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Mary Shelley

Play trailer 2:06 Poster for Mary Shelley PG-13 2018 2h 0m Biography History Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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40% Tomatometer 121 Reviews 48% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Mary Wollstonecraft's family disapproves when she and poet Percy Shelley announce their love for each other. The family is horrified when it finds that the couple has eloped, accompanied by Mary's half-sister, Claire. While staying in the home of Lord Byron at Lake Geneva, the guests are challenged to write a ghost story, which leads Mary to conceive her novel Frankenstein.
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Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley

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Critics Consensus

Mary Shelley smooths out its subject's fascinating life and fails to communicate the spark of her classic work, undermining fine period detail and a solid Elle Fanning performance.

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Critics Reviews

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J. R. Jones Chicago Reader 04/09/2020
The movie, which gradually slows to a crawl, could have used a little galvanism itself. Go to Full Review
Bruce DeMara Toronto Star 07/12/2018
2.5/4
The movie is still well executed but, at two hours, not even Fanning's persuasive performance can elevate it to being more than a moderately interesting historical drama. Go to Full Review
Paul Byrnes Sydney Morning Herald 07/12/2018
3/5
If it falls short of its ambitions, you have to love that it tries to go for the big story, and that it gives Elle Fanning such a grand role at her tender age. Go to Full Review
Sarah Vincent Sarah G Vincent Views 06/12/2024
Fanning does an admirable job as the author, but I think that she had more to give than what was demanded. When an actor was on her level and gave her something to work with, she got interesting. Go to Full Review
Cate Marquis AWFJ.org 10/12/2021
Mary Shelley is a polished costume drama but one that is less about the person who wrote Frankenstein and the range of her experiences than about the the whole patriarchal structure of English society... Go to Full Review
Sophie Charara NME (New Musical Express) 04/28/2021
3/5
It's here that Al Mansour fully embraces the gothic vibes you've no doubt been waiting for, with languorous zooms, macabre oil paintings, nightmares in the night and a storm raging outside... Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Daniel B 5d "Mary Shelley": La Tragedia como Cuna de la Creación Es increíble cómo la película le otorga virtud y sentido a la tragedia. "Mary Shelley" tal vez peca de tener una primera hora y media algo plana; el conflicto no es aburrido, pero carece de un planteamiento que resulte especialmente interesante más allá de los hermosos diseños de producción y las locaciones. Sin embargo, los últimos 30 minutos son verdaderamente hermosos. Desde que los protagonistas llegan a casa de Lord Byron, surge un intercambio de ideas y un guion tan pulido que, en el punto climático, es casi imposible no emocionarse. La historia se desarrolla con el contexto justo para que, una vez que todas las piezas del rompecabezas se unen, logren un cierre inmejorable. Sin victimizarla, la narrativa hace que empatices con cómo la tragedia y la soledad han acompañado a Mary prácticamente desde su nacimiento. Una vez que ves esta película, nunca vuelves a ver a Frankenstein de la misma forma. See more Alan @BleakPhilosopher Jan 11 Great script, great acting from all concerned, great, true story, vivid characters, totally loved it! I especially liked Bel Powley's work here with a character I didn't know existed. Doesn't spend much time on the Frankenstein story, which suits me, but it connects well with Mary's story. See more Stephen C @bob25009 Sep 30 Based on a true story in 2 hours even!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $97,300.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Mike W Jul 22 I liked the movie more than enjoyed it and recommend people see it if they have interest in the Romanticist period of authors and poetry. The movie improved my understanding of Mary and Percy Shelley's lives, and Byron's. See more Brody M May 23 Director Haifaa al-Mansour’s rendition of Mary Shelley’s life was a half-assed attempt to create a Victorian chick-flick; it fell short of even this easily-attainable goal. The movie followed Mary Shelley across her formative years and into early-adulthood, as she became increasingly infatuated with the manipulative character of Percy. The events which inspired their meeting and the characters’ actions were obvious to the audience (too obvious, to the point that their reasonings felt overstated and ran counter to character growth). Mary Shelley’s intense and traumatic life, evidenced by her encounters with Lord Byron and the loss of her child and running away from her family, were done an injustice by being portrayed in the manner that they were. The pacing of this movie was piss-poor, and was the most glaring flaw even to the uninformed, uninitiated, general public which must have made up the foundational consuming body & targeted audience for this movie, because only a common man with sub-average IQ could thoroughly convince themselves to enjoy such an abominable, abhorrent, disgusting addition to movies (if it can even be called such a thing). The soundtrack to this film was its only redeeming quality, and even in this goal it failed; the music was flat and did not match the tone created by the cinematography and acting. Additionally, the music placement within the film missed the mark. The cinematography was actually lower-middle tier, when compared with the general population of movies. Jump-cuts were often overused, and no creative camera angles or filing styles were utilized. Overall, this movie was a tremendous waste of time and I wish that my mind had not been tainted by its sub-par messaging and themes. See more Jacob G May 23 The movie “Mary Shelly” was one of the most disappointing pieces of directing I've ever seen. It follows a group of talented actors through a mindless plot and extremely poor pacing. The camera work and production costs are clearly high, making it even more of a shame for the director. I finished the movie happy nonetheless because it did throw together a nice feel-good ending. Overall it is truly a testament to how impressive it was for Mary Shelly to put together such a wonderful novel. See more Read all reviews
Mary Shelley

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Movie Info

Synopsis Mary Wollstonecraft's family disapproves when she and poet Percy Shelley announce their love for each other. The family is horrified when it finds that the couple has eloped, accompanied by Mary's half-sister, Claire. While staying in the home of Lord Byron at Lake Geneva, the guests are challenged to write a ghost story, which leads Mary to conceive her novel Frankenstein.
Director
Haifaa Al-Mansour
Producer
Amy Baer, Alan Moloney, Ruth Coady
Screenwriter
Emma Jensen
Distributor
IFC Films
Production Co
Juliette Films, Sobini Films, IFC Films, Parallel Films
Rating
PG-13 (Substance Abuse|Sexuality|Thematic Elements)
Genre
Biography, History, Drama, Romance
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 25, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 3, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA)
$97.3K
Runtime
2h 0m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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