FRANKENSTEIN
2025 | Dir. Guillermo del Toro | 150 Minutes
"If you are not to award me love, then I will indulge in rage."
2025 | Dir. Guillermo del Toro | 150 Minutes
"If you are not to award me love, then I will indulge in rage."
In the frigid north, rescued by the crew of Danish ship from a seemingly invulnerable monstrous pursuer, a gravely injured Baron Victor Frankenstein relates to the captain an astonishing tale of scientific advancement gone awry.
Painted in broad strokes on an enormous canvas, Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is visually bold and emotionally explosive. The film unfolds in two engaging sections, one that firmly establishes Victor Frankenstein's madness and obsession as the product of a severe Oedipal complex, while the other, even more captivating, follows his creation's painful existential journey to understand his origin and come to terms with his accursed everlasting life in pursuit of meaning and purpose. Del Toro does a fine job of illustrating how both stories are steeped in tragedy, but as one attempts to overcome his misfortune through intellectual pursuit, he neglects his psychological shortcomings and foists his trauma upon a newborn entity that is consumed by destructive rage. Lofty ideas aside, del Toro can't resist inserting a sincere romantic subplot between the creature and Victor's sister-in-law-to-be that plays out rather awkwardly. His screenplay is also virtually devoid of subtext, as in one pivotal scene Victor's brother William literally tells Victor to his face that he is the monster. However, the picture is nonetheless a poignant examination of the universally relatable tension between parents and their children.
The production design by Tamara Deverell and the sets by Shane Vieau are absolutely breathtaking. The tower that serves as Victor's laboratory is uniquely opulent and memorable, each level constructed with meticulous attention to detail, with the giant stone face of Medusa on the main floor standing out in particular. The period costumes by Kate Hawley are stunning, particularly the elaborate dresses worn by Mia Goth in both of her roles. Save for one sequence featuring some janky-looking CGI wolves, the visual effects work is impressive all-around. Among the feature's bounty of ghoulish sights, the striking imagery of the flaming Angel of Death in Victor's feverish visions is outright iconic.
As Victor, Oscar Isaac is perfectly cast as the arrogant mad scientist, believably sad, petty, and vengeful. However, the best performance of the picture is from Jacob Elordi who is absolutely revelatory in the role of the towering pitiable creature, showcasing his entire range as an actor. Mia Goth plays William's fiancée Elizabeth taking on an admirable heavy lift to sell the romance between the bride-to-be and the creature, while she also appears briefly as Victor's mother. The supporting cast features Charles Dance fitting in his role of Victor's psychologically abusive father like a glove, Felix Kammerer as Victor's somewhat dopey brother William, Christoph Waltz chewing the scenery as Elizabeth's rich syphilitic uncle and Victor's primary benefactor, and a heartbreaking David Bradley as the kindly blind man who befriends and tutors the creature.
Thematic subtlety be damned, Guillermo del Toro's penchant for both appealingly monstrous and intricately ornate design work, breathtaking sets, and earnest sentimentality perfectly matches the spirit of Mary Shelley's pioneering Gothic horror novel. This iteration of Frankenstein is deeply moving, epic in scope, and simply gorgeous to behold. It's exactly the sort of adaptation one might expect from the auteur who built his filmography around sympathetic beasts and monsters who are all too human.
FRAGMENTS
- Andrew Garfield was originally cast as the creature but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts
- Dr. Frankenstein's tower looks like something pulled straight out of Konami's Castlevania video game series
- Doing perhaps what they do best, Charles Dance plays a very Charles Dance Character (see Game of Thrones, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, etc.), Oscar Isaac plays a very Oscar Isaac role (see Ex Machina, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, etc.), while Christoph Waltz plays a very Christoph Waltz role (see Inglorious Basterds, Spectre, etc.)
