By now you may have heard and read a lot of people complaining about “I, Frankenstein”. Yes, the dialogue isn’t good, the acting is flat and the story predictable. But there many things to say in defense of the movie.

For starters, let’s put it in context. This comic-book adaptation belongs in the same category as the Underworld, Resident Evil, Blade and Ghost Rider franchises: The over the top “lone hero vs. creatures” sci-fi action flick. Single entries like “Van Helsing”, “Aeon Flux”, “Ultraviolet”, “Hansel and Gretel” and “Dylan Dog” are other examples.

Except for the first two “Blades” all of them are OK in the special effects department but terrible in all others.

The set pieces in “I, Frankenstein” are more than impressive, those mega battles are spectacular! True, the demons’ masks would look cheap even in an episode of the TV show Grimm, but all the other character and set designs are beautiful.

It totally justifies expending the extra money to see it in IMAX 3D, something that you can’t say about many post-converted blockbusters. Not just because the cool CGI characters and environments, but because the camera -or “virtual camera”- work creates an immersive and atmospheric experience. Add a couple of cool fight choreographies to the mix and you get a solid amount of action sequences.

The talking parts go from ‘OK’ to ‘poor’, but I never got to the point of hating those scenes or characters in them. The movie knows its limitations and keep things moving at a good peace to start rolling the credits after 90 minutes.

“I, Frankenstein” isn’t a memorable film, but it is an effective and satisfying pop-corn flick that is more alive than most specimens of its kind.

“I, Frankenstein” is in theaters now.

“200 years after his shocking creation, Dr. Frankenstein’s creature, Adam, still walks the earth. But when he finds himself in the middle of a war over the fate of humanity, Adam discovers he holds the key that could destroy humankind. From the co-writer of the hit supernatural saga, UNDERWORLD, comes the action thriller I, FRANKENSTEIN, written for the screen and directed by Stuart Beattie, screen story by Kevin Grevioux and Stuart Beattie, based on the Darkstorm Studios graphic novel “I, Frankenstein” created by Kevin Grevioux. The story is brought to life by a cast that includes Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Yvonne Strahovski, Miranda Otto, Jai Courtney, and Aden Young as Victor Frankenstein.”