MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Down 166 this week

Gods and Monsters (1998)

7.5
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 7.5/10 from 19,977 users   Metascore: 74/100
Reviews: 222 user | 120 critic | 32 from Metacritic.com

The last days of Frankenstein director James Whale are explored.

Director:

Writers:

(novel), (screenplay)
Watch Trailer
0Check in
0Share...

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 964 titles created 10 Mar 2012
 
a list of 2369 titles created 4 months ago
 
a list of 10000 titles created 2 months ago
 
a list of 1269 titles created 6 months ago
 
a list of 61 titles created 26 Oct 2011
 

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: Gods and Monsters (1998)

Gods and Monsters (1998) on IMDb 7.5/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of Gods and Monsters.
Won 1 Oscar. Another 35 wins & 23 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Kinsey (2004)
Biography | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

A look at the life of Alfred Kinsey (Neeson), a pioneer in the area of human sexuality research, whose 1948 publication "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male" was one of the first recorded works that saw science address sexual behavior.

Director: Bill Condon
Stars: Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Chris O'Donnell
The Queen (2006)
Biography | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

After the death of Princess Diana, HM Queen Elizabeth II struggles with her reaction to a sequence of events nobody could have predicted.

Director: Stephen Frears
Stars: Helen Mirren, James Cromwell, Alex Jennings
Pollock (2000)
Biography | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

A film about the life and career of the American painter, Jackson Pollock.

Director: Ed Harris
Stars: Ed Harris, Marcia Gay Harden, Tom Bower
Biography | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.1/10 X  

A man's coerced confession to an I.R.A. bombing he didn't commit imprisons his father as well; a British lawyer helps fight for their freedom.

Director: Jim Sheridan
Stars: Alison Crosbie, Daniel Day-Lewis, Philip King
Biography | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

A partially idealized film of the controversial pornography publisher and how he became a defender of free speech for all people.

Director: Milos Forman
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, Edward Norton
The Aviator (2004)
Biography | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.5/10 X  

A biopic depicting the early years of legendary director and aviator Howard Hughes' career, from the late 1920s to the mid-1940s.

Director: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale
Chaplin (1992)
Biography | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

A film about the troubled and controversial life of the master comedy filmmaker.

Director: Richard Attenborough
Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Geraldine Chaplin, Paul Rhys
The Sea Inside I (2004)
Biography | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8/10 X  

The real-life story of Spaniard Ramon Sampedro, who fought a 30 year campaign in favor of euthanasia and his own right to die.

Director: Alejandro Amenábar
Stars: Javier Bardem, Belén Rueda, Lola Dueñas
Basquiat (1996)
Biography | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

Basquiat tells the story of the meteoric rise of youthful artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Starting out as a street artist, living in Thompkins Square Park in a cardboard box, Jean-Michel is "... See full summary »

Director: Julian Schnabel
Stars: Jeffrey Wright, Michael Wincott, Benicio Del Toro
Milk I (2008)
Biography | Drama | History
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

The story of Harvey Milk, and his struggles as an American gay activist who fought for gay rights and became California's first openly gay elected official.

Director: Gus Van Sant
Stars: Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin
Biography | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

Based on writer Susanna Kaysen's account of her 18-month stay at a mental hospital in the 1960s.

Director: James Mangold
Stars: Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Whoopi Goldberg
Nixon (1995)
Biography | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

A biographical story of former U.S. president Richard Milhous Nixon, from his days as a young boy to his eventual presidency which ended in shame.

Director: Oliver Stone
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Joan Allen, Powers Boothe
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
...
Betty
...
David Lewis
...
Harry
...
Dwight
...
Edmund Kay
Rosalind Ayres ...
Elsa Lanchester
...
...
Colin Clive
...
Leonard Barnett
...
...
Young Whale
...
Sarah Whale
Edit

Storyline

The story of James Whale, the director of Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein, in the time period following the Korean War. Whale is homosexual and develops a friendship with his gardener, an ex-Marine. Written by James Fortman <sydb1367@rocketmail.com>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Genres:

Biography | Drama

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual material and language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Official Sites:

Country:

|

Language:

Release Date:

4 November 1998 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

The Father of Frankenstein  »

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£59,834 (UK) (26 March 1999)

Gross:

$6,390,032 (USA) (21 May 1999)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ian McKellen said that he felt very comfortable playing the role of James Whale. For, like Whale, McKellan is a homosexual British actor who spent his early career in the theater and ultimately started a career in Hollywood. See more »

Goofs

The Eagle Globe and Anchor on Clay's lighter at the top of the movie is backwards. See more »

