The worst part about “I, Frankenstein” is just how boring it is. For a movie about Frankenstein’s monster in a war with gargoyles fighting demons,  everyone is taking things far too seriously.

The film begins with the creation of Frankenstein’s monster (Aaron Eckhart) and his creators eventual quest to kill his monster as revenge for his wife’s death. Soon after Dr. Frankenstein’s death, the monster is attacked by demons and saved by a group of shapeshifting gargoyles who introduce him to the gargoyle queen Lenore (Miranda Otto). Lenore names the monster Adam then explains, in one of many exposition heavy dialogue scenes, that the gargoyles were created by archangel Michael to fight the legions of demons the devil brought forth from hell when he fell from heaven. Adam attempts to hide in the wilderness from the demons, but after hiding for 200 years he begins to hunt them to foil their resurgence to earth and find answers about his creation.

Besides Bill Nighy’s excellent performance as demon prince Niberious, most of the acting is pretty bad. I always liked Yvonne Strahovski in the show “Chuck,” and I think she is a capable actress, but she does not play a very believable scientist as Terra Wade. Alongside Aaron Eckhart doing his best Batman impression, they do not make for very engaging leads. Eckhart looks the part, and he does well in the action sequences, but his one note performance did not do much for the film.

I saw the film in 3D and did not notice any impressive or original use of the technology. There were a lot of flying sequences involving the gargoyles that would have been perfect for 3D, but the film does not really do much with it.

The effects in the film are reasonably well done, but the film seemed so full of rejected “Underworld” set pieces that it never seems to develop a character of its own. From the trailer its pretty obvious the film is going for dumb action fun, but unlike 2013’s similar “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters”, “I, Frankenstein” does not seem to want to have any fun.

“I, Frankenstein” is not a very good movie. There are some impressive special effects, especially certain aspects of the finale, but overall there is a big war that they do not do a lot to convince you to care about. I think this movie may have been better if it embraced its B movie roots, but instead it ended up being a pretty forgettable fantasy-action film that could have been so much more.

1/5