Comparing this version with the more literary faith 2004 version with Luke Goss

The first time I viewed Branagh's 1994 version I was a little turned off by its manic style. People are introduced, scenes flash by, times shift and the soundtrack blares, which struck me as overdone. The characters seemed so melodramatic at times, emoting, yelling, running, confronting, fighting, dying: "Ahhhhhh!!" "NoooOOOOOoooooo!!!" I just wanted them to stop, take their meds, and chill for 5-10 minutes. I’ve since read Shelley’s book and watched the even more faithful version, Hallmark’s “Frankenstein” (2004) with Luke Goss playing the creature, which runs almost 3 hours.

Seeing this version again I appreciated it more and was able to see how Branagh provides a nice balance between the hyper moments and more subdued sequences. If it sometimes seems too manic it’s because Branagh tried to cram the bulk of the novel into 2 hours. On the positive side, this makes it play better for those who prefer constant thrills, melodrama, etc. The 2004 version has almost another hour to play with and is more subdued and brooding. This one’s more of a “blockbuster.”

Speaking of the 2004 rendition, the creature is more faithful to the book (with long black hair and white teeth), but he’s also too handsome in a dark gothic way, resembling Type O Negative’s Peter Steele. The creature in this version removes the hair and opts for a more gruesome depiction, which fits Victor’s description of the creature as “hideous” (then, again, Victor unreasonably loathed his creation and was therefore extremely biased). In any case, De Niro does a fine job in the role.

My favorite part is when the monster finds sanctuary with the rural family, unbeknownst to them. It helps the viewer get to know the creature and have compassion on his plight, but soon all sympathy is pretty much lost. On the other hand, he IS a 'monster’; and he has an interesting discussion with Victor in his remote glacial dwelling in the high country, which helps explain his actions. The locket-framing sequence is lame, but that was a weak point of the novel as well.

While this version and the 2004 one are the most faithful to Shelley’s book, they each omit parts and change certain things. For instance, both omit Victor’s traveling to Scotland and, later, Ireland, which was a good call. This version alters a certain character’s death to a lynching while in the novel it was court-ordered hanging. Regardless, I enjoyed the surprise plot turn in the last act, which I’m not going to give away. And the tragic ending is well executed.

"Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" is similar to "Bram Stoker's Dracula" (1992) in that they both look awesome and were produced by Francis Ford Coppola. Any problems are due to translating convoluted 19th century gothic horror classics to modern cinema.