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Movies / On DVD / Gods and Monsters
Gods and Monsters

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Gods and Monsters (1998)

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Reviews Counted:45

Fresh:43

Rotten:2

Average Rating:8.3/10

Consensus: Gods and Monsters is a spellbinding, confusing piece of semi-fiction, featuring fine performances; McKellen leads the way, but Redgrave and Fraser don't lag far behind.

Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Based on Christopher Bram's novel FATHER OF FRANKENSTEIN, Bill Condon's semi-fictional 1998 sleeper stars Sir Ian McKellen in a fantastic performance as director James Whale (FRANKENSTEIN, BRIDE OF... Based on Christopher Bram's novel FATHER OF FRANKENSTEIN, Bill Condon's semi-fictional 1998 sleeper stars Sir Ian McKellen in a fantastic performance as director James Whale (FRANKENSTEIN, BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, SHOW BOAT). It is 1957, and Whale is living in semiseclusion in Southern California with his scrutinizing maid, Hannah (Lynn Redgrave). His health is failing, and he is able to do little but lounge around and contemplate his younger days--his many male loves, his days in WWI, and the film world that has forsaken him. When Whale first gazes upon his musclebound gardener, Clay (Brendan Fraser), however, it is the beginning of an unusual (and platonic) friendship. Seasoned with multiple flashbacks to the sets of his films and to the battlefield, GODS AND MONSTERS is a haunting and touching look at the life of a man who was at the top of the Hollywood hierarchy but soon found himself out of favor--and the offbeat friendship he formed in his final days. McKellen and Redgrave were both nominated for Oscars, and the film garnered one statue for Best Adapted Screenplay. [More]

Starring: Ian McKellen, Lynn Redgrave, Brendan Fraser, Lolita Davidovich

Starring: Ian McKellen, Lynn Redgrave, Brendan Fraser, Lolita Davidovich, David Dukes, Kevin J. O'Connor

Director: Bill Condon

Director: Bill Condon
Screenwriter: Bill Condon
Composer: Carter Burwell

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Gods and Monsters

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
03/05/02
Kevin Jackson
Kevin Jackson
Sight and Sound

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Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
01/01/00
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic

The film clearly belongs to McKellen, whose presence is what makes the film as affecting at it is.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
11/16/09
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
12/01/08
Dennis Harvey
Dennis Harvey
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A parable worthy of Mary Shelley herself.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
02/14/08
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

Condon's indie is narrwoly focused in depicting James Whale's personal and professional frustrations as an old man, but Ian McKellen, who must have felt strong affinity with the openly gay director, gives an astonishingly sophisticated performance.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
03/06/07
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
N/R

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Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
N/R

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Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/09/05
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

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Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
07/26/04
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews

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Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
07/30/03
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

travels far beyond the usual chronological re-telling of highlights

Full Review Source: Old School Reviews | comment Comment
06/27/03
John A. Nesbit
John A. Nesbit
Old School Reviews

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Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/20/03
Susan Tavernetti
Susan Tavernetti
Palo Alto Weekly

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Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment Comment
01/10/03
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

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Full Review Source: Netflix | comment Comment
11/07/02
James Rocchi
James Rocchi
Netflix
N/R

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Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
11/06/02
Jeff Strickler
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune

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Full Review Source: Movie Habit | comment Comment
08/21/02
Marty Mapes
Marty Mapes
Movie Habit

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Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
06/18/02
Bob Graham
Bob Graham
San Francisco Chronicle
N/R

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Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
06/05/02
Boxoffice Magazine
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