Gods and Monsters

R

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1 hr. 45 min.

Biography

LGBTQ+

List

96%

71 Reviews

Tomatometer

83%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Once a powerful Hollywood director best known for "Frankenstein" and "The Bride of Frankenstein," James Whale (Ian McKellen) is long since retired and in increasingly poor health. His stalwart housekeeper, Hanna (Lynn Redgrave), quietly disapproves of Whale's faceless, nameless parade of young gay lovers, but when the director takes an interest in new gardener Clayton Boone, a former Marine and Korean War veteran, it seems to be for something more than his usual casual conquest.

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Critics 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.

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Jerod S

No idea that Fraser could actually act. H's befriended by old Hollywood director James Whale (Ian McKellen). Whale created the Frankenstein movies but is trying to hang on to significance as he ages.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/04/23

Full Review

Katya V

Ian McKellen gets a bit much, but Brendan Fraser is excellent! Great script and interesting cinematography. And it does have the air of old Hollywood about it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/12/23

Full Review

Taylor L

Gods and Monsters is the story of a suicidal former director, haunted by his greatest successes and the ghosts of his past, featuring a desolate lead performance from Ian McKellen. Did I mention that it was adapted and directed by the same man who directed multiple Twilight films? He won an Oscar for it. Movies about friendship are nice. Movies with layered characters are nice. So why does Gods and Monsters feel a little bit hollow, even though both McKellen and Brendan Fraser are putting in some fine performances? It's because the bond seems a bit unearned. The film is a rousing success at diving deeply into the character of James Whale, famed director of early monster films and a notably early open homosexual celebrity, as the film reflects on his past relationships to both individuals and his own work; he's been reduced to either complete irrelevance or a simple name attached to his movies, rather than his own person. The character gives an odd first impression, particularly with his tendency to try to convince other men to take off their clothes, but the script gradually reveals that this is more than your standard Weinstein-casting-couch perversion - it's tied deeply into a sense of reconnecting with his past, and doesn't make him a predator. Despite that though, there doesn't seem to be much given to actually establish his friendship with Fraser's Clayton, a gardener in his employ and a stand-in for Frankenstein's monster (simple, towering, with a good heart). The friendship grows but the individual steps taken to get there seem like they haven't been climbed. Regardless, as a story of reflection and aging with a backdrop in film, Gods and Monsters is still worthwhile thanks to McKellen, even if it probably received the standard critical boost associated with any movie that casts a kind eye back towards the early days of Hollywood. Fraser and Lynn Redgrave, who plays Whale's longtime maid (with whom he seems to share a much more legitimate connection) are both very solid. (3/5)

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Steve B

Its tough to dislike a movie with this perfect cast. And of course it gave us some insight into a semi-autobiographical work of a relatively renowned Hollywood career But It drag at points, and I found the conclusion, and the reasons for that conclusion, to be unsatisfactory.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/02/23

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Thomas M

The best acting performance from Ian McKellen!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/25/22

Full Review

isla s

This is an interesting film about the life of someone I wasn't familiar with beforehand. Ian McKellen undoubtedly gives a stellar performance as Mr. Whale, a retired director who is/was known for being openly gay, although younger men seem unaware of this. Also undoubtedly this film may make for slightly uncomfortable viewing at times, when it's made plainly clear that James (Mr. Whale) is making subtle moves at people - primarily the new gardener, Clayton Boone, played by Brendan Fraser. Its a fairly understated film and its relatively thought provoking, in as much as it may make you wonder about the true meaning behind Mr. Whales fiction work - the symbology/metaphors present and the like. It's a bit sad but mostly a film to ponder over, I suppose, which is something Mr. Whale himself may have said. I suppose, at its essence, its a film about identity. It has somewhat of a poignancy to it. I don't know how accurate, or not, this film is but its certainly worth seeing for Ian McKellen's performance alone, I reckon, although Brendan Fraser does also play his character quite well too.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Bill Condon

Director

Ian McKellen

James Whale

Brendan Fraser

Clayton Boone

Lynn Redgrave

Hanna

Lolita Davidovich

Betty

Kevin J. O'Connor

Harry

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Anthony Lane

New Yorker

Few films have made it seem so natural to be haunted.

Oct 12, 2020

Full Review

Sight & Sound

While Condon may not quite have captured an accurate Whale, he and his cast have brought a memorable creation to life.

Jun 18, 2012

Full Review

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: A

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Wesley Lovell

Cinema Sight

“Gods and Monsters” is easily one of the best films of the year. It is a real treat for any movie lover and will easily span the test of time like the films of the man it portrayed.

Rated: 4/4

Jan 7, 2023

Full Review

Sean P. Means

Salt Lake Tribune

The film is a revelation for writer-director Bill Condon, whose last movie, the horror schlock Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh, showed no indication of the intelligence and tenderness at work here.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jan 4, 2023

Full Review

Michael Cuby

them.

it still feels remarkably current today.

Oct 3, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

Once a powerful Hollywood director best known for "Frankenstein" and "The Bride of Frankenstein," James Whale (Ian McKellen) is long since retired and in increasingly poor health. His stalwart housekeeper, Hanna (Lynn Redgrave), quietly disapproves of Whale's faceless, nameless parade of young gay lovers, but when the director takes an interest in new gardener Clayton Boone, a former Marine and Korean War veteran, it seems to be for something more than his usual casual conquest.

Director: Bill Condon
Executive Producer: Clive Barker, David Forrest, Stephen P. Jarchow, Beau Rogers
Screenwriter: Christopher Bram, Bill Condon
Distributor: Universal Studios Inc.
Production Co: Showtime Networks Inc., Regent Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Biography, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 21, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 27, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $6.4M
Sound Mix: Dolby
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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