, Victor and Igor, break into a graveyard to try to steal a body, but are caught on their first attempt. Victor is kicked out of school, but he is still determined to conduct his experiment. Having learned what not to do on their first attempt, Victor and Igor begin to piece together a human body, the parts of which have been collected from various sources, including stealing freshly buried criminals in a cemetery. Unsatisfied with the criminal brains at their disposal, Victor sends Igor to break into the university and steal a brain from Dr. Pretorius' lab. The heist does not go as planned though, and the brain is destroyed. They settle on one of the criminal brains already at their disposal.
Elizabeth (Imogen Poots), Victor's fiance, becomes worried about the amount of time Victor has been spending in his lab, which he has built inside of an old clock tower. She goes to visit Dr. Pretorius to ask him if he knows what Victor is working on because he won't tell her. Pretorius tells her that Victor has been working on creating life. Elizabeth and Dr. Pretorius go to Victor's lab just as Victor and Igor are doing their final tests. Victor tells them to watch. Victor starts his machines which begin zapping electrical currents into the body they assembled. The hand of the creature begins to move - to the amazement of everyone there.
Frankenstein's creation (Edgar Ramirez), despite its grotesque form, initially appears to be a simple, innocent creature. Victor welcomes it into his lab and asks it to sit down with him and Dr. Pretorius. Igor drops some glass beakers on the staircase, frightening the creature, who starts destroying the lab in a tantrum. Victor and Igor chain the creature up in a back room. They leave the creature locked up while they consider its fate. While Victor and Pretorius discuss what to do with the creature, they hear a scream come from the back room. They run in to find that the creature has snapped Igor's neck. The creature lunges at them, but they manage to get out of the room and lock the door. Realizing the creature must be destroyed, Victor prepares an injection of a powerful drug which he hands to Pretorius. Victor unlocks the door, and as the creature attacks Victor, Pretorius injects the drug into the creature's back. Victor collapses from exhaustion.
Elizabeth comes to the lab with Victor's father, Baron Frankenstein (John Lithgow), and take him home. Victor is worried about the creature, but Pretorius reassures im that he will destroy it. While Victor is at home preparing for his wedding, Dr. Pretorius is at the lab preparing to vivisect the creature. Suddenly, the creature reawakens, throws Pretorius against a wall and escapes the lab.
The creature runs out of the city and into farmland. He comes across a young girl by a lake. She is not afraid of him and asks him to play a game with her in which they toss flowers into a lake and watch them float. The creature enjoys the game, but when they run out of flowers he thinks the girl will float as well, so he throws her into the lake where, to his puzzlement, she drowns. Upset by this outcome, the creature runs away.
Preparations for the wedding are completed. As Elizabeth is preparing her dress, the creature sneaks into her room. She screams and the creature runs away. The little girl's body is found by her father, who begins rallying the townspeople together to find the murderer. Henry searches for the creature as well, and is discovered by the creature in the forest. The creatures knocks Victor unconscious and drags him through the woods to an old abandoned barn. The townspeople eventually surround the barn to keep the creature inside and set fire to it, not knowing that Victor is inside as well. Victor wakes up to fire around him. Victor apologizes to the creature for locking him up in the lab and asks the creature to let him escape the barn while he still can.
Victor escapes the burning barn. The townspeople watch the barn burn to the ground. In the morning, they inspect the burnt remains of the barn, but are unable to find the creature's body.
At the Frankenstein estate, Baron Frankenstein gives a toast at Victor and Elizabeth's wedding. As Baron Frankenstein speaks, Victor notices a figure watching the wedding from a nearby hillside.
BOX OFFICE
Budget: $88,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $161,452,074
Foreign Box Office: $161,455,090
Total Profit: $209,407,782
Domestic Box Office: $161,452,074
Foreign Box Office: $161,455,090
Total Profit: $209,407,782
REVIEWS
"I really can't say this movie added anything to the Frankenstein mythos. It seems a bit cobbled together from pieces of the successful adaptations - much like the creature itself." - Sean Williamson, Toronto Star
"While it hits most of the traditional beats, the performances and the direction set it apart from other recent Frankenstein adaptations." - Bruce Vickers, Baltimore Sun
"Visually, this is one of the best looking films I've seen in a while. Sure, the story is a bit too familiar, but it's the fine attention to detail that makes this Frankenstein stand out." - Stephen Ridley, Boston Globe
Rated PG-13 for violence, some sexual content and graphic images.
Filming Locations:
Prague, Czech Republic
Prague, Czech Republic
- Luke Evans, Hugh Dancy, Tom Hiddleston, Nicholas Hoult and Jack Huston all auditioned for the role of Dr. Victor Frankenstein.
- Alexander Skarsgard turned down the role of Frankenstein's Creation.
- Alexander Skarsgard turned down the role of Frankenstein's Creation.