I, Frankenstein is a 2014 science fantasy action film directed by Stuart Beattie (Tomorrow, When the War Began), starring Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight), Bill Nighy (Underworld), Yvonne Strahovski (The Predator), Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers), Jai Courtney (Suicide Squad), Socratis Otto (Gone), and Kevin Grevioux (Underworld: Rise of the Lycans). The film follows Frankenstein’s monster, Adam, gets involved in the war between gargoyles (Heaven) and the demons (Hell) who work to take over the world.

Unfortunately, for as good of an idea as this is, the story falls flat in a lot of ways. First, there’s no depth to the story. Yeah, there’s this big war between demons and gargoyles for the fate of humanity but there’s no levels to it. There are no interesting side stories to support the effect it has on the world. No interesting side stories involving any of the characters. It’s just unremarkable. And predictable with many of the “twist” that are so easy to see a person with gouged out eyes could see them.

And it doesn’t help that this movie is incredibly fast paced. Frankenstein’s story is often portrayed as humans being the monster and the abomination being more human. Unfortunately, this movie does give our Frankenstein’s monster, Adam, enough time to develop his humanity. It would’ve been interesting to see as he explores his origins he learns more about his maker and perhaps get closer to him.

I did like that the overarching story focused on the war between the gargoyles and demons, but I definitely feel as if the movie should’ve focused more on that. The film glosses over everything without giving any one thing enough time to develop. And this is evident with the serious lack of character development for most of the characters. Again, the premise is solid and I would’ve loved to see what the film could’ve shown us. I’m definitely interested in reading the comics the film was based on. But unfortunately, it’s just mediocre. (2 out of 5)

As far as the characters are concerned, roadkill has more depth than most of the characters. Adam is out main character and he’s just not interesting. Yeah, he’s this badass demon killer but there’s nothing to him. What does he like to do? How has he dealt with his loneliness? Has he actually tried to make friends? There’s really no point in the movie I believe Adam actually had development outside of when it was convenient for the story.

The gargoyles have a little more depth. I actually like the Leonore, leader of the gargoyles. I like that the movie puts her in these situations where she makes decisions concerning Adam. We don’t really get a sense that her choices have weighed heavy on her or how it has effected her relationship with the other gargoyles. I actually liked Gideon and would’ve liked to have seen him develop Adam rather than stay one dimensional. I liked Ophir and Keziah but they get killed off way to early. And the fact that they liked each other and couldn’t be with each other was a good side story worth exploring, but wasn’t. We never even see a moment where the gargoyles are having a decent conversation.

Terra was a wasted character. What could’ve interesting about her such as her life, her motivations, her backstory are not explored. Hell, it must be hot as an iron because it wasn’t even touched on. Yeah, she’s smart and determined (I guess) but what does she bring to the movie. And this forced romance between her and Adam isn’t really tangible. And the villains. These are probably some of the worst most bland, forgettable, poorly written villains. Yeah, we see what Naberius is doing but what’s his motivations outside of being evil? So the characters sucks more than Monica Lewinsky’s reputation. I don’t think they could’ve written more forgettable characters if they tried. (2 out of 5)

Now, the performances aren’t bad. They’re actually pretty good. They won’t be winning any awards but they do their jobs. As much as I like Aaron Eckhart, he’s not given much to do in terms of actual acting. There’s no moment where he’s allowed to dig deep. Yvonne Strahovski plays Terra and she’s good. There’s a little chemistry between Eckhart and Strahovski but the movie does give it enough time to develop. Miranda Otto’s good and Jai Courtney’s good. Bill Nighy plays Viktor from Underworld. Kevin Grievoux had no reason to be in this movie. I wanted to see more of Mahesh Jadu and Caitlin Stasey’s characters. The supporting cast is good. (3 out of 5)

I can say that visually the movie looks good for the most part. The film definitely captures the mood of the story and has some good locations. There are some good set pieces and the costume designs look good. The demons have reptilian like features that make them otherworldly and the effects look good. You can definitely see the Underworld influences in the way the movie looks, is shot, and sequences that the film focus on.

The movie isn’t without its faults. The Frankenstein design looks good but way too safe. Frankenstein’s suppose to be created from several people and you never really get the sense that he was. There are no deformities nor discolorations of the skin. Just a bunch of stitches. At least he came off as a better version than both of those live action Jigsaws in the punisher movie and series. It’s good for a badass character but poor for a creature created from a bunch of people. Now to the film’s credit, the original Frankenstein’s monster doesn’t look like an amalgamation of body parts either.

The gargoyle effects are decent at times but completely noticeable at others. Why weren’t the animations either fine tuned or cut back on. This makes them look like they had come flying out PS2 game. And moments where the camera focuses on them are cringe. Then there’s the shaky cam and quick editing, which hurts the action. There’s a battle between the gargoyles and demons in the cathedral and it’s hard to know what’s happening with all the overuse of CGI fireballs and animated gargoyles, quick editing, and gargoyle effects. It even comes off more like a movie made for 3D than anything else. So, the visuals are bit of a mixed bag. (3 out of 5)

The music really isn’t bad but honestly, it’s not really memorable. Both Johnny Klimek and Reinhold Heil are talented composers with extensive careers but what we get in this film is mediocre at best. The sound design is actually serviceable and does a good job of making the movie have weight. (3 out of 5)

The writing and direction are the biggest problem with this movie and fans of the Underworld franchise can definitely see the comparisons. People aren’t new to the concept of the war between heaven and hell with the fate of humanity in the balance. And although the movie does little to deviate from it, the concept of the gargoyle/demon war is actually pretty interesting. However, the movie glosses over much of this. What and where are some of the biggest battles? What famous/infamous characters were involved in it? How has this war affected the characters? There’s no montage to illustrate it. Again, the whole backdrop of the war just feels shallow. Thumbs up to the idea of the ascending and descending concept.

The character of Adam feels inconsistent. In the beginning of the movie he notes that his creator froze to depth pursuing him in the cold wilderness and he survives because he can’t feel the cold. But as we watch the movie we realize that he can feel pain. Now, one would think if he’s immune to the cold and he’s composed of dead bodies he also shouldn’t feel pain. But there’s also the idea that he’s poorly written. What internal dilemma does he face in the movie? When he gets the journal he questions his existence? He’s gone decades upon decades of dealing with being alone, why would he all of a sudden think about it now? But he’s not alone. Nearly all of the characters are poorly written.

The fight scenes are just awful for the most part. If storytelling was a bland cake with no taste then at least the fighting and action would be the strawberry filling to compensate. However, this is just bland all around. The attack on the cathedral lacked any kind of tension with no coordination from either side. The ending fight was lackluster. The fight between Adam and Gideon was disappointing. The only fight that was decent was the fight between Adam and Zuriel and that’s because there were longer takes and the action was better choreographed.

The direction feels like it’s as chaotic as the action scenes. It definitely doesn’t know where it wants to go. Is it a story of redemption for a character who’s given up on humanity? Is it a story that follows the war between good and evil? Because the movie plays with both ideas without effectively committing to either. Stuart Beattie has written a decent amount of films and has directed even less. The best film he’s done in my opinion is the 2004 film Collateral (which is one of my favorite films of all time). But it feels like a writer trying to be a director directed this movie. (1 out of 5)

In the end, I, Frankenstein is definitely a missed opportunity and what could’ve been an improvement of the formula we’ve seen in the Underworld franchise. The idea behind the film is interesting and I would’ve like to have seen it more fleshed out and layered. But the lackluster characters, uninspired action, and poor writing and direction makes the film fall flat. I, Frankenstein deserves 2 out of 5.