Robert De Niro is usually associated with complex, dramatic characters who make or break a film. Travis Bickle makes Taxi Driver (1976) feel like a bleak nightmare, Jake LaMotta turns Raging Bull (1980) into a visceral study of redemption, and young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II (1974) adds a grounded backstory for the iconic character.
Conversely, De Niro’s turn as the detached Louis Gara in Jackie Brown (1997) sparks divisive reactions, while his more recent outings, such as Righteous Kill (2008) and Dirty Grandpa (2016), are considered objective career lows.
De Niro has also appeared in some surprising roles, such as playing the part of the monster in Kenneth Branagh’s Gothic horror, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Shelley’s groundbreaking book has been adapted innumerable times, including a relatively recent (and wonderful) iteration by Guillermo del Toro. Branagh’s Frankenstein is rather trope-heavy, but it is a strange and harrowing interpretation that’s worth watching, in part for De Niro’s mournful performance. For those interested, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is waiting to be discovered, as it is currently streaming on Netflix.
The film opens with a North Pole expedition in 1794. Captain Robert Walton (Aidan Quinn) and his crew are stranded after their ship is trapped in ice, but things escalate once a cloaked man named Victor Frankenstein (Branagh) emerges and starts telling his life story. A deafening roar can be heard in the background, but the source isn’t revealed at this point in the story.
Victor relays his circumstances growing up, his background in medicine, and how he stumbled upon research about creating new life. Building a creature out of these notes, Victor is horrified by its appearance and refuses to offer it any guidance or comfort. The rest follows the basic beats of the novel. After being abandoned, the creature attempts to protect a blind patriarch, but his terrifying appearance prevents him from forming any long-lasting bonds. After learning about his origins, the creature vows revenge on Victor, and his trail of carnage begins.
At some point, the creature asks Victor to grant him a female companion in exchange for leaving him and humanity alone. Although our scientist agrees, he is unable to fulfill this demand, which leads to more gruesome tragedy.
A fantastic Robert De Niro performance
Branagh’s penchant for theatrics colors every event in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. This approach has worked quite well on occasion, such as his four-hour adaptation of Hamlet (1996) and his Agatha Christie whodunnits, Murder on the Orient Express (2017) and Death on the Nile (2022).
Not everyone favors such a vivid approach to a complex classic, but this high-octane intensity highlights some of the most passionate aspects of Shelley’s text. Branagh’s Victor is a man swayed by passion, which feeds into his fickle attitude towards playing god and his tendency to abandon his problems instead of facing them head-on.
There’s also the creature, who is more intelligent and world-weary than Victor gives him credit. De Niro brings a heartbreaking pathos to the role, which is a necessary component in our understanding of a being forsaken by its maker. The creature is curious about the world around him, which is reflected in his urge to understand how and why Victor created him. “What of my soul? Do I have one? What of these people of which I am composed?” he asks, taking a more philosophical approach to the act of cobbling body parts together and creating an “abomination,” as Victor so tactlessly puts it.
Every scene featuring the creature is moving, turning Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein into an adaptation that could’ve been much more consistent in tone. Victor’s adoptive sister/wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) also plays a more tragic role than in the source material, but these changes aren’t subtle enough to feel effective. Although Branagh’s love for melodrama leaves the film devoid of meaningful scares, it makes for a visually striking experience that is hard to forget. The sequences set in the North Pole are stunning, effectively conveying a sense of loneliness that both Victor and the creature can resonate with.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein doesn’t radically reinterpret the classic tale. But it is a beautiful, spirited adaptation with compelling performances, suited for those who long for a period drama that (over)indulges in twisted romance and melancholy.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is streaming on Netflix.