Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley

2017Movie120 minEnglish

The love affair between poet Percy Shelley and Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin resulted in the creation of an immortal novel, “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.”

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Insights

IMDb6.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes56%
Metacritic57/100
Google Users78%
Director: Haifaa al-MansourGenres: Biography, Drama, Romance, History

Plot Summary

This film chronicles the formative years of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, who would become the celebrated author Mary Shelley. It explores her passionate and unconventional upbringing in an intellectual London household, her tumultuous romance with the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, and the tragic events that inspired her to write the iconic novel "Frankenstein" at the tender age of eighteen.

Critical Reception

Mary Shelley received generally mixed to positive reviews, with particular praise directed at Elle Fanning's central performance and the film's visual style. Some critics found the narrative to be somewhat conventional for a biopic, but many acknowledged its sensitive portrayal of a complex historical figure and its exploration of themes surrounding creativity, loss, and female agency.

What Reviewers Say

  • Elle Fanning delivers a compelling performance as the young Mary Shelley.
  • The film offers a visually engaging look at a pivotal period in literary history.
  • Some critics felt the biopic narrative adhered too closely to familiar tropes.

Google audience: Audiences generally appreciated the film's aesthetic qualities and the portrayal of Mary Shelley's early life and creative awakening. Many viewers found it to be an interesting and well-acted look at the author's formative years, though some suggested it could have delved deeper into certain aspects of her life and relationships.

Fun Fact

Director Haifaa al-Mansour, a Saudi Arabian filmmaker, became the first woman to direct a narrative feature film within Saudi Arabia with her 2012 debut 'Wadjda'.

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My Review

TMDB Reviews

2 reviews
Gimly

Gimly

Let Mary Shelley fuck on her mum's grave!! Commits the cardinal sin of the entertainment industry: being boring. Moreover, I absolutely did not believe that the relationship between Wollstonecraft Godwin and Shelley was anything of the i...
Stephen Campbell

Stephen Campbell

**_I really wanted to hate it!_** > _When I placed my head on my pillow, I did not sleep, nor could I be said to think. My imagination, unbidden, possessed and guided me, gifting the successive images that arose in my mind with a vividn...