I, Frankenstein (12A)

Running time:  92 minutes

Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Miranda Otto, Yvonne Strahovski, Socratis Otto, Jai Courtney, Kevin Grevioux, Steve Mouzakis, Aden Young.

Director: Stuart Beattie.

Released: January 29 (UK & Ireland)

THERE have been many silver screen versions of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, but the latest, I, Frankenstein, sees the nuts, bolts and ghoulish green paint of yore cast aside for a rather more attractive 'monster', played by Aaron Eckhart.

In the film, Eckhart, who has been Christened Adam and is implausibly made out of the corpses of eight equally attractive hunks, has been roaming the earth for 200 years looking for his purpose in life.

While doing this, Adam meets the demons and the gargoyles who are embroiled in an age-old conflict between good and bad. The demons, fronted up by Bill Nighy, are desperate to get their mitts on Adam, to see if they can use his soulless body to resurrect their late demon pals, and have also got hold of Adam's creator's diary to find out how to create more monsters.

The gargoyles, meanwhile are busy enough trying to keep peace on earth. A big task and one they take very seriously, as they repeatedly infer.

Naturally, when a young scientist played by Yvonne Strahovski finds out what the Demon Prince (Nighy) is up to, she tries to help Adam get the diary back and abort the demon prince's plans.

Will they get the diary back? Can Adam be saved? Will the rest of the cast perfect their pained expressions in time for the final fight..?

To be honest, by that stage, you'll scarcely bother to ask the question, let alone be interested in the answer.

Despite I, Frankenstein being billed as an epic battle of good versus evil, the simplistic plot, one-dimensional writing and next level corny script (entirely lacking in intentional humour) mean you neither root for the good, abhor the evil or cheer on the monster. You simply don't care.

I, Frankenstein is beneath Eckhart's talents but it is mercifully short. So there is that.

Keeley Bolger