(Life Through the Lens - Photo Illustration/MetroCreativeConnection)

“In seeking life, I created death.”

***

The year was 1817, and Germany was in dire straits … and not the rock band from the 1970s. Authentic dire straits of the direst kind.

All of Europe had been in the throes of severe famine for years. Napoleonic Wars had ravaged the land and the people; trade and production had been halted or devastated; prices and taxes had depleted what little was left. Life was hard … then Mount Tambora had erupted in Southeast Asia and covered much of the globe in a cloud of ash, cooling the temperatures and blocking the sun.

With no prospects and no progress, people were eating horses in Germany! Literally eating horses to stave off starvation! I told you they were in “dire straits,” didn’t I?

Enter Karl Freidrich Christian Ludwig Freiherr Drais von Sauerbronn. With Germany in shambles, Karl was finding it hard to get to his bridge games as of late … because they had eaten all of the transportation! Poor Karl saw the desperation of the situation and decided to do something about it. “What about a horseless form of personal transportation?” thought Karl with his belly full of horse-meat.

The war, the famine, the volcano, the necessity gave birth to the world’s first bicycle. You’ve heard it said before because it is true: necessity is the mother of all invention.

***

Young Victor Frankenstein is a classic momma’s boy … mostly because his renowned and revered father is a jerky-jerk. When Victor’s momma dies in childbirth, Victor is filled with resentment toward his father’s failure to save her and a bitter refusal to accept that death be so final. He, in that moment, becomes an unrelenting scientist, hell-bent on conquering death. Nothing can stop Victor (Oscar Issac) and his corpse-filled pursuit of life.

With every “success” comes more stigma – society just isn’t ready for this type of potential power. One man, however, is all excitement … and he has loads of cash: Harlander (Christoph Waltz) agrees to become Victor’s bottomless benefactor. Victor now has sponsorship, space and, with a body-strewn battlefield nearby, as many resources as needed to make death become life once again! Bring out your dead!

Somewhere in the mix, Victor falls in love with his almost-sister-in-law Elizabeth (Mia Goth); that is obviously not going to work. His sense of rejection creates a fury only sated by his wild theories come true. The Creature, Victor’s attempt to piece together life from the pieces of the lifeless, must live … and live now! Cue the lightning!

Victor’s invention is successful … but not at all what he’d hoped and dreamed. Power was wielded but quickly lamented – the Creature is shame and not triumph.

The very bleakness described earlier with the bicycle is the bleakness that inspired Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” in 1818 – how crazy is that?! This has been a passion-project of writer/director (and avid monster lover) Guillermo del Toro for years. His intention and passion are clear … but something just didn’t quite translate.

The 2025’s “Frankenstein” is truer to the source material than most adaptations, but something about the mystique doesn’t quite carry over. It feels very wooden and empty in parts. Del Toro’s film is too long, getting lost in itself many times. Its characters are too shallow to sustain much momentum. Del Toro, a master of practical monstrosities, does well with the Creature but clearly shied away from the hideous into the hunky – not my favorite choice. His hunger is evident, but his vision seems a bit clouded.

The cinematography by Dan Laustsen has moments of beauty and intrigue. The production design by Tamara Deverell has a few good sets, but some of them seem over-constructed and artificial. The makeup art by Mike Hill has wonderful texture and delicacy; while I don’t love the Creature’s look, it was done with adept skill, for sure.

Isaac is a strange casting choice; he is an actor of immense talent, but his Victor is a bit brittle. I am equally confused by Jacob Elordi as the Creature. It isn’t bad … but it is off. Why cast a handsome star when the world could have produced a truly memorable, unexpected monster? Waltz is great as Harlander – he always delivers. Goth is distracting as Elizabeth/Claire (for some reason she plays two characters); I find her acting rather cardboard and hollow.

Although not a perfect work, it is a work that shows a love for the book and a respect for its legacy. “Frankenstein” can be streamed on Netflix.

REPORT CARD: Frankenstein

Grade: C

Assessment: Equally impressive and monotonous

***

Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is having quite the time recently. The U.S. no longer values anything but wealth and entertainment. Every job he can scrape together ends with Richards being fired for “stepping out of line.” His family lives in squalor, his wife takes on too much just to make ends meet, and now, to top it all off, his 2-year-old is dying of the flu. Richards is a man of great strength, perception, dedication and intelligence … but the world no longer needs anything but blind loyalty and shameless amusement. With his questionable history and propensity to fly off the handle, he is almost out of options.

One option refuses to remain hidden, though: The world’s most lucrative and addicting TV show is always looking for new contestants. “The Running Man” takes willing participants and asks them to just live. That’s it. Sounds easy, right? Well … living gets difficult when the participant is then hunted for sport by world-class-assassins. The general populace is also invited to join the hunt. Everyone with a television is primed for the spotlight and the cash prizes. The participant must stay alive for 30 days to earn the ultimate prize: 1 billion buckaroos! That’s a lot of buckaroos!

Richards can delay it no more – he needs money now for his family to survive. Bring on “The Running Man!”

Edgar Wright is a genius filmmaker; he consistently pushes boundaries and reinvents genres. When he is on, there is no one quiet like him. With The Running Man, he is … mostly on. While not redefining the action genre, he creates a very fun and funny addition. Wright uses his greatest strengths – characterization, editing, momentum – to make the adaptation one worth seeing.

The screenplay by Wright and Michael Bacall, adapted from Stephen King’s 1982 book, has great social commentary. Although not the sharpest script in the drawer, it is timely and condemning. The cinematography by Chung-hoon Chung has some stellar action sequences. The editing by Paul Machliss is purposeful and punchy.

Powell is passable as Ben. I feel him a bit miscast (which is typically a strength of Wright’s direction). His mix of timing, charisma and physicality seems forced. The whole “fight-in-a-towel” trope can go away please. Josh Brolin is effective as Dan Killian, the brains behind the agony. Colman Domingo is wonderful as Bobby T, the onscreen personality that America longs for. Michael Cera is fun as Elton Perrakis, the bitter survivor awaiting his revenge.

As far as action movies go, “The Running Man” is entertaining and energetic.

REPORT CARD: The Running Man

Grade: B+

Assessment: Furiously enjoyable