When Mary Shelley's novel “Frankenstein” appeared in 1818 – initially still anonymously – the sympathy of the contemporary audience was mostly among scientists Victor Frankenstein. It was only in the following two centuries that the reading has become more and more established that in truth, the artificially created creature, but its Egomanian creator and an intolerant society are actually “monstrous” in the narrative. A reading that Guillermo del Toro underlines thick and fat again in his $ 120 million Netflix blockbuster adaptation!
The director himself describes the universal “Frankenstein” from 1932 as the “most important film of his childhood”, and under the title “Guillermo del Toro: at Home with Monsters” he curated a hiking exhibition with more than 900 exhibits-from personal collector's pieces to props of his films to “monster wisdom”. Del Toro won't be a monster, he loves her! And that's why it was only a matter of time from the beginning of his career before he would staged his own “Frankenstein”-as a crowning glory of his “Monster” fascination-which was already in masterpieces such as “Pans Labyrinth” or “Shape of Water”.
Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) is really ready to create artificial life after his mother's traumatizing death.
Guillermo del Toro presses its own stamp, especially with a slightly modified, melodramatic kitschy end-including homoerotic-incested under tones-with a slightly modified, melodramatic kitschy end. Until then, however, the new “Frankenstein” adheres very closely to the literary template – including the factual division of two, that first Victor and then the creature tell “your site” of the story:
In 1857, the Arctic expedition of Captain Anderson (Lars Mikkelsen) was on its way to the North Pole. One night the crew comes across the seriously injured Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), who is hunted by a black -covered, apparently superhuman, strong monster (Jacob Elordi) over the eternal ice. First, however, the creature can be repelled despite some losses …
… And Victor begins to tell the captain how he did everything he can after the unfold death of his mother (Mia Goth) at the birth of his younger brother William (Felix Kammerer) to create new artificial life. Thanks to the financial promotion of Harlander (Christoph Waltz), the uncle of Victor's prospective sister -in -law Elizabeth Lavenza (also Mia Goth), Victor is finally possible to put his ambitious plans into practice – with as tragic and bloody consequences …
Full jug epic
There are now many “Frankenstein” adaptations across all media and genres that you can definitely ask yourself whether such a classicist film adaptation is really needed? But who at least not immediately with a clear “No!” Answered, should the Netflix adaptation-better directly on the largest possible canvas than shortly afterwards in streaming-be sure to give a chance: del Toro explicitly does without a fresh or even modernized approach, but he stages the known narrative with an overgrown excessiveness, which repeatedly overwhelmed you. According to “Pacific Rim”, “Frankenstein” del Toros is the second most taxiest film so far – and you can see that in almost every setting!
Equipment, costumes, backdrops – you can hardly get enough of enough on the objectively beautiful motifs of the film, from Frankenstein's family castle to the frozen expedition ship in the arctic ice cream. But of course Del Toro traditionally always comes to himself when he is looking for the sublime in the gruesome, macabre or morbid (just think of the Pale Man in “Pans Labyrinth” or the bomb in the children's home in “The Devil's Backbone”). In “Frankenstein”, Del Toro will find, for example, on a frozen battlefield: While Harlander's men are looking for possible research cadavians, a killed rider, including his horse, still seems to be frozen in the fall, an ice sculpture of almost disturbing grace.
Elizabeth Lavenza (Mia Goth) is the only one who immediately sees through Victor – and meets the “Monster” above all with empathy and compassion.
Relative to the beginning, Victor also appears in an lecture hall in front of the medical faculty in order to present the state of his research – based on a head with two open lung wings and teasing torn off spine, which he brings “to life” with the help of two electrodes and even catches a ball. The macabre apparatus-as in “Frankenstein” anyway, is obviously a practical effect, and not any CGI trick series (and Del Toro then probably found the next highlight exponat for his monster exhibition).
Has you already seen harder gore than in “Frankenstein”? Surely! But also anatomically such correct? Hardly! Once the naturally shy and tender creature gets away, even wolves are torn from the head at the lively body – or they are simply broken through in the middle. But even if he definitely does not make prisoners in the bloody action scenes, del Toro is actually a bit of a softie-and as I said, you can see that at the latest in the redesigned end, which is such a melodramatic and kitschy (I myself, but some will certainly find it involuntarily strange) so well in del Torros Gothic Romance.
Conclusion: “Frankenstein” is the film for which Guillermo del Toro was born-even without great innovations, an overwhelming monumental and deeply personal adaptation of the horror classic. With her, del Toro leads the reading that in truth the “monster” is the victim, to her logical – and not only excessively gorigen, but also consistently melodramatic – conclusion.
We saw “Frankenstein” at the Venice Film Festival 2025, where he celebrated its world premiere as part of the official competition.