paulven-22662 This film remains with me 24 hours after viewing. It maybe centers too much on Mary Shelley's relationship with her husband Percy and not enough on her own emotional and philosophical development that finally led to the writing of Frankenstein. However, it has something that has got under my skin. Despite their privilege, these were bold characters who were intent to push outside the social constraints of the day, preferring to be cut off by their families rather than smother their creative fires. They are debauched and destructive, Byron excessively so in this film, but their poetic influence is still with us today. Unhindered by all the creativity sapping distractions of our modern life, mobile phones, sports, additive series etc., they really took it to the edge. I found the film inspiring. Beautiful soundtrack too.

Loredana Malic I already knew Elle Fanning was a wonderful actress, but watching her become a stellar one was mind-blowing! The story was well-paced and it stalled only once or twice, but the acting was what kept me going. I wish this movie became more well-known and well-loved, it deserves every praise! The setting and costumes were wonderful too.

Boristhemoggy I know there are some erudite comments about the accuracy of the story, but as this is just a story and does not claim to be an autobiographical account of Mary Shelley's life, I feel some inaccuracies matter less. The key thing for me is that the story was so excellently written using a diluted language of the day so as to be clearly understandable, and so brilliantly directed that there was never a dull or irrelevant moment and you felt encapsulated in the story the entire time, and the acting was so sublime so as to engage me wholly and perfectly both in the story and the execution of the story by the performers. Elle Fanning has acted such a wide breadth of roles now that she must be viewed as one of Hollywoods finest. I have never been left wanting by any of her films and she always makes me totally believe in her character. For her to slip easily between the mind bending scenes of How to Talk to Girls at Parties and into a thoughtful and intense role such as Mary Shelley shows she has no fear of any role but every skill needed for them all. My review is based on the writing, direction and acting an thoroughly deserves this almost perfect score.

caneangie I affectionately commend Director Haifaa Al-Mansour's astute and tender depiction of the life of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (Mary Shelley), played by the talented Elle Fanning. I loved the entire cast. It was beautifully written. I have not watched a movie that has touched me so deeply in quite some time. It brought tears to my eyes and made me truly understand the novel Frankenstein at an even deeper level. I have a profound respect for the novel now, which was truly unconventional for the period. Mary Shelley creatively portrayed the feminist plight in the early 19th century by using a male character in the form of a monster. At the time, I doubt that anyone who read it when it was distributed without the name of the author took it as more than a horror story. She went from publisher to publisher and no one really got it or gave it a chance because she was a woman. I loved that they show the relationship between Mary and her father, who never truly abandons her, but grooms her and believes in her even though he does not always agree with her choices. It is a love story and a detailed memoir of Mary Shelley's plight as a woman living in that century. Anyone who has ever been young and in love should be touched. It is a reminder of that period in life when we are all trying to find ourselves despite religion, culture, and family beliefs. Al-Mansour shows the good, the bad and the ugly in people's characters through the various characters in the movie. She also shows that true love between people is them accepting each other for who they really are and standing by them despite their flaws. Frankenstein was created with the hopes and expectations that he would be the perfect human being. However, like all humans, he is inevitably flawed, and therefore unloved, and unwanted by those who cannot truly love unconditionally or see the beauty beyond the external appearance. I usually do not rate anything at a 9 but I was happily surprised by Al-Mansour's vision. I loved the originality and the risks she took in making this adaptation of Mary Shelley's journey from a child to a well-known and highly admired novelist. Again, I love that her father played such a vital role in providing her with the confidence, respect, and love that made her such a strong woman. While she had her mother's personality and fiery spirit, it was tempered by her father's belief in her abilities and his constant acknowledgement that she had a beautifully creative mind. Her father challenged her to be her very best.