Gods and Monsters (1998)

(57%) A really quite fine telling of the final chapter of one of horror's most important early film directors filled with a keen eye for detail and a powerful climax. Sir Ian McKellen is of course brilliant in a role that works perfectly, while Brendan Fraser is perhaps on his best form as an actual actor rather than an action star or a comic. It has to be said that this isn't for everyone as it is slow of pace, and some prior knowledge and appreciation of James Whale is needed to truly get the best out of what this has to offer. For the performances and the insight into a life in and around the early days of Hollywood this is a worthy character piece worth tracking down.

The story is just a common in biographies, yet it's a boring one. It feels right in explaining the focus character's mood in the film. Yet the drama feels very boring because the scenes consists mainly of dialog of two roles, most of them in sitting position. Though there's a lot of effort in showing emotion play, there's only little else done on it besides the dialog and the facial expressions. All the little flashbacks feel a little non-congruent due to their short duration. Ian McKellen is surely at home with this character. Yet he did quite a nice job in portraying the gloom and despair of James Whale. Frasier as a young talent is a good balance in this movie considering McKellen's age. McKellen's age was not really covered well on the flashbacks, considering the lower advances in technology at the time of this movie.

Ian McKellen gives a triumphant performance as film director James Whale in this biopic about Whale's later years.The film focuses specifically on Whale's mental and emotional struggles with his own homosexuality and his obsession with a young hunk of beefcake, played by Brendan Fraser. But the most interesting part of the movie for me were the glimpses of old Hollywood peppered throughout, including appearances by George Cukor and Elsa Lanchester, and the incorporation of Whale's best-known film, "Frankenstein."Director Bill Condon won an Oscar for the film's screenplay, and McKellen and Lynn Redgrave, who makes much of a teensy-tiny role as Whale's maid, received nominations.Grade: A

"Gods and Monsters" released in 1998, but set in 1950's Hollywood, boasts some fine performances. Ian McKellan plays film director James Whale, most known for directing "Frankenstein" and a few sequels. The aging Whale becomes infatuated with his young hunky gardener, played by Brendan Fraser. Fraser is playing very much against type here, considering what roles he was known for then and now. Fraser plays Clayton, a man who has some ambition about becoming an actor. Lynn Redgrave is also on hand, playing Whale's stern maid. Redgrave's performance is a hoot -- she plays it very much over-the-top, but it works great for the role (she received an Oscar nomination). This film, on the surface, seemed to be about the aging gay guy (McKellan) versus the young good-looking straight guy (Fraser). While this plays into every stereotype about gay men (they lust after every straight guy -- which is nonsense), I was pleasantly surprised that it is about so much more. Clayton seems to long for a father figure, having never been close to his own. He seems to find that a bit in Whale, although we are never sure whether his attempts to please Whale are self-serving (his ambition) or that he really may like him as a friend and father figure. The film has an odd ending and takes some twists and turns, so I won't give all that away, but a few notes about the performances. Some comments seem to suggest Brendan Fraser was miscast. I disagree. While it's true he has to hold his own next to two veteran actors of stage and screen (McKellan and Redgrave) his role is far more complex and difficult than either of the two leads. It is a shame Fraser hasn't done more dramas. Anyway, this is a decent film with good production values. Even if you are turned off by the subject matter, open your mind enough to give it a try.