All right...it's Cushing acting, it's Fisher directing, it's Hammer Studios, it's Frankenstein. I should have had a great time with this...and I was glad I saw it. But...
Here's my problem. This 5th chapter of the series takes the story in the only direction it could really go without becoming stale: it becomes less and less about the Monster, and more and more about the utterly ruthless and despicable bastard that Frankenstein himself turns into in his pursuit of the mastery of life after death.
This makes perfect sense...but it's no fun to watch. Without the lightning storms, with city rooming houses replacing the castles, without the villagers and the burgermeister, with casual murder replacing the grave robbing, with blackmail replacing the friendship turning to alienation and fear, with pathetic victims and brain transplant cases replacing the patchwork monster...this fifth film just replaced too many of the story elements that made the earlier films such a blast to watch.
That's not to say this isn't a well made film. It's very well made, one of Fisher's best. The setups are perfect, the dialog is lively, the actors work it like it's Shakespeare, the music punches things up, and everything looks great.(The final fiery scene of destruction in which Frankenstein finally meets his end (?) is excellent.)
But it just isn't fun any more, and I just don't want to see Cushing's Frankenstein in action anymore because he's completely lost his charm and likability.
There may well be another in the series, and if I find it, I will watch it...but I'm not sanguine about it.
Here's my problem. This 5th chapter of the series takes the story in the only direction it could really go without becoming stale: it becomes less and less about the Monster, and more and more about the utterly ruthless and despicable bastard that Frankenstein himself turns into in his pursuit of the mastery of life after death.
This makes perfect sense...but it's no fun to watch. Without the lightning storms, with city rooming houses replacing the castles, without the villagers and the burgermeister, with casual murder replacing the grave robbing, with blackmail replacing the friendship turning to alienation and fear, with pathetic victims and brain transplant cases replacing the patchwork monster...this fifth film just replaced too many of the story elements that made the earlier films such a blast to watch.
That's not to say this isn't a well made film. It's very well made, one of Fisher's best. The setups are perfect, the dialog is lively, the actors work it like it's Shakespeare, the music punches things up, and everything looks great.(The final fiery scene of destruction in which Frankenstein finally meets his end (?) is excellent.)
But it just isn't fun any more, and I just don't want to see Cushing's Frankenstein in action anymore because he's completely lost his charm and likability.
There may well be another in the series, and if I find it, I will watch it...but I'm not sanguine about it.