Coming into Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein, understanding that this is the movie the renowned director has always wanted to make, his big whale, if you will, means coming into it understanding there’s a lot at stake in every second of the story playing out on screen. Sometimes, setting high expectations is the easiest way to be disappointed.
But it is not so in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, which might just end up the definitive adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel. Intimate, powerful, and compelling, Frankenstein is both the kind of movie you can’t take your eyes off and the type that leaves you thinking long after the screen has faded to black. Are we the monsters in our own stories? Del Toro doesn’t give us the answers, just like life doesn’t. It’s up to us to answer that question, and we do so with every choice we make.
Oscar Isaac plays Victor Frankenstein, both the hero and the monster in his own story to perfection, with a kind of frantic charisma that belies a dark side. And yet, the most heartbreaking part about Isaac’s portrayal is how much, deep down, we come to understand his choices—even when we disagree. This is a tale about fathers and sons, and how so often, we fail our kids and by doing so, fail ourselves, and Isaac perfectly understands the assignment.
But despite the movie being named Frankenstein, it’s Jacob Elordi as The Creature who steals the show. Elordi seemed like a strange choice for the character from the beginning, and yet from the moment he first appears on screen, he elevates the story by showcasing the right amount of emotional vulnerability to a character that has never really been the monster, no matter how others have painted it. But it’s not just about understanding that in many ways, The Creature is the victim; it’s about the cycles of pain and mistrust we perpetuate and how we can finally break free from the shackles of what people expect from us.
Isaac and Elordi are joined by a superb cast, who keep up with the two at every step and are elevated by the sure and clear direction of Del Toro. Those familiar with Frankenstein’s story will, of course, find some differences from the source material, but there’s still a lot to love about how Del Toro blends gothic imagery and the themes of ambition and the dangers of “playing God” with a grounded story about the tragic cycle of cruelty and, yes, loneliness.
But that’s not all, every aspect of the movie elevates the experience, from the stunning cinematography and breathtaking production design, to the superb costumes by Kate Hawley and the haunting makeup design for The Creature by Mike Hill, without forgetting the memorable score by Alexandre Desplat.
Del Toro put his all into this version of Frankenstein, and it shows. And though Hollywood being what it is, we are likely to see other adaptations in the future, it’s hard to believe they will touch us as much as this one did. Or that they will leave us thinking about the cycles we are perpetuating without meaning to, and how we can actually be better, not just for our children, but for ourselves.
Frankenstein is now available to stream on Netflix.
