Brody M
Director Haifaa al-Mansour’s rendition of Mary Shelley’s life was a half-assed attempt to create a Victorian chick-flick; it fell short of even this easily-attainable goal. The movie followed Mary Shelley across her formative years and into early-adulthood, as she became increasingly infatuated with the manipulative character of Percy. The events which inspired their meeting and the characters’ actions were obvious to the audience (too obvious, to the point that their reasonings felt overstated and ran counter to character growth). Mary Shelley’s intense and traumatic life, evidenced by her encounters with Lord Byron and the loss of her child and running away from her family, were done an injustice by being portrayed in the manner that they were. The pacing of this movie was piss-poor, and was the most glaring flaw even to the uninformed, uninitiated, general public which must have made up the foundational consuming body & targeted audience for this movie, because only a common man with sub-average IQ could thoroughly convince themselves to enjoy such an abominable, abhorrent, disgusting addition to movies (if it can even be called such a thing). The soundtrack to this film was its only redeeming quality, and even in this goal it failed; the music was flat and did not match the tone created by the cinematography and acting. Additionally, the music placement within the film missed the mark. The cinematography was actually lower-middle tier, when compared with the general population of movies. Jump-cuts were often overused, and no creative camera angles or filing styles were utilized. Overall, this movie was a tremendous waste of time and I wish that my mind had not been tainted by its sub-par messaging and themes.
Rated 0.5/5 Stars •
Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars
05/23/25
Full Review
Jacob G
The movie “Mary Shelly” was one of the most disappointing pieces of directing I've ever seen. It follows a group of talented actors through a mindless plot and extremely poor pacing.
The camera work and production costs are clearly high, making it even more of a shame for the director. I finished the movie happy nonetheless because it did throw together a nice feel-good ending. Overall it is truly a testament to how impressive it was for Mary Shelly to put together such a wonderful novel.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
05/23/25
Full Review
Kaiya b
Mary Shelley (2018) proved to be an interesting depiction of the life and times of famous author, Mary Shelley. The film depicts Shelley’s life, highlighting the key aspects of her life that drew her to write her classic gothic novel, Frankenstein. Throughout the film, we watch Shelley run from home with her half sister, Claire, in an effort to start a life for herself with a stuck up and married man, which has its consequences. The title role, Mary Shelley, played by Elle Fanning, was executed in a beautifully tragic fashion. Her costars, on the other hand, failed to match her energy at a margin that made the film a tough watch. Director Haifaa al-Mansour captured Mary Shelley’s struggle as a female trying to pave her way in a male-dominated world was truly inspiring and, when reading the director’s background, it makes sense that she could so masterfully shape such a character. The cinematography was fairly good. The simplicity of the shots was crucial to telling the story, though got bland or boring as the story continued. The setting was dark and dreary, setting the stage for the mood of Shelley’s life, and later of her novel, which was an intelligent choice. The sound design contained straining orchestral music that conveyed the mood of the story in a subtle, though once recognized, quite dramatic way, which I enjoyed. The theme of feminism and the effects of abandonment were clear, but were connected quite sloppily to the novel itself. There seemed to be too much random and unnecessary tension, both sexual and emotional, between all characters, taking away largely from the true themes. The script was, for a lack of a better term, quite poor. The film seemed to drag on, and the “message” that the movie attempted to spread was poorly written into the plot, though the film was quite literally created to explain this message.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
05/22/25
Full Review
Izzy N
The film “Mary Shelley” directed by Haifaa al-Mansour certainly is an interesting watch but ultimately falls victim to the attempt to tow the line between a respectful/factual presentation of the renowned author's life while also satisfying the dramatic entertainment required of romantic period movies of this type. The film follows the life of young Mary Shelley between the time she is 16 and her publication of Frankenstein, widely considered to be a literary masterpiece. Between this small period of a few years she faces many hardships, she runs away with tumultuous Percy Shelley to start a new life and is cast out by her father due to this decision. She becomes pregnant with a baby girl and tragically ends up losing her at a very young age. While this is happening she also faces