Victor Frankenstein Trailer Turns Horror Classic Into Buddy Comedy

A surprisingly playful first trailer for Paul McGuigan's Victor Frankenstein just dropped, and it's a bit of a doozy. Based loosely on Mary Shelley's classic novel and written by Max Landis (Chronicle) the film features James McAvoy as the titular Doc, with Daniel Radcliffe filling the boots of his assistant Igor. Check it out below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pxZxY_Siyc That was fun, wasn't it? The film looks much lighter and cheesier than I was expecting, but in a totally intentional way. Compared to the po-faced but moronic I, Frankenstein (sorry to bring that up guys), Victor Frankenstein seems totally aware of the concept's underlying silliness. The trailer indicates Landis may have jettisoned the more horrific elements of Shelley's novel and replaced them with a bouncy dynamic between the likeable McAvoy and Radcliffe. Already the chemistry seems to be in place, conjuring up favourable comparisons to the Downey/Law team-up in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes joints.

Getting audiences to buy into a buddy comedy about grave-robbers might have its challenges, but this first substantial glimpse at the project looks sound. The cast seem to be playing it with just the right amount of winking and nudging, the gothic aesthetic looks reasonably good (solid CGI monsters, too) and the quippy dialogue is funny enough to pass muster. There'll have to be something more substantive at the movie's core for it to really thrive, but so far, I'm impressed. Victor Frankenstein's had a few problems with release dates (it's been pushed back twice), but now looks set to bow in the US on 25th November, 2015 and in the UK on 4th December. Hopefully it does this sprightly trailer justice.