Victor Frankenstein

A clever but clunky riff on the Mary Shelley classic, Victor Frankenstein tells the story from the point-of-view of an unnamed, hunchbacked lab assistant who assumes the identity of Igor (Daniel Radcliffe). As it turns out, the horribly abused circus clown who becomes Igor isn't even a hunchback—he just suffers from an untreated abscess that the eponymous mad scientist (James McAvoy) fixes in seconds. Cured of his afflictions, Igor begins assisting Frankenstein with his scientific experiments, a path that inevitably leads to the creation of a human monster. Director Paul McGuigan (Lucky Number Slevin) and screenwriter Max Landis (American Ultra) possess an ambition far beyond their range, attempting to graft together pieces of gothic horror, dark comedy, costume drama, existentialist philosophy and CGI adventure. The stitches don't hold, and while Radcliffe does a fine job in the lead, an overacting McAvoy is an ill fit as the mad doctor. D.B.