Frankenstein
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elrodi, Mia Goth
Writers: Guillermo del Toro(screenplay) Mary Shelly(novel)
Director: Guillermo del Toro
*** and 1/2 *'s out of 5
Ever since we were shown The fawn in Pan’s Labryrinth or Hellboy from the feature of the same name. Guillermo del Toro has always been a defender of monsters. His best picture winner, The Shape of Water made that point clear to show that the all American patriot(played by Michael Shannon) was in fact the real monster while the amphibian creature(played by Doug Jones) was our hero at the end.
Now del Toro has set his sights on the most misunderstood monster of all time, Frankenstein. First introduced as a novel by Mary Shelly and than as a film by director James Whale and starring Boris Karloff as the creature. Since 1931 there have been way over two hundred different adaptations of the famed creature. From straight up remakes to homages. This character has been infused in our pop culture for decades.
Set mostly aboard a ship that is stuck in the ice. This version has Victor Frankenstein(Oscar Isaac) tell his tale to the captain(and the audience about his creation. It’s an extremely moving tale that has you fully invested and somewhat sympathize with his obsessive nature. We also learn that while Victor is telling his story. He is being hunted by the very thing he has made, but why. This is where the movie will either stick with it or against it
When the monster first makes an appearance, there is nothing jarring or unique about the makeup. There is nothing wrong with it, it’s perfectly suitable and would be a very easy costume to create come next Halloween. But compare to other creatures that Guillermo del Toro has made in his filmography. I can only see the actor in the makeup, and not the character in the story. Jacob Elrodi does an incredible job as the title being. Conveying a whole slew of emotions with only one word. It’s when he is giving full speech that he feels less like Frankenstein and more of a new being to me.
The makeup and practical effects for the most part is very good. Guillermo del Toro doesn’t hide nothing when Victor is cutting bodies up to make his creature. The final results however still look like one guy with stitch make up rather than different body parts sewn together. For a more accurate version of how a body would look like with different parts sewn together. You should watch Lucky McKee’s May(2002).
It’s discovered that our monster is lonely because he cannot die. He would like Victor to create a mate for him to spend his life with but who will he fine. Who will he fall in love with that would agree to be dead just like him. Who will not find his scares repulsive or that he was made from a series of attached body parts. Well lucky for our rigamortis romeo, there is one girl.
When Elizabeth(Mia Goth) first lies eyes on the creature, she is not one bit scared or taken back at all. No she is into him from the start. If Victor and her fiancé were not in the room next door. She would be willing to have his children right there. Even if the movie doesn’t come out and say, it does looks like they really want a Bride of Frankenstein sequel. I didn’t stay past the end credits so someone will have to inform me if they do set up a franchise.
Overall, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein is a remarkable accomplishment and to many this will be one of their favorites of 2025. The set designs, the costumes, the makeup, the acting, it’s all very good. It’s the story structure and the way it depicts certain characters that loose it for me. I almost wish that he would release a black and white version. It would maybe help get me more into the mode of classic films of the 30’s when the original was released. It’s the same thing I said about the recent Nosferatu. The actors at time are a bit over the top in terms of their acting style. When you are trying to evoke a certain time period it looks good and black and white helps to establish that more. But people fear things they do not understand and maybe that is why we will never see a proper new version of this classic tale.
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