review: Gothic

 

(Three out of Five Stars)

 

 

If you aren't familiar with the exaggerations of Ken Russell then you will get a nice dose of his extreme flourishes in this one. The premise is fascinating for any of those interested in the invigorating literary culmination of some of the most radical and philosophical thinkers of their time. If you haven't read any Byron, Percy Shelley or Mary Shelley you are missing out. And the stories of their infamous indulgences are equally remarkable. With all of that being said, this film is, at times, hard to take seriously. Some of the imagery is interesting and it is a defiantly unique effort, but I found myself laughing out loud at times that I don't think that I was supposed to. It is somewhat entertaining but I think that reading any works from the subjects of the film would be time much better spent.