the pressure of looking out for her sister who has her own issues regarding another poet and a baby. I have to give the movie credit for its set design. I thought that the lighting was particularly fitting to the tone and the environment was representative of the time, the way in which the houses looked internally and also with the way in which the characters were dressed fit the time period. However beyond that is where the problems begin. The acting wasn’t bad, in fact Elle Fanning gave a particularly respectable performance and was the acting standout for me. The area where I draw the most issue arises from the way the plot was handled. The pacing was poorly executed and it felt as though the scenes were just jumping around instead of transitioning smoothly from each arc. Mary Shelley has an especially interesting life that wasn’t portrayed in this film to its full potential. Something in particular that bothered me was the portrayal of her writing Frankenstein. The movie does show her having a dream that is meant to be about her late baby, but after that it is portrayed as though she wrote Frankenstein because of her troubles with Percy Shelley, which likely did contribute to the story but there were also so many other factors. This includes the abandonment she felt from her father, the grief at losing her baby, and other difficulties that expand beyond simply being upset by her husband. This film is still worth a watch for those who are interested in classic literature because it does provide some insight into the renowned authors life, but don't go into this expecting it to be groundbreaking.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
05/22/25
Full Review
Dominick M
“Mary Shelley” directed by Haifaa al-Mansour fails to deliver a compelling tale of a revolutionary author through a dreary, confused lens. The film tells the tale of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley, an aspiring author attempting to make her way in the literary world of the 19th century. The film’s acting is carried by Elle Fanning, the lead actress portraying Shelley. As she practically transforms into Shelley on screen, her pains and triumphs are felt through her performance. The same however, cannot be said for her costars. The other main characters and supporting cast seem to struggle to adapt to the environment, which is seen through awkward line delivery, confusing chemistry, and a constant feeling of horniness. Seriously, as unprecedented as that sounds, almost every scene after the first act of the film has a feeling of sexual tension no matter the circumstance. The film is paced in a way which could make the viewer think it’s being rushed. Any moment of importance seems to be quickly brushed under the rug to move on to another unnecessary montage of intimacy or downright nothing. The sound design and visual design complement each other greatly. The dark and dingy gothic atmosphere is always accompanied by the echoey and distant sounds of old wood creaking and rain pounding against a window. Overall, this film delivers a misrepresentation of the story of the great Mary Shelley. Although it paints an atmospheric picture of 19th century England during the age of romanticism, it falls flat due to its awkward acting, tension that throws off any scene, and inconsistent pacing.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
05/21/25
Full Review
Joseph S
Haifaa al-Mansour’s movie “Mary Shelley” depicts the life of protagonist and writer Mary Shelley as she undergoes the process of writing her famed novel Frankenstein among friends, lovers and family in the house of poet Lord Byron. Beginning with a challenge among the group to write the best ghost story, Shelley crafts her story of abandonment, loneliness and grief while dealing with the same feelings in her own life, due to quarrels with her significant other Percy and the death of her newborn baby. This movie does a decent job of building a romantic era vibe/theme due to its setting in a large, gothic mansion during a violent rainstorm, which enhances the vibes of romanticism within the house as the poets navigate the love, lust, alcohol and poetry that build and destroy their relationships. In terms of cinematography and filming style, the director also did a good job of portraying the poetic and romantic nature of the poets within Byron’s house by including many monologue-like scenes that highlighted the character’s poetic tendencies. The acting was decent, each character, especially Mary and Lord Byron, showed a great range of emotion when necessary, which is important given the emotional themes referenced in the movie. I felt as though the movie jumped around a lot, leaving less room for a clear, flowing plot line which definitely brought its rating down in my eyes. However, the movie did a great job of displaying the birth of the themes of isolation, loneliness and desperation that are present in Frankenstein, which in turn enhanced my understanding and appreciation for the novel.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
05/21/25
Full Review
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