FRANKENSTEIN (Guillermo del Toro, 2025)
Frankenstein is one of those horror archetypes everybody is familiar with but few people have actually read the source novel. The very loose 1931 adaptation assimilated the tale so completely into pop culture that Boris Karloff’s creature defined the look for countless iterations from YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN to The Munsters to The Adams Family; while the misshapen aide to the mad scientist became a stock character of horror fare variously depicted by Marty Feldman and appearing in a number of Discworld novels.
It’s fair to say Frankenstein went a long way from the pages of Mary Shelley’s book. Kenneth Branagh tried bringing the tale back to its source and del Toro called that effort’s script near perfect. But you can see where the 1994 adaptation lacked crucial iconography of its own near-mythical pop culture import. And why it took del Toro nearly 20 years to get his own version made and infuse it with everything he considers worthy of the ‘religion’ Frankenstein has become.
Del Toro claimed a ‘faithful Miltonian tragedy’ and Bernie Wrightson’s illustrations among his inspirations. However, his FRANKENSTEIN is visually overflowing with cultural homages from Caspar David Friedrich to Stephen King to 1970s Marvel comics and MARATHON MAN. Even the colour palette picks up the well honed Halloween hues of THE BLOB/I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE.
Del Toro simply has too much fun with these traditions not to employ them in his grand opus of hubris and delusion. Choosing Waltz as his diabolical catalyst by now even has an element of winking at us. You’re a brilliant young scientist in need of funds to finance your research into godlike powers? I have just the right business contact for you, meet F̵r̵a̵n̵z̵ ̵B̵l̵o̵f̵e̵r̵h̵a̵u̵s̵e̵r̵ Heinrich Harlander, financier, arms dealing war profiteer and currently in a fix that makes him extremely interested in your research…
When we see Frankenstein housed in a gigantic black gothic structure we cannot help but think of the many many iterations of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (and King’s Dark Tower). Any venture of science or business starting in such a place has to come to a nasty end.
When flames finally lay waste to this structure nobody in this dark tale can be in the least surprised (Elordi’s creature excepted for obvious reasons). Yet when it happens it’s a rare moment of emotional impact. The monstrous abandonment of a hapless, helpless born-anew being is at the centre of this creepy tale - and here it’s so shockingly, despicably horrible there’s no doubt about who is the monster in this story. Not even the brief moment of scruples can redeem Frankenstein after this.
Oscar Isaac plays his role with a smarmy arrogance that somehow doesn’t connect to the backstory we’re shown. He’s lost his mother, is abused by a cruel father (who more or less represents parental customs of that era) and sets out to write scientific history. But the character stays strangely unlikeable even before we watch him stalking his brother’s fiancée. His similar character in EX MACHINA is about as personable.
Elordi is a fabulous creature. My only gripe is, his early makeup looks like something from an X-Men film. After the story moves from the goth tower the creature looks a lot better in the context of the film. But that’s personal preference and Elordi’s acting is faultless throughout.
Waltz’ Harlander is another iteration of his semi-villainous screen presence in many roles since 2009. Here he’s a lot better suited than as Blofeld. Also more entertaining, in a Machiavellian way. It’s not quite clear why he’d want to risk what he does - but things happen in a suitably hasty way to allow us to ignore the holes in his motivation. Probably his condition is responsible.
The only character whose deeper motivations remain obscure is Mia Goth’s Elizabeth. It’s the downside of writing a love triangle into a story that’s not really about love. Nor does it help casting Goth also as Frankenstein’s mother. That strand of the story remains unconvincing throughout. Del Toro wanted to include the FRANKENSTEIN’S BRIDE motif but it jars with the earlier ménage à trois.
My conclusion would be to either cut out the affair or her out-of-the-blue falling for the creature. Ideally both. And perhaps cast someone else while you’re at it. I must admit I’m really very much not a fan of this character in this film.
That aside, FRANKENSTEIN is a fabulous, visually opulent gothic horror film. Not all its parts dovetail as they were intended to. But it’s entertaining nonetheless, if perhaps a bit less massively poignant than the Miltonian tragedy would suggest. My main takeaway is that Elordi is a fine actor at the start of his career and with many memorable parts yet to play.
