Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Might I say right off the bat that this film was a shocker. Robert DeNiro makes a surprisingly frightening Frankenstein Monster! Kenneth Branagh directed this one and also starred in it as Victor Frankenstein alongside Helena Bonham Carter (why, in all of the movies she is in, must she have ridiculous hair!?) and a small bit by John Cleese. I must admit I was afraid to watch this, not because it might have been scary, but because it would have been terrible, but was I was pleasantly surprised.

Now, I'm a big fan of low-budget movies, but there are some that are just...bad....

This one isn't completely atrocious, but it still has its weak points. Throughout the film there are intermittent periods of extreme happiness followed by something completely tragic. Sheesh! More mood swings than a woman going through menopause!! And although some of the acting is sub-par (ahem, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hulce), the overall story is pretty good, albeit a bit choppy. It's also one of the best Frankenstein films I've seen and the monster is great!

This is definitely on my list of films to see again and to suggest to others!