"Mary Shelley conjures up images of a lumbering, disfigured, greenish-skinned monster of a man. That monster, now a cultural icon of horror films for over a century, and his mad scientist creator, Dr. Frankenstein, were dreamed up by the young Mary Shelley in her 1818 horror/fantasy novel, Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus.
“Haifaa al-Mansour's biopic of the writer, Mary Shelley, starring Elle Fanning, attempts to make some sense out of Shelley's remarkable, wild life, tracing the upbringing and romantic foibles that led her to create one of the most indelible fictional creatures of all time. With a few careful nips and tucks to the real story, the film presents Mary as the very first in a long line of moody, macabre young women who have churned their angst into popular horror and fantasy fiction. It also seeks to position Frankenstein as an ultimately feminist text.
“The ethereal Fanning is excellent as always as the flushed, then fierce, Mary. The film is beautiful, a richly designed and photographed period piece.” - The LA Times
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