FRANKENSTEIN

Director
Guillermo del Toro

Starring
Oscar Isaac
Jacob Elordi
Mia Goth
Christoph Waltz

An expedition to the North Pole has seen a crew of sailors trapped in the ice. And as they struggle to break themselves free, they encounter the wandering Baron Victor Frankenstein [Isaac], badly disfigured and pursued by a creature [Elordi]. Taken aboard, Victor details his life, and how he came to create the monster that stalks him. It’s Frankenstein, I’m sure you know the plot.

It’s regrettable that for this review I must employ a fairly lazy analogy. For you see, del Toro’s Frankenstein is a marvellous construction. It is a wonder to behold in its horrific detail and loving retreading of the source material. But, for all its accomplishments, it lacks the spark of originality. Far from a cursed production, it is simply a competent one. And therefore, given the stature and prowess of its creator, a marked step down. Again, to break down the parts of this release, you can only find positives. The production design is gorgeous, as is the costume, hair and makeup work, the performances are earnest and gothic, the score is delicate, and the direction and cinematography are dynamic and engaging.

So why doesn’t it all connect? Is it simply that this is a story which has been resurrected time-and-time again and we only accept it when it comes with some new twist or flavour? Possibly. But more so, I feel there’s somewhat of a parallel between this release and 2015’s Crimson Peak. Where Crimson Peak was an original gothic piece that struggled to find its footing and was bogged down in production excess, Frankenstein has the skeletal structure of the novel to guide and shape it. But both feel indulgent and made solely because they could be.

In truth, del Toro has manufactured a bisected feature that follows the instruction of the novel too closely. Not only in its presentation of story – with the camp eccentricity of Victor’s perspective juxtaposed against the tenderness of the creature’s – but also through the duality of beauty and the grotesque. And that’s what makes this movie so frustrating. Del Toro is such a unique and beloved talent, a genuine credit to his craft, but this movie is oddly somewhat beneath him. He adds little that we haven’t already seen before in previous versions, nor does he inject enough personality to make this a seminal del Toro work. If we take another example, 2022’s Pinocchio is such a unique and delightful rendering of an incredibly familiar tale. It’s personal and bold and memorable. Frankenstein, on the other hand, is expected. Picture in your mind what a Guillermo del Toro Frankenstein adaptation would look like. Congratulations, you’ve seen the movie.

Some of the nuance and changes that are present in this version, come in the form of the characterisations. Subtle alterations such as Victor’s upbringing and relationship with Elizabeth. In fact, Victor is essentially setup as a bit of victim of circumstance, rather than a young man who had everything and threw it away to obsession. But rather than adding a fresh take, these adjustments come off as surface level alterations that fail to really alter the course of the narrative as a whole. That said, it should be noted that the performances deliver. These iterations of these figures may be slightly different and more hollow than I’d like, but the devotion to them from the cast is undeniable.

Although I will note that the entire presentation of Elizabeth is another prime example of that aforementioned bisection. On the one hand, she’s more inquisitive, confident, and caring but she’s also given a very sacrificial lamb role, a prize to be argued over by Victor, his younger brother William, and the creature himself. Only in this version, she’s aware and seemingly complicit. Which is all remarkably unfortunate because del Toro’s work has produced some of the most engaging female roles in what would have been thankless “perfect victims who are too good for this world” in lesser hands.

And yet, it’s worth noting that people will love this film. I just can’t. The emotional beats that are not only iconic but seared into the public consciousness just don’t land as they should. The pacing is so drawn out and languid, and so much of what makes this story connect and come to life is quite matter-of-factly presented without the passion that has made them so enduring and relatable. If this is one of your first forays into the story of Frankenstein, I’m sure it will resonate. But for what could have been, I’m so deeply disappointed by its limitations. Not enough to burn down a tower with it trapped inside, but you get the idea.

Release Date:
24 October 2025

The Scene To Look Out For:
For all the solemnity and intense drive, I found there are plenty of light moments of levity injected throughout that momentarily lifted the pacing. One such example is Victor going about the gory business of disassembling cadavers and sifting through strewn body parts, all to the whimsical themes of Alexandre Desplat’s music.

Notable Characters:
At two and a half hours, what this movie didn’t really need was a subplot about an ailing benefactor, played by Christoph Waltz. I will say that the role itself adds an interesting element, but coming back to those previously mentioned surface alterations, his character fails to add a great deal to the proceedings.

Highlighted Quote:
“You were like a child clutching your new pet so tightly that you strangled it.”

In A Few Words:
“An entirely predictable, run-of-the-mill experience that does its job but never excels beyond its blueprints.”

Total Score: 3/5

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