Creature Review: Created, written, and directed by Çagan Irmak, Creature aka Yaratilan, is a Turkish adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. The series stars famous Turkish actors Erkan Kolçak Köstendil, Taner Ölmez, Engin Benli, Şifanur Gül, Bülent Şakrak, Sema Çeyrekbaşı, Devrim Yakut and more. The series has 8 episodes in total, each with a runtime of 30 to 35 minutes. It is available in English and Turkish audio with multiple language subtitles.
Creature follows the story of Ziya, a scientist trying to find a cure to give peace to humankind that struggles with diseases. When he meets a medical doctor Ihsan in Istanbul, his dreams of ending death come true with a penalty. When he resurrects someone he dearly respects, it ultimately ends him in big trouble as he later realises he’s brought to earth a monster. Stuck between saving his loved ones and finding an end to the creature he brought back, the viewers view the life of the scientist’s agony!
– Creature Review Contains No Spoilers –
Creature Review
Most of us know about the Frankenstein story written by Mary Shelley where a science student makes use of corpses’ body parts to create an artificial person. Similarly in the Turkish take on the Novel, we’re shown the effort of a scientist resurrecting/creating an artificial person with hopes he can save humankind. However, he resurrects someone who turns out to be a monster and starts to lurk around. Given that the series is just an adaptation, one among the hundreds, the Turkish team has put a unique aspect.
All the resurrection/creation is happening at the end of the Ottoman Empire and it’s not really Frankenstein but someone who is resurrected out of too much hope (which in fact turns out wrong). Since the viewers are given the chance to check out how Turkey and Turkish people looked back in those days—-their traditional attires, places, and food (of course), this series stands out!
Moreover, each and every episode has a theatrical experience since the actors convey their dialogues and present them with exaggerated movements. Say in the very first episode when Ziya peaks inside the medical school he finds a madman talking to a skeleton rather too intriguingly.
Speaking of the actors, the cast did a fantastic job. Starting with the main lead Ziya performed by Taner Ölmez, he really acted brilliantly as a hasty scientist always panicking and fidgeting while overthinking. His love for Asiye (Şifanur Gül) was also portrayed in a way that the viewers learn how relationships were back in the day. He even mentions how Asiye sinned since she kissed him (Is kissing that bad?). The weird aspect is they both were brought up like siblings but ended up as lovers (nope, not an incest, she’s not his biological sister).
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Now to Şifanur Gül—-she’s such a pretty woman. Be it any series she acts in, there’s an aura around her that makes her outstanding. Seeing her in the traditional Turkish garments gave me a whole new experience. Her character Asiye is one of the key characters of the story, pivotal to the climax. Then we see Ihsan, the mad scientist, who helps Ziya to experiment on the book of resurrection. Actor Erkan Kolçak Köstendil understood the assignment and gave the most theatrical experience in his act.
A big raise to the stylist for styling all of them accurately especially Ihsan’s character since it uplifted his madness trait. The colour grading is a perfect match to make the show look both chilling and cozy. The locations, the set designs, the supporting actors, and the script, everything were executed well and good.
Final Thoughts
Overall the Turkish series is a big win because they made use of a famous story and added their spice to it. It is a joy to watch different ethnicities through series and this one gave us the bliss. Looking at the Ottoman Empire and the people living back in that time is educational (with regards to knowing another country’s history) and creative.
Creature is streaming on Netflix. Let us know your thoughts about the series in the comment section.
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