THE FRANKENSTEIN CHRONICLES is a six-part miniseries originally shown on the ITV Encore channel here in the UK. In it, Sean Bean essays the role of a detective investigating the discovery of a child's dead body which has been stitched together from various parts. His investigations lead him into some very dark places as he uncovers a conspiracy ranging from illegal grave robbers to the highest pillars of society.
I'll be honest, modern-day TV doesn't really do much for me, so I mainly watched this for Bean. He doesn't disappoint, playing the part like a latter-day Sharpe, and the writers even throw in some cheeky references to his famous role as the soldier. The authenticity is very strong in this show, and it's noticeably ghoulish, which I appreciated.
The first episode is excellent and full of mystery, atmosphere, and fine acting. The second episode is nearly as good, but then I found the show starting to lose steam. The resolution of the mystery is overwrought rather than thrilling, and I found the atmosphere and suspense dissipated with each passing episode. The final episode wasn't to my taste at all and I found it hugely climactic.
THE FRANKENSTEIN CHRONICLES suffers, in the end, from poor writing which makes everything feel staid and predictable. There are some good performers mixed up in this - the excellent Vanessa Kirby in particular is someone to watch - but the addition of real life historical figures like Mary Shelley, Charles Dickens, and William Blake feels a bit silly and more of a lazily-written distraction than a good addition to the story. The writers really needed to come up with something thrilling and fresh-feeling in order to make this fully work.
I'll be honest, modern-day TV doesn't really do much for me, so I mainly watched this for Bean. He doesn't disappoint, playing the part like a latter-day Sharpe, and the writers even throw in some cheeky references to his famous role as the soldier. The authenticity is very strong in this show, and it's noticeably ghoulish, which I appreciated.
The first episode is excellent and full of mystery, atmosphere, and fine acting. The second episode is nearly as good, but then I found the show starting to lose steam. The resolution of the mystery is overwrought rather than thrilling, and I found the atmosphere and suspense dissipated with each passing episode. The final episode wasn't to my taste at all and I found it hugely climactic.
THE FRANKENSTEIN CHRONICLES suffers, in the end, from poor writing which makes everything feel staid and predictable. There are some good performers mixed up in this - the excellent Vanessa Kirby in particular is someone to watch - but the addition of real life historical figures like Mary Shelley, Charles Dickens, and William Blake feels a bit silly and more of a lazily-written distraction than a good addition to the story. The writers really needed to come up with something thrilling and fresh-feeling in order to make this fully work.