Review: Victor Frankenstein

DF-03663 – James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe star as Victor Frankenstein and his friend and assistant Igor, in VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN, a dynamic and thrilling twist on a legendary tale.

I rented this movie last weekend.

I do NOT regret doing so.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

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The movie was eye candy from the first scene. The only misgiving I had was, given how some of the elements were depicted (visualizing anatomical drawings over people and animals, and Victor’s ability to kick ass), was that this was going to follow a similar formula to Robert Downey, Jr.’s version of Sherlock Holmes. Don’t get me wrong; I love those movies. I just didn’t want this to be a riff on them.

It was not.

This was pleasingly, refreshingly, and surprisingly a very well done reworking of Mary Shelley’s classic horror of the new Prometheus. We get the story from Igor’s perspective (a character I’ve learned was not IN the book but was created by the motion picture industry).

I like that Igor was presented as (SPOILER) an intelligent, talented, self-educated physician who just happened to have a very large, malforming cyst rather than being a true hunchback. One thing Daniel Radcliffe excels at is portraying an intelligent, humble, loyal character rescued from an abusive situation.

Victor Frankenstein, as portrayed by James McAvoy, is quite the character, as well. He is not evil, but he is a genius… and quite mad; passionately so. I must admit, McAvoy can play mad boy to the hilt. (My fellow Girl Genius fans will get the “mad boy” reference.) Igor sees his madness, worries about his friend/savior, even tries to convince him to stop, step back, and reconsider the boundaries about to be crossed. In the end, loyalty to his friend wins out; and Victor’s madness and passion are so fervent, neither he nor this viewer could avoid getting swept up in them.

One of my favorite scenes is when Victor and Igor get piss drunk on whiskey while they design the “monster” and how to make it viable. At one point, Igor asks, “Why a flat head?” Victor’s response is an enthusiastic, “Because I LIKE it!”

We are even given enough sparingly revealed back story on Victor to let us understand and, to a point, sympathize with what drove him to this course. The moment I saw who was cast as his father (Charles Dance), I thought, Well, this can’t be good.

Overall, I found the movie Victor Frankenstein to be well written, well acted, and visually stunning.

Apologies and Progress Report

First of all, I would like to apologize to the organizers of Steampunk Expo & Gothic Con. I have repeatedly harped about the lack of adequate notice ahead of time for this convention. It turns out this was not the fault of the organizers but of the algorithms used by Facebook to determine what posts show up on my news and page feeds. Because of that, I did not see the post a good nine months or so in advance of the convention dates until several months later.

I do intend to attend the next one and will proactively check their page and website regularly for news of the next convention’s dates.

On to the progress report.

I have received feedback from two of my three beta readers on the first episode of The Adventures of Pigg & Woolfe, A Chance Encounter, and made some revisions accordingly. Both of those readers now have copies of the second episode, The Truce, as well as a monograph, The Aeropolis of Tunilia, intended to be included as bonus material in the first omnibus collection of episodes.

I also typed up another bit of future bonus material today in the form of a between-the-episodes vignette, Dressed for Dinner.

On the Waves of Darkness front. I finished the first draft of chapter 14 of the seventh book, Maelstrom of Fate, this week. I intend to begin typing and revising book six, Daedalus Enigma, in the next month or so.

It is my belief that getting back to the Steampunk serial has helped revive my writing fervor. I’ve been working on the Waves of Darkness series for 10 years now, and this close to the end of the current story arc I began to encounter a lethargy regarding the writing. Part of this probably stemmed from having to get into Viktor’s head space regarding the loss of a very valuable member of his crew in book six. I want to do the characters and story justice, but that is a really bad mental frame to dip into, even in fiction.

The Adventures of Pigg & Woolfe is a romping adventure filled with swashbuckling, thrills, and intrigue. In other words, a much lighter fare than Viktor Brandewyne’s world at the moment. It is refreshing for me to revisit on the weekends and helps me regain some good mood so I can tackle  WoD again during the week.

Random Ramblings

Fast your seat belts, mates; it’s gonna be a bumpy ride!

So far I’ve heard from one of my three beta readers. The second has had life interrupt things. I poked and prodded the third one today.

I sent off a review query today to a reviewer who has not read my books. If you know of any honest reviewers out there with good followings, please direct me to them or them to my books. Really, since I’m pretty much the only one in charge of promoting my books, it’s the best way to expand my audience and (hopefully) readership.

My cats are still entertainingly insane. We got a new door mat today. This one is made of recycled rubber and not as likely to slide or roll the corners as the old one. Star was quite spooked by this smelly new thing in the hallway. She approached it with great caution, ready to dart away to safety should it make any sudden moves. Watching her edge just close enough to reach out one dainty paw and tap it experimentally was quite entertaining. I refrained from making any sudden noises to make her jump. I didn’t feel like waiting two hours for her to come out from behind the couch afterwards.

I will not be attending the local Steampunk convention this year. Work schedule doesn’t allow for it, and I didn’t plan ahead for it.

That is all.