- Guillermo del Toro has finally brought his lifelong dream project, a new adaptation of “Frankenstein,” to life for Netflix.
- The film stars Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as the Creature, but with a shocking twist on who the real villain is.
- Del Toro’s version intentionally portrays Victor Frankenstein as an arrogant, cruel creator, making his Creature a deeply sympathetic and tragic figure.
- Staying true to Mary Shelley’s novel, the Creature is intelligent and articulate, a stark contrast to the grunting monster of classic cinema.
Guillermo del Toro’s Monstrous Dream Comes to Life
For decades, director Guillermo del Toro has called a “Frankenstein” adaptation his “lifelong dream.” That dream is now a stunning, gothic reality. Known for his soulful and feverish monster movies like “The Shape of Water” and “Pan’s Labyrinth,” del Toro has finally tackled the ultimate monster story, creating a film that is both faithful to the spirit of Mary Shelley’s novel and uniquely his own.
A Tale of Two Monsters
The most significant change in del Toro’s adaptation is its unapologetic reframing of the villain. This isn’t just a story about a monster; it’s a story about its monstrous creator. Oscar Isaac delivers a “snotty, snooty” performance as Victor Frankenstein, a preening genius consumed by arrogance and disgust for his own creation. His cruelty stands in sharp contrast to the Creature, played with soulful depth by Jacob Elordi.
Del Toro ensures the audience’s sympathy lies entirely with the outcast. The director deliberately softens the Creature’s more questionable actions from the novel to present a blameless being wronged by a cruel world, and particularly, by his own father figure.
Closer to the Book, With a Del Toro Twist
Unlike the iconic 1931 film where Boris Karloff’s monster famously grunted, “FIRE BAD,” Elordi’s Creature follows the literary source. He is an autodidact, learning language and empathy by secretly observing a family and devouring classics like “Paradise Lost.”
However, del Toro introduces several narrative changes to amplify his themes. A new character, a financial patron played by Christoph Waltz, is introduced, and the role of Victor’s fiancée, Elizabeth (Mia Goth), is altered to further highlight Victor’s despicable nature. The film also adds a backstory with Victor’s stern father (Charles Dance) to foreshadow the cruel relationship he will have with his own “son.”
A Visual Gothic Feast
Visually, the film is pure del Toro. The production design is a maximalist fantasy, featuring vast landscapes and shadowy drawing rooms. Victor’s laboratory is a “gargoyle-festooned ruin,” a decaying tower filled with organic matter that is both foreboding and strangely beautiful.
The Inevitable Verdict
Del Toro’s vision is anything but subtle. At one point, a character looks directly at Victor and declares, “You are the monster,” a line that underscores the film’s central thesis. While some of the plot changes may feel like needless complications, the final product is a perfect marriage of filmmaker and material—a swooning, heartfelt, and visually spectacular epic that only Guillermo del Toro could create.