Ian McKellen stars as James Whale, the director of Frankenstein who is living out his twilight years in his home with his faithful housekeeper (Lynn Redgrave) by his side. While recovering from a mini-stroke, Whale befriends his gardener (Brendan Fraser) and asks him to pose for a sketch. It winds up being a ruse as the lonely director just wants, as Frankenstein’s monster put it, “a friend”.
Written and directed by Bill Condon and executive produced by Clive Barker, Gods and Monsters is less a biopic and more of a portrait of a man coming to grips with death. While there are flashbacks to Whale’s younger years, the most entertaining is the making of Bride of Frankenstein (seeing actors in the familiar make-up and costumes riffing on their surroundings is a lot of fun), much of the film revolves around Whale and his gardener.
McKellen is excellent as Whale, who slowly accepts the fact that a man can’t choose his legacy. In the film’s most memorable scene, Whale, weary of the fact an interviewer only wants to know about Frankenstein, tells the young man he will only continue the interview if he will remove an article of clothing for each question asked. This may be viewed by some as “predatory” by today’s standards, but in the film, it just comes off as Whale being a horny old eccentric.
With his military flattop haircut and angular features, Fraser is made to resemble Frankenstein’s monster if you squint hard enough. Whale likes him not so much because of his predilection for young men, but mostly because he carry on conversations about other things besides Frankenstein. Fraser admirably holds his own alongside McKellen. Scenes that sort of mirror Bride (like the two men smoking cigars) are amusing, and Condon wisely doesn’t go without going overboard with it. (Although the dream scene where Fraser performs brain surgery on McKellen is a little on the nose.) We also get a cool scene where they cut back and forth to both men watching Bride on TV.
Gods and Monsters is a strong and entertaining film. Fans of movies about movies (especially horror movies) will enjoy it immensely. Fans of LGBT cinema will also find it engaging. It’s a solemn but heartfelt reminder that we are often more complicated and complex than our reputations suggest.
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