I, Frankenstein parents guide

I, Frankenstein Parent Guide

This movie suffers from a lack of artistic ingenuity, stilted dialogue, and a pounding musical score. Add an absolute lack of humor and the only person in stitches is the immortal monster.

Overall B-

Adam (Aaron Eckhart) has roamed the Earth for the last 200 years -- ever since he was brought to life by Victor Frankenstein. Now, as society tears itself apart, he catches the attention of various warring factions who want his secret to immortality.

Release date January 24, 2014

Violence C
Sexual Content A
Profanity B-
Substance Use A-

Why is I, Frankenstein rated PG-13? The MPAA rated I, Frankenstein PG-13 for sequences of intense fantasy action and violence throughout.

Run Time: 93 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

I, Frankenstein is a tale of good and evil in the most black and white sort of way. To get things rolling, we need a man in the middle, and that is—you guessed it—Dr. Frankenstein’s monster (played by Aaron Eckhart). The movie sets off at a hectic pace with a short recap of the original Mary Shelley tale. But immediately after the creature places his master (Aden Young) in the grave, he is attacked by evil beings that seem to want him for other purposes. Not so fast you demons! Suddenly the opposing team takes to the field in the form of strangely digitized gargoyles that quickly whisk the “science experiment” away to a cool looking gothic cathedral.

Now it’s time to hear the back-story and rules to this game. The gargoyles, led by Queen Leonore (Miranda Otto), have been locked in an eternal battle with 666 demons that were sent to earth after Lucifer was booted out of heaven. These bad guys, led by Naberius (Bill Nighy), are particularly excited about Adam (the name Leonore has provided to Frankenstein’s unnamed child) because he is proof that life can be created by mortal man with only a few spare parts lying about the lab. Even better, the good doctor’s detailed journal is also in play and if Naberius can get his hands on this beastly cookbook, he can create an army of morgue-marching minions who will start “a war that will bring an end to mankind.” At the conclusion of the explanation Adam claims an agnostic role and opts not to choose sides.

With the gauntlets down the battle sequences begin. Fortunately keeping score is fairly easy. When a demon is killed, it explodes into flames and head straight to Hell. On the other hand, the heavenly gargoyles finish their mortality in a flash of bluish white light that levitates them into the clouds. Meanwhile Adam is the ball between both teams that each wants to capture. And the creators of this film are hoping his apathy will keep us interested enough to sit the film out to the end.

From a family perspective there’s not much here to keep teens from contributing their dollars to this production. There is a great deal of violence with a litany of stabbings and beatings (Adam’s favorite implement of destruction is a couple of blunt steel rods). Yet, with the aforementioned illuminated deaths, there is little blood with the exception of an explicit injury on Adam’s already patchwork back. The script contains only a single profanity in the form of a scatological expletive and no sexual content—aside from Adam’s bare chest.

If this glib description of the synopsis hasn’t already left you with the impression that this movie suffers from a lack of artistic ingenuity, let me assure you this won’t be showing up on award’s ballots for 2014. Stilted dialogue and a pounding musical score do nothing to help the fact that we likely could care less about what happens to these characters. Add an absolute lack of humor and it’s certain the only person left in stitches will be the immortal monster.

Directed by Stuart Beattie. Starring Aaron Eckhart, Yvonne Strahovski, Bill Nighy, Jai Courtney. Running time: 93 minutes. Theatrical release January 24, 2014. Updated

I, Frankenstein
Rating & Content Info

Why is I, Frankenstein rated PG-13? I, Frankenstein is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for sequences of intense fantasy action and violence throughout.

Violence: Frequent non-graphic violence is seen throughout the film, along with a scene of brief explicit violence. Most of the action involves hand-to-hand combat and use of weapons. An gory wound is seen while a character stitches it together. Detailed portrayals show frightening monsters and transformations. A brief scene of torture depicts a man being pulled by chains connected to his limbs. Another scene shows a rat, and later a human, being subjected to high amounts of electricity in an attempt to bring them to life.

Sexual Content: A man’s bare chest is seen.

Language: A single scatological term is heard.

Alcohol / Drug Use: A scene in a bar shows people sitting at tables with presumably alcoholic drinks.

Page last updated

I, Frankenstein Parents' Guide

This movie is based on the classic novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelly. Her famous monster is often erroneously called Frankenstein, but that is really the name of scientist who creates him. Shelly never gave the monster a name, although in the book the character does refer to himself as “the Adam of your labours”.

In the movie, it is explained Dr. Frankenstein got the electricity to create his monster from electric eels. You may be surprised to discover these animals can create a very large amount of electricity. Read more about them at National Geographic: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/electric-eel/

A character in this film says she’s an “electrophysiologist.” In case you were wondering, this is a doctor who treats people with irregular heartbeats. In order to become this kind of a medical specialist, a person has to first become a regular doctor, then specialize as a cardiologist, and lastly spend a couple more years training in electrophysiology. If you’ve got about 15 years and are still interested in knowing more, check this out: http://www.ehow.com/about_6604613_cardiac-electrophysiology-job.html

Home Video

The most recent home video release of I, Frankenstein movie is May 13, 2014. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: I, Frankenstein

Release Date: 13 May 2014

I, Frankenstein releases to home video (Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy) with the following bonus materials:

- Audio Commentary with Co-writer/Director Stuart Beattie

- Audio Commentary with Filmmakers Gary Lucchesi, Richard Wright, James McQuaide and Kevin Grevioux

- Featurette: Creating a Monster

- Featurette: Frankenstein’s Creatures

Related home video titles:

Frankenweenie and Igor are animated films also inspired by the classic storyFrankenstein. Actor Aaron Eckhart plays another character with a scared face in The Dark Knight.