There's nothing terribly wrong with this film about the author of the iconic novel Frankenstein, but there's nothing terribly right about it either.
Mary Shelley is played by Elle Fanning, who does a good job surrounded by a decent support cast. But see that's the thing - they're decent but not amazing. It's all just a bit ho hum for me.
I didn't know anything about Shelley or any of the other now-well-known authors who surround her so the story line was vaguely interesting to me but to be honest, it felt quite long (2 hours, feels like 2.5, as the Bureau of Meteorology might say) and the third quarter or so nearly sent me off to sleep.
I guess in summary I'd say if you love a bonnet drama, loved history and/or literature at school or love just passing a rainy day in a cinema without much care for what you watch, then this might be for you. But even then I fear you won't love it but perhaps just like it. Gosh, it's not exactly a ringing endorsement.
Mary Shelley has attracted some mixed reviews. If you're considering seeing it, have a look at this three star review in The Guardian and this less positive (un-starred) review from the ABC.
Mary Shelley is in cinemas now. Rated PG. Trailer here.