Creature’s plot revolves around a scientist and his student’s unnatural experiment. When it ends in disaster, they must face the consequences of their actions. The series is now streaming on Netflix.
Story
In Ottoman-era Turkey, a creature brings a sick man to a group of treasure hunters, led by Captain Ömer, and asks them to heal the man. The creature disappears into the mountains, and the sick man, whose name is Ziya, tells his story to Captain Ömer and his men.
Ziya is a physician’s son. Like his father, Ziya wanted to save people’s lives, but unlike his father, Ziya was ready to make use of forbidden practices to achieve his goals; he wanted to get his hands on The Book of Resurrection, which can be used to resurrect the dead.
When he goes to Istanbul to study medicine, he meets İhsan, a troubled but genius scientist whose dreams are not very different from Ziya’s. İhsan has a copy of The Book of Resurrection, and he has been conducting experiments.
Ziya forces İhsan to make him his apprentice, and the two of them work together to make their dream a reality. When an accident prevents İhsan from continuing with the experiment, Ziya sets out to finish their work.
However, Ziya soon realizes that his creation is not what he expected it to be. He tries to shed all responsibility, but he is haunted by the consequences of his reckless actions. Will Ziya be able to make things right?
Performances
Taner Ölmez plays Ziya. He tries to depict Ziya as a man who is obsessed with an idea, but in trying to portray that manic energy, he ends up overacting. No matter what is happening onscreen, Ölmez’s exaggerated performance fails to leave an impact.
Erkan Kolçak Köstendil’s performance is better. Köstendil portrays İhsan as a troubled scientist and then as a man who is as clueless as a child without overdoing it. He learns to be a human again, and the actor makes this transformation convincing.
Şifanur Gül, who plays Asiye, manages to portray her character as a kind woman but a woman who cannot be beguiled. She is good-hearted but not naive, which is refreshing.
Positives
Creature is based on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, but the adaptation makes a number of changes to the plot. These changes make the creature’s story more engaging and give the audience unexpected subplots.
The show tries to depict the dangers of unchecked human ambition. Ziya is blinded by his ambition and loses his humanity in the name of science. It is safe to say that the show succeeds, as the audience would never want to justify Ziya’s actions.
As Ziya becomes obsessed with resurrecting the dead, he loses all regard for human life. It is made evident that he is driven by his arrogance and not by his desire to save lives. It is interesting to see a man fool himself into believing otherwise.
As Ziya loses his humanity, İhsan regains his. However, it is İhsan who is shunned and Ziya who is accepted by all simply because of the difference in their appearance. It highlights how one’s appearance defines their place in society, which is something that never changes.
The show makes use of animation to explain the history of The Book of Ressurection. It makes the book, which fails to pique the audience’s interest, seem somewhat mysterious.
Creature manages to include some light-hearted scenes that one would not expect to see in a show like this one. Although they are few and far between, they are a good addition.
Negatives
The creature is the central figure in the story, but Creature takes four episodes to get to its creation. It takes too long to introduce the main conflict, which makes the audience lose interest.
The creature is supposed to be a hideous and terrifying being, but the show fails to depict him as that. His makeup and prosthetics do not have the desired effect, as he looks like a man with a few scars and not a monster.
The show is too dramatic for its own good. The excessive drama ruins impactful scenes and makes it hard for the audience to take the events in the show seriously.
Additionally, it could have done without a few subplots and plot devices. Introducing The Book of Ressurection in the story seems pointless. Ziya’s search for the book does nothing but stretch the plot unnecessarily. Similarly, while İhsan’s story is emotional, it is too dragged out.
Verdict
Creature does not suffer from a lack of originality, but it is overdramatized and beats around the bush a little too much. Unfortunately, it ends up being a mediocre adaptation.
Creature
Director: Çagan Irmak
Date Created: 2023-10-21 15:38
2.5
Also Read: Creature summary and ending explained