I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” (2025) since my first watch. A few weeks ago, I drove 45 minutes to Celebration Cinema in Lansing, where I saw it on the big screen, and I don’t regret a moment of it. I had long since been preparing for this film’s release and was more than excited to see how it played out.
“Frankenstein” is a Netflix production that had its original premiere at the Venice 82nd International Film Festival on Aug. 30 before launching on Netflix’s platform Nov. 7.
If you, yourself or a loved one have been thinking about sitting down to watch this film, allow me to persuade you. It’s so incredibly good and I think about it at least once a day, if not more.
Seriously. It covers my entire feed across multiple social media platforms, and I’m thrilled about it. I never want to stop seeing content related to the film or its production.
Ever.
Confessing My Love For Guillermo del Toro
Guillermo, if you ever happen to stumble across this, just know I love you.
The film is an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s 1818 gothic novel, but also serves as del Toro’s own interpretation of the story. His interpretation is both hauntingly beautiful and incredibly moving.
The cast list is full of superstars, with its three main roles made up of Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein, Mia Goth as both Victor’s mother Claire and Victor’s brother’s fiancée Elizabeth and Jacob Elordi as The Creature.
Now, I loved Elordi in Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla” (2023) and Emerald Fennell’s “Saltburn” (2023), but I was a little apprehensive when I heard he was cast in this particular role. Reworking the traditional look and feel of Frankenstein’s monster seemed like a hefty task, and I didn’t want to be disappointed. However, this film allowed me to see him in a whole new light.
In the film, del Toro highlights The Creature’s overall innocence despite the cruel world he has been thrust into. It’s no surprise that Victor’s creation has fewer lines of dialogue, but Elordi still manages to bring The Creature to life through his movements and facial expressions, especially through his eyes.
In an interview with Letterboxd, del Toro said, “When I talked to Jacob, I saw innocence, purity and a sort of vulnerability in his eyes. But I also saw rage.”
Just saying, I was watching this film and feeling very maternal.
The overall angle of the film plays a lot with ideas of softness and delicacy, which we see in the female characters, Claire and Elizabeth. But we also see instances of the violence, death and overall madness that Victor tends to spin into. I couldn’t stand to look away for even a second as I didn’t want to miss those little instances of change, whether they were visual or within The Creature as he’s learning to navigate his newfound life and emotions.
In addition to del Toro’s expert casting, the visuals in this production were absolutely jaw-dropping. Devastatingly beautiful, really. And please don’t get me started on the costume design. I mean, I was just floored every time Goth came on screen.
To be a director is to see the world through a different lens and try to bring to life what is not already there. Del Toro does this effortlessly, and it transcends so well onscreen with all of his works. I’m intimidated by his expertise, but so enthralled with everything that he does.
Greed is a Downward Slope
Gothic literature is my very niche interest, and I often deprive myself of this little luxury for the sake of picking up something lighter. But frankly, I need to stop, and this film promptly reminded me of that.
In my senior year of high school, I wrote an essay on Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” and the idea of mindless greed in characters – because… duh – and this movie further cemented my feelings on the matter.
Victor’s story as a creator is so intricate and delicately woven. I have to point out that del Toro’s adaptation has quite a few differences from the original novel, but in my opinion, it stays true to the spirit of Shelley’s work.
Victor Frankenstein is not a good person, that much is obvious, but he’s not so easily labeled as bad either. Isaac presents this on screen stupidly well, and despite not being in Victor’s head as viewers versus readers, we get a very good impression of where he’s at. He’s blinded by his work and his ideas, up until he’s blatantly horrified by them, a trait that’s a little more obvious in the book. Onscreen, he’s seen as a lot more violent and unforgiving, and only concerns himself with seeing The Creature’s ultimate end.
In real life, I would be terrified of someone this driven by their own selfishness, but he’s not real, so I’m not so much terrified as I am interested. We see the extent that Victor is willing to go to prove his worth and that his ideas actually mean something. He tries to show that he’s someone to be admired by making human life.
Maybe the more admirable quality would be not abandoning your creation which is essentially your son, but who am I to judge?
Shelley, and now del Toro, have created a world where this human madness exists and expands beyond expectation, causing harm to those around Victor in ways he hadn’t predicted. If proving your capability also ends up being your demise, then was it ever worth proving? And who is it worth proving to? By creating this new life both unjustly and unfairly, Victor has consequently only set himself up for failure – which results in his death at none other than The Creature’s hands.
It’s harrowing and eye-opening, and I can only hope that one day as an author I’m able to create something half as good as what Shelley or del Toro have done.
A Big Win For The Weirdo Freaks (Me)
If it hasn’t been clear enough thus far, let me make it even clearer: I adored this movie from beginning to end.
Gothic cinema has been seeing an upward trend in recent years, especially with Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu” (2024) premiering last December and his upcoming film “Werewulf” (2026) debuting next year.
I’m so here for it, it scares me. Even if these movies, or really any form of gothic media, give me the late night shivers, I’m devouring them anyway. To be able to spin these decades-old tales into modern day media, whilst also ensuring accuracy to their origin stories, is pure skill.
Del Toro has me pondering life and creation from the moment I wake up, and that is so telling of his creative eye and keenness for storytelling on the big screen.
“Frankenstein” is a beautiful film and I strongly urge everyone to watch it, even those not completely into the eerie and disturbing. It’s a great watch and the visuals are stunning, as is the onscreen dynamic between characters.
I cannot wait to see what gothic tale Hollywood directors come up with next, as I can confidently say that “Frankenstein” has embedded itself well into my heart.
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