The Creature gets to tell his story in 'Frankenstein'

The first of two films to be released in the coming months covering the same subject, "Frankenstein" hit Netflix with a bloody splash. Written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, the movie is based on the classic tale of a mad scientist whose creation turns on him.In the year 1857 a Danish ship bent on reaching the North Pole gets stuck in the Arctic ice. While the crew labors to break the ship free, an explosion two miles away catches the notice of Capt. Anderson (Lars Mikkelsen). A search party finds an injured Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) at the explosion site. Then they hear an inhuman roar.After quickly making their way back to the ship a Creature (Jacob Elordi) appears in the twilight through the whipping snowfall. He is impervious to their weapons. He has incredible strength and quickly dispatches six sailors. He wants Victor, or he will kill everyone onboard. Before Capt. Anderson makes his decision, Victor tells the story of how he and the Creature arrived at this fateful moment.As a boy Victor was obsessed with conquering death after the passing of his mother. Victor was convinced that he could bring someone back from the dead as long as the proper electrical current was applied to the body at the right time, in the right place, and at the right power.Years later as an adult Victor's brother William (Felix Kammerer) introduces Victor to his fiancé, Elizabeth (Mia Goth). Her uncle, Henrich Harlander (Christoph Waltz), is a fan of Victor's. Harlander believes in his work, he is confident that Victor can bring someone back from the dead. He becomes Victor's benefactor.After much experimentation, Victor culls body parts from different soldiers killed in battle and stitches them together to make a complete body. He manages to animate the Creature, but events take a deadly turn when the Creature doesn't exactly follow Victor's orders.The movie starts with a great scene. Stuck in the barren wasteland of ice and snow near the North Pole, the Creature goes on a rampage the likes of which are seldom seen on screen. It immediately grabbed my full attention. Combine this scene with the story told by Victor and you get a magnificent first act to the film.Then the Creature tells his version of story. This sounds even more exciting, the story told by not by the experimentor, but by the experimentee. It has to be good, right? Wrong. Somewhere around the middle the pace grinds almost to a halt and the movie suffers. If the first act is compelling and fun, the second is dull and monotonous. Luckily, the third act pulls the movie back from the brink with a thrilling conclusion. In summary, the first act is fantastic, the second is boring, and the third act is good enough to get the movie back on track.Beloved director Guillermo Del Toro did a great job with the visuals in the film. The images and symbolism are impossible to ignore. The movie includes spectacular manor houses, incredibly over-the-top fashion choices, and amazingly vivid dissected bodies (and body parts) that are too realistically gross.I don't recall Oscar Isaac playing a role quite like this before, but he is the beating heart of the film. His entire idea is madness, and that's what Victor is: a mad scientist. Jacob Elordi performed as well as could be expected when covered in makeup and prosthetics. The filmmakers chose to make the Creature utterly unlike the classic version you are picturing in your head right now with a green face and neck bolts. This unusual version of the Creature is what really makes him stand out.This movie is unlike anything you've seen this year. If you're worried about it being too scary, never fear – it is not frightening in the least. The film is gruesome and yet tender. At times it is action-packed while at other times nothing of any significance seems to take place. One thing is certain, "Frankenstein" is a roller coaster ride.Grade: A-Rated R for bloody violence and grisly images.•••Bradley Griffith is a local attorney and longtime film buff.