Mary Shelley's Frankenstein


Was Frankenstein's monster good or evil? In today's society, it seems clear cut that someone who rips the heart out of an innocent person must be evil. However, this simply reflects our inability to look at such an event from a non-anthropocentric point of view. From the perspective of the monster, he only wanted revenge against a world that turned its back on him. What about its creator, Victor Frankenstein? Was he good or evil? In his intellectual quest for understanding the nature of life, he manages to destroy everything he loves. I think this illustrately nicely the ethical dilemma that arises when tampering with the forces of life (I'd say it's worth the risk).

I've always thought the story was effectively tragic, and I think Mary Shelley's novel depicts the sadness in a poignant manner. The performances by Robert DeNiro as the monster and Kenneth Branagh as Victor Frankstein are superb. Some of the scenes are highly emotive, especially the public hangings and the monster's brief expressions of happiness and discovery. In the end, the story I think is about two monsters, and two good people, and I think the movie brings it out quite well.


Movie ramblings || Ram Samudrala || me@ram.org