VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN Director Says Mary Shelley’s Novel is “Dull as Dishwater”
Victor Frankenstein recently came out last weekend and it was met with mostly terrible reviews. Regardless of how bad the movie and script was, I thought that James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe gave solid performances, and they are the film's only saving grace.
The movie was directed by Paul McGuigan, who apparently doesn’t think very highly of Mary Shelley’s classic novel which inspired the film. In an interview with Screen Rant the director said the story was "dull as dishwater." Here’s the full quote:
“We give a lot of backstory to it. And it’s our backstory, it’s what we’ve chosen to make up. There’s not a reverence to the book. I think sometimes people are over-reverent about the book. It’s got a fantastic premise, I don’t know if you’ve ever read it, but it’s dull as dishwater, in my opinion.”
How in the hell this guy get the job to direct a Frankenstein movie? Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is not a “dull” book, it’s an intriguing classic that has been around for 200 years, and in that time has spawned hundreds of stories, movies, and TV shows. The only other iconic version of Frankenstein that has followed is Universal Pictures' classic monster film franchise. Makes me wonder if the guy had even actually read the book.
What I think is funny about McGuigan’s statement is that Shelley’s Frankenstein will continue to live on. It will always be remembered and revered, and McGuigan’s Victor Frankenstein is pretty much already dead and forgotten. Does he think his film is actually better than Mary Shelly’s novel?! Because that’s just delusional.
I think the only person that could bring us a Frankenstein movie worth watching at this point is Guillmero del Toro. That’s his dream project, and I hope one day he gets the opportunity to make it. What do you think of McGuigan's statement?