007 CONNECTIONS
- Christoph Waltz (Ernst Stavro Blofeld in Spectre and No Time to Die)
MCU CONNECTIONS
- David Bradley (Church Keeper in Captain America: The First Avenger)
- Ralph Ineson (Ravager Pilot in Guardians of the Galaxy and Galactus in The Fantastic Four: First Steps)
Painted in broad strokes on an enormous canvas, Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is visually bold and emotionally explosive. The film unfolds in two engaging sections, one that firmly establishes Victor Frankenstein's madness and obsession as the product of a severe Oedipal complex, while the other, even more captivating, follows his creation's painful existential journey to understand his origin and come to terms with his accursed everlasting life in pursuit of meaning and purpose. Del Toro does a fine job of illustrating how both stories are steeped in tragedy, but as one attempts to overcome his misfortune through intellectual pursuit, he neglects his psychological shortcomings and foists his trauma upon a newborn entity that is consumed by destructive rage. Lofty ideas aside, del Toro can't resist inserting a sincere romantic subplot between the creature and Victor's sister-in-law-to-be that plays out rather awkwardly. His screenplay is also virtually devoid of subtext, as in one pivotal scene Victor's brother William literally tells Victor to his face that he is the monster. However, the picture is nonetheless a poignant examination of the universally relatable tension between parents and their children.
The production design by Tamara Deverell and the sets by Shane Vieau are absolutely breathtaking. The tower that serves as Victor's laboratory is uniquely opulent and memorable, each level constructed with meticulous attention to detail, with the giant stone face of Medusa on the main floor standing out in particular. The period costumes by Kate Hawley are stunning, particularly the elaborate dresses worn by Mia Goth in both of her roles. Save for one sequence featuring some janky-looking CGI wolves, the visual effects work is impressive all-around. Among the feature's bounty of ghoulish sights, the striking imagery of the flaming Angel of Death in Victor's feverish visions is outright iconic.
As Victor, Oscar Isaac is perfectly cast as the arrogant mad scientist, believably sad, petty, and vengeful. However, the best performance of the picture is from Jacob Elordi who is absolutely revelatory in the role of the towering pitiable creature, showcasing his entire range as an actor. Mia Goth plays William's fiancée Elizabeth taking on an admirable heavy lift to sell the romance between the bride-to-be and the creature, while she also appears briefly as Victor's mother. The supporting cast features Charles Dance fitting in his role of Victor's psychologically abusive father like a glove, Felix Kammerer as Victor's somewhat dopey brother William, Christoph Waltz chewing the scenery as Elizabeth's rich syphilitic uncle and Victor's primary benefactor, and a heartbreaking David Bradley as the kindly blind man who befriends and tutors the creature.
Thematic subtlety be damned, Guillermo del Toro's penchant for both appealingly monstrous and intricately ornate design work, breathtaking sets, and earnest sentimentality perfectly matches the spirit of Mary Shelley's pioneering Gothic horror novel. This iteration of Frankenstein is deeply moving, epic in scope, and simply gorgeous to behold. It's exactly the sort of adaptation one might expect from the auteur who built his filmography around sympathetic beasts and monsters who are all too human.
FRAGMENTS
- Andrew Garfield was originally cast as the creature but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts
- Dr. Frankenstein's tower looks like something pulled straight out of Konami's Castlevania video game series
- Doing perhaps what they do best, Charles Dance plays a very Charles Dance Character (see Game of Thrones, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, etc.), Oscar Isaac plays a very Oscar Isaac role (see Ex Machina, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, etc.), while Christoph Waltz plays a very Christoph Waltz role (see Inglorious Basterds, Spectre, etc.)
007 CONNECTIONS
- Christoph Waltz (Ernst Stavro Blofeld in Spectre and No Time to Die)
MCU CONNECTIONS
- David Bradley (Church Keeper in Captain America: The First Avenger)
- Ralph Ineson (Ravager Pilot in Guardians of the Galaxy and Galactus in The Fantastic Four: First Steps)
