Written for the Screen & Directed By Guillermo del Toro; Starring Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, David Bradley, Lars Mikkelsen, Christian Convery, Charles Dance, and Christoph Waltz.
Based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel of the same name. This classic story follows egotistical scientist Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) whose experiment in creating new life results in dangerous consequences when his monstrous creation (Jacob Elordi) comes alive. There've been countless iterations, or in some cases, parodies, of this tale for over 200 years at this point. Many have always assumed that it’s straight up horror.
Although under the direction of the great Guillermo del Toro, that is not the case with this one. I’ve never read the original novel, but from what I’m aware of, it’s more of a gothic romance. That’s exactly how del Toro approaches this movie. Right from such an effective opening sequence where the crew of a Royal Danish Navy ship is being attacked by the creature, you know this is going to be a unique take. From there, Victor begins to tell the story of what led to him creating a reanimated corpse.
It may be two and a half hours long, but del Toro very wisely takes advantage of the runtime to establish everything. Thus, it’s used very well as he takes time to tell the story. The editing by Evan Schiff for the most part keeps the pacing moving at a great speed. As in any del Toro film, all the visuals are so appealing to the eyes. Tamara Deverell’s production design, Kate Hawley’s costumes, and Dan Laustsen’s cinematography are each firing on all cylinders. Plus, Alexandre Desplat’s musical score perfectly fits the tone while also adding such a wondrous feel to the proceedings.
On paper, the character of Dr. Frankenstein (not Frunk-In-Steen) himself is a mad scientist. Yet through Oscar Isaac’s really good performance, he manages to inject quite a bit of humanity, making the audience sympathize with him. As the creature, Jacob Elordi perfectly portrays him not so much as a monster, but as an outcast wanting to belong. It isn’t until later when he starts to feel like a legit monster. At first, it takes a while for Mia Goth to settle into the role of Lady Elizabeth, but she eventually does so. Felix Kammerer is solid as Victor’s younger brother and Elizabeth’s fiancée, William. Meanwhile, Christoph Waltz uses his charisma to make a grand impression as Elizabeth’s wealthy uncle, Henrich Harlander.
Much like del Toro’s adaptation of Pinocchio, this isn’t your grandmother’s Frankenstein. Instead, this is a shining example of how there’ll always be new ways of telling stories that have been around for hundreds of years. The end results here are visually stunning (especially in such a visceral way), haunting, and emotionally moving. I may not have been lucky enough to have caught the film in theaters, but it still came off great on my 4K TV. Frankenstein is currently available to stream on Netflