Yes, it could have been mistaken for one, as most biographies are, but I can assure you that it is not. The feel this movie gave off was quite old without it seeming like a typical period drama. Absolutely loved it, such a stunning film and the first I have seen about Mary Shelley's life.I passed a cinema in Cambridge where this film was being shown and little did I know that it had only come out in select theatres. Finding it on the internet was a pain, so, if you see it anywhere, go watch it immediately, it's not as accessible as one might want it to be.

Mary Godwin (Elle Fanning) has known loss all her life. Her mother died soon after childbirth. Her beloved father supported her learning despite his struggling book business. He sends her to stay in Scotland with the Baxters. There she is taken with young budding poet Percy Shelley (Douglas Booth). He follows her back to London promising to pay her father's debts. Mary is shocked when his wife and child show up. Despite the scandalous abandonment and her father's disapproval, she runs away with him taking her younger step-sister Claire Clairmont (Bel Powley) along with them. Percy is cut off from his family and they struggle for money. She faces further abandonment as he pursues the philosophy of free love. Claire has a fling with famed writer Lord Byron (Tom Sturridge). Mary finds common cause with Dr. John Polidori. At age 18, she writes the seminal work drawing from her loss of mother, child, and possibly her husband.This story has lots of good potential and a solid performance by Fanning. This is a biopic of one of the great literary figures. She has a great story to tell. It's the highest priority to zero in on the subject's central premise. For Mary, it should tie in with abandonment for her monster. Instead, this is a muddled narrative that fails to focus on that singular idea. Although Isabel Baxter may be a big part of a specific part of her life, there's no need for her since all that's necessary from that section is an introduction to Percy. Percy's free love demand seems to come out of nowhere and yet it's a big part of their common philosophy. There is a lack of intellectual understanding of these characters. Despite all the flaws, Fanning is an appealing lead actress and she holds the screen to the end. Mary Shelley lived a compelling life and this movie gives a fleeting glimpse into it.

Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin is a teenage dreamer determined to make her mark on the world when she meets the dashing and brilliant poet Percy Shelley. So begins a torrid, bohemian love affair marked by both passion and personal tragedy that will transform Mary and fuel the writing of her Gothic masterwork. Imbued with the imaginative spirit of its heroine, Mary Shelley brings to life the world of a trailblazing woman who defied convention and channeled her innermost demons into a legend for the ages. Despite an amazing cast and Elle Fanning trying her best 'Mary Shelley' tells a story that is neither good or even remotely interesting at all. (0/10)

This is hardly going to be a criticism, as I really enjoyed this movie.More often that not female-directed period pieces (Becoming Jane, Vanity Fair) fall prey to a quasi-rom-com conception: they're delicate, whimsical, and generously saturated. Mary Shelley is very conscious of its subject matter and its heroine. From its dreary color scheme, to its ample references to Mary's heritage, to its meticulous dialogue, I did feel the time and place intended, and I did feel a heavily researched respect for their events. Every character was written wholly and frankly, I love that we never SEE Shelley's infidelities to heighten our sympathy of Mary, and most of all, I loved Elle Fanning. For an actress so seemingly frail, she held her ground, delivered her lines, and projected sheer power unfolding. I'll be pretty disappointed if she doesn't win some kind of recognition for this.