I selected this movie on a whim, took a quick gander of the cast and synopsis, was curious and contrary to all the bad press out there I was pleasantly surprised! As a growing fan of the Gothic romance/thriller genre, I was so so impressed. The movie draws you in from the opening scene. Jessie B's portrayal of the lead character was absolutely breaktaking, I found myself waiting on every word she said because it was so magnetic, expressive, emotionally triggering and soulful. Christian Bale's portrayal was nothing short of excellent! His body language and expressions told the story of the unfortunate characters pain and loneliness but also the underlying yearning for love, affection, intimacy and playfulness. The 1930's era was beautifully captured by the set design, costumes and scenery. Her make up smears had a story of it's own, almost becoming an invisible string to the rest of the women by the end. It's not uncommon to watch a movie and agree that the book was a better experience and if that is the case for this movie, I truly can not wait to read the book to dive deeper into Mary Shelly's world. Highly recommend!