For a little bit of spooky season overtime, here I turn my eye to another lavishly shot adaptation of a gothic horror classic following Nosferatu earlier this year. Guillermo Del Toro’s name on the project alone caught my attention—after all, it’s been quite a while since we’ve had a bona fide sincere effort to adapt a Mary Shelley classic since Branaugh’s ’94 film which had mixed results. Question is, does this version of Frankenstein strike like lightning, or is it something that should’ve been left in the grave?
Well, it’s rife with all sorts of Del Toro signatures—foremost is the lavish visual production. For that reason alone I urge a theatrical screening if you can make it—I was only just able to find one. Either way, no expense is spared on any sets here, lavished with all the 19th century trimmings you can imagine. Del Toro’s sense of bodily deconstruction is also on full effect here as we get into the very nitty-gritty of the titular doctor’s creation, and every indulgence with costuming that can be taken is followed.
The other is a certain lack of subtlety—which while it’s had mixed results for him in the past, certainly works well with the operatic story we have here. Everyone’s on full bore—Oscar Isaacs is a fun enough Victor Frankenstein who, as in the novel, is utterly bent on proving himself to the world when it comes to scientific mastery, never mind if he ends up in over his head. Christopher Waltz is a new character acting as an investor, who sort of calls back to certain twists in prior adaptations, but he’s also a welcome sight. The character of Elizabeth is also greatly changed from the book, with Mia Goth showing off that same versatility she had when she was doing Ti West’s X films from not too long ago (check out Pearl if you can).
But of course, what everyone remembers from Frankenstein is the monster—and yes, everyone by now should know that it’s just the Creature. Jacob Elordi gives us a pretty interesting look as this creation evolves over the film, from a mumbling thing out of a bodyworks exhibit to being simultaneously eloquent yet brutal, as he is in the novel. One of the surprisingly memorable bits is when he discovers some warmth in humanity with David Bradley as a blind old man who proves the one, ironically, able to see past his monstrous appearance.
And that’s the theme Del Toro leans into here—of abandonment and the importance of taking responsibility as, well, a father figure here. That’s the timeless themes of this story, and why it’s been adapted so many times in 200-odd years—take it about the responsibility of creation, or birth, but those are things not going anywhere.
Naturally you have nods to the 1931 Universal version, with its inescapable shadow, but for me it’s safe to say that Del Toro has marked down this as a version for the current generation. There are moments where he hammers in things perhaps a bit too much, but the scenery and intensity make it entertaining throughout—give it a watch.
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