Quotes

James Whale: My life is a game of strip poker. Want to play?
See more »

Crazy Credits

The format of the end cast credits, headlined "A Great Cast is Worth Repeating," mirrors the way Universal gave their closing credits when James Whale was directing his horror classics. See more »

Connections

References Journey's End (1930) See more »

Soundtracks

"Just Might Be Tonight"
Written by Spencer Proffer & Steve Plunkett
Performed by Johnny Spark
Produced & Arranged by Spencer Proffer & Steve Plunkett
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

 
Gods Does Some Brilliant Soul Searching

Gods and Monsters is an invigorating look into the spirit and the meaning to be found at the end of one's life. The film is based on the novel Father of Frankenstein by Christopher Bram and explores the final days of James Whale, the director of the original Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein movies. It was written and directed by Bill Condon (Candyman II: Farewell to the Flesh) and features a highly talented cast, led by Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser, and Lynn Redgrave. Though not every scene is right on target, Gods is perhaps one of the most moving and emotionally complex films to hit the theatres in a long while. The story takes place in 1957 and is based on the relationship between the retired director and his gardener. Whale (McKellen), long forgotten by the Hollywood studios, has withdrawn to a secluded life of painting. However, following the latest in a series of disabling strokes, Whale becomes more and more reliant upon the care of his live-in maid Hannah, and more and more distraught at what seems to have been a lonely and meaningless life. Then he meets Clayton Boone (Fraser), the burly young gardener that Hannah has recently hired. Whale becomes fascinated with Boone, and right away asks to paint him. Boone, though somewhat flattered, is reluctant to accept the offer of the intimidatingly flamboyant Whale because he is unsure of the old man's motives. Boone does finally accept, however (if only to please the lonely old man), and what results between the two is of the most beautiful of friendships. McKellen and Fraser thrive during these scenes, in which their true acting talent shines through delightfully. The film is at its best here too, for it is here where we learn about the fears and inhibitions of the two characters. We learn that Boone and Whale, at opposite ends of life but equally as afraid of what lies ahead, really need each other. Whale needs someone to validate his existence and to bury the monsters of his past, and Boone needs someone to fill the void that was created by the lack of a father figure in his life. There are times, however, when Gods and Monsters can run a little slow. I particularly felt this way during Whale's dream sequences in which Fraser played Dr. Frankenstein and McKellen appears as the monster himself. These scenes serve to reinforce Whale's view of himself as a perverted monster, but they don't seem fit with the tone of the film and feel confused. For the most part, however, the imagery that Condon loads his film with is wholly positive. One such instance takes place in a scene between Boone and his former girlfriend, Betty (Lolita Davidovich). Betty, the older of the two, gets through telling Clayton that he is too immature and drives away, leaving him standing all alone on a hopscotch course in the middle of a playground. Boone, upset by what Betty has just told her, kicks a nearby can in disgust. The unmistakable impression that Condon conveys to the audience is that Boone, playing kick the can on top of a hopscotch course, is indeed a child. There is no doubt, however, that the acting is what makes Gods and Monster shine. Both McKellen (Actor) and Redgrave (Supporting Actress) were nominated for Oscars, and deservedly so. McKellen (Apt Pupil, Richard III), in pulling off beautifully such a complex role, once again proves that he is one of the top four or five actors around. And Redgrave, who won a Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe Award for this role, brings energy and wit to Hannah, whose wry humor and old-fashioned religious morality helps to pump life into Gods while at the same time further antagonizing the beleaguered Whale. It is refreshing to see her character written in this way, as all-too often this type of supporting character acts merely as a go-between and mediator for the two major characters. Brendan Fraser is another plus, too. Audiences who are used to seeing Fraser in one-dimensional roles for such movies as Blast from the Past and Encino Man may be pleasantly surprised as to the amount of depth he is able to bring to Clayton Boone. There are very few films that come out nowadays that have a combination of good acting, scriptwriting, and directing. Gods and Monsters is one of those few. It is certainly a film that is driven by the acting, but Condon's direction, as well as his script (which earned Condon a Best Screenplay Adaptation Oscar) provides a workable stage for the acting to take place. The result is one extraordinary film that any true movie-lover must see.


16 of 25 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
100 Things I Learned from 'Gods and Monsters.' Tiki_Barfly
Brendan Frasier did a horrible job. unlimiteddevotion
Who are the 141 people who voted 1 for this film? terrypeters_01
Anyone who watched the movie, help me.. neo-zombie
Cucumber sandwiches Lemmingrocker1311
Gay subtext? BillyFisher
Discuss Gods and Monsters (1998) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?