Right in time for the darkest, coldest time of the year, Spanish filmmaking great Guillermo del Toro provides a chilling reimagining of Mary Shelley’s original story from 1818, Frankenstein.
The idea to reimagine nearly century-old works has grown in popularity, with “Nosferatu” by Robert Eggers releasing last year and “Werwulf” (based on “The Wolf Man”) by Eggers set to release next year.
Del Toro adds plenty of flair to his retelling of the Frankenstein story, especially in the way he embraces the setting and time period, that being Scotland in the mid-19th century. The wardrobe, dialogue, and overall gothic atmosphere are truly captivating, further highlighting Del Toro as one of the greats when it comes to worldbuilding.
The story is rather unique in structure when compared to the original novel by Mary Shelley or movie by James Whale, with a deeper look into the childhood of Frankenstein and a more complex focus on the creature among the freshest components.
Jacob Elordi, in a role far from his norm (Saltburn, Euphoria) is unapologetic in his depiction of the creature, and his part becomes even more impressive when he’s on the screen with Oscar Issac (Ex Machina, Dune), who plays Dr. Frankenstein.
The chemistry between the two is another strong suit of the film. From the cold open to the dramatic ending, they both do a great job of portraying their twisted and manipulative relationship of a deviant doctor and his threatening experiment.
Elordi’s performance honestly can’t be praised enough, especially for the incredible physical changes he is able to seamlessly progress through. He really doesn’t hold back, in both his aggressive, monstrous sequences as well as his deeply emotional segments.
Mia Goth, known mostly for Ti West’s X trilogy, is another standout among the cast in her role as Elizabeth, and similar to Isaac, is especially captivating when she’s on the screen with Elordi. One of the strongest aspects of the movie is the relationship between the two, with Elizabeth being the only character that can understand the complex creature, and ultimately putting her life on the line for him.
I also deeply appreciate how the movie is structured, with the exploration of Dr. Frankenstein predominating the first half and the exploration of the creature making up the latter half of the film. The time that they spend apart provides the most insight on them and their motivations, and breaking a 150-minute piece of cinema up like this prevents the film from becoming too overwhelming.
The film’s opening sequence is exhilarating, beginning in the present as the creature hunts Dr. Frankenstein in search of revenge. It proceeds to revisit the present every so often, as Frankenstein narrates the story being written on the screen. I always appreciate it when a plot feels free to jump around, and Del Toro uses this technique to great effect here.
The exploration of alienation and the dangers of being isolated are very prevalent in this film, as well as the threat of morbid curiosity, with Frankenstein feeling obligated to “play god” by giving life back to the dead. I think it’s clear Del Toro took his time to accurately represent these themes, by adding the subject matter subtly and powerfully.
Unfortunately, being released on Netflix really took away any theater success that “Frankenstein” could have had. Even though the film had a short, limited stint in certain cinemas, the knowledge that the film could be streamed just a few weeks later prevented the film from growing as large as it probably should have for how impressively grandiose it was.
The reception for “Frankenstein” has been unsurprisingly great, with the film sitting at 86% on Rotten Tomatoes and 7.5/10 on IMDb. The movie already has 66 nominations from the Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globes, Gotham Awards, etc. (IMDb).
Overall, well-structured storytelling and creative visual awareness by Del Toro, as well as excellent performances by Elordi, Isaac, and Goth combine to create a film that impressed me more and more with each sequence. Aside from my qualms with the manner in which the film was produced, I think Del Toro orchestrated a rather flawless depiction of the Frankenstein story. For me, the movie gets a ⅘.
