[This is a blog full of spoilers. Avoid it if you don't want these movies ruined.]
Honestly, my disappointment for the book had much to do with it being nothing like the movie tropes that had been commonly associated with the franchise. That said, there were also a lot of other things I disliked about the book. It wasn't just that. I went over those things in an earlier blog, so I won't go over it again here.
The first movie, "Frankenstein", is all about the creation of the Monster. It plays with the idea that there are good brains and criminal brains. The monster ultimately gets a criminal brain due to the actions of Frankenstein's hunchbacked minion. The story plays with that idea without making a strong decision one way or another. It shows the Monster showing signs of innocent behavior, even in a scene where he murders a child. He does it innocently and not because he wants to kill her. Ultimately, it's too much for the town to stand, and so they do what any town would do in such a situation: create an angry mob and take out the monster.
The sequel, "Bride of Frankenstein", continues asking the question of whether or not the monster is innocent or not. It shows that he does have feelings and desires in his new life. There is this one very interesting scene where he befriends a blind man. It ends up being one of the most touching scenes I have seen in any movie. However, once this friend is forced away from the Monster, he selfishly pursues a new one. It was like he had his comfort blanket ripped away, so he went looking for a replacement. He then tries to force Frankenstein to make a bride for him, a plot point that was taken from the book surprisingly.
Frankenstein is kind of forced into it by an evil scientist named Pretorius, who had a very sociopathic view of the creation of life. He was more of a mad scientist than Frankenstein was. Although the Bride is created, she doesn't want the Monster, and so the whole thing goes out with a tantrum on behalf of the Monster. He destroys everything. At this point, I was really thinking that the Monster was not really a good person.
In "Son of Frankenstein," the literal son of Frankenstein comes to take over the castle and soon finds out that the Monster is still alive and under the hypnotic control of Ygor... and that's cool and interesting, but it's not really what made the movie so good. This is, by the way, my favorite of the three films, and the reason is for a supporting character named Inspector Krogh. He was a would-be military general who's life was routed by the Monster who ripped his right arm off. This character 100% steals the show from his introduction all the way to the very last climactic moment of the film. He made it a good movie.
The story is really about him being suspicious that the son of Frankenstein will end up getting involved in his father's experiments. He worries that this will mean the return of the Monster and intends to deal with the situation in a very clear-headed, strategic way... and he does. The story builds this character up so well, and the ending brings him to his ultimate best. He wins and he wins handily. I love him and find his entire story inspiring.
As for the Monster in the third movie, he was a bit out of it. He feels like he is just going through some sort of mental breakdown. He is out-rightly murderous and seems to dislike how he looks... or something. It was a bit hard to read him.
All three movies are good. They are worth seeing in order. Although there are many more movies in the series after this, it doesn't look like they are particularly good. I'm getting serious cash-grab vibes from the titles and descriptions. I may watch them, but I don't really care too much about them honestly. If I watch any of them and end up liking them, I'll let you know. But in case I haven't made myself clear, the first three films are, in my own opinion, much better than the book. Watch them!
This blog was written on December 22, 2022.
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The series was as much science fiction as it was horror. Though it was science fiction since the novel, it seems the movies emphasized that aspect. The monster is more of the symptom than the cause of the troubles. The evils of humanity are what darken would could have been a triumph of creation. INTERESTING, the parody YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN explores what would have happened if the monster was created by a GOOD man.
ReplyDeleteYes, and it was a great movie despite it being a comedy. There's a reason people still chat about it today.
DeleteI agree the third is my favorite as well, Inspector Krogh was an awesome character. I've seen some of the others but can't remember anything that stood out in them so they probably were just cash grabs. It is fascinating how many tropes were spawned from these movies.
ReplyDeleteI am morbidly curious about those other movies. I may poke around a little bit to see if there are any hidden gems.
DeleteThere is something inherently creepy about taking parts from the dead and bringing something to a semblance of life. Such would be a tragic individual. The idea of a bride makes sense, since otherwise they would be alone.
ReplyDeleteDidn't make sense to the bride apparently. Hehe.
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