Gods and Monsters

A phenomenal McKellen as a gay directing legend and an intriguing script adorn this great film. Fraser does a good job, but as I say, McKellen is unmatched, he even got an Oscar nomination. But... people from the Academy, what else do you want? (14.07.2003)

Good, good, especially Ian McKellen’s performance and the script. Brendan Fraser, or actually his character, feels like a pretty corpse, which is quite funny considering what the film is about. (14.03.2013)

Ian McKellen in voller Kraft. Die Geschichte schildert auf packende Weise das Ende des Lebens von Filmemacher James Whale, einer Legende in der Welt des Horrorfilms. Er macht kein großes "Drama" aus seiner homosexuellen Orientierung; im Gegenteil, er lehnt die Fassade der billigen Sensationslust ab und versucht, sich in den Autor von Monstern hineinzuversetzen, die das Publikum seit Generationen in Angst und Schrecken versetzen. Monster, die nicht nur auf der Leinwand leben, sondern auch in der Seele ihres Schöpfers, ihres Gottes. Ein sensibler Blick in das Innenleben eines impulsiven Mannes, der gleichzeitig seine grundlegenden Inspirationsquellen offenbart. Eine in jeder Hinsicht hervorragende Biographie des Künstlers... (27.01.2004)

The nineties in the style of Ed Wood, shot through the lens of classic oldies films, with arty black and white monster interludes. A solid biopic of a master of horror. A tribute to his art, his contribution to cinema and at the same time a tangible story about a man of flesh and blood, about how he drew inspiration and about his sexuality. The masterful McKellen, of course, dominates. The script abounds with solid drama and emotional impact, but does not avoid a number of dead spots and unnecessarily dragging moments. (24.11.2021)

A superb biopic that delights with brilliant performances (we're used to this with McKellen, but Fraser deserves lots of praise), a premise oriented not only to the last days of a directorial great, but also to the memories of his most famous work, and literally thrills with its refined form, namely a wonderful soundtrack and impressive flashbacks to Whale's past, which greatly enhance the power of the story. Everything is perfectly thought out, the development of the relationship between the ageing homosexual artist and his new "monster" is depicted with complete veracity and flawlessness, and the finale, though inevitable, is exquisite and moving, including the nostalgic and beautiful final scene. I really don’t know what else one can ask from a film of this kind. 90% (18.08.2015)