Robert De Niro's 'Mary Shelley's Frankenstein' Arrives on HBO Max

Robert De Niro's 1994 sci-fi Gothic thriller Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, directed by Kenneth Branagh, is now streaming on HBO Max. De Niro's performance remains the most discussed element of a film that sparked strong reactions on release. The movie more than doubled its $45 million production budget, earning $112 million worldwide, yet was widely seen as a box-office disappointment.

Released two years after Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula, it did not achieve the same critical acclaim. On set, contrasting approaches influenced the production: Branagh brought an operatic, theatre-influenced style while De Niro, a method actor, favored quieter, internal work, a dynamic complicated by the long hours De Niro spent in the make-up chair.

He has called the shoot a unique, if challenging, experience that he enjoyed. Branagh's film was praised by some as faithful to Mary Shelley's atmosphere and for portraying the creature as thoughtful and poetic, though the surprise reanimation of Elizabeth divided viewers.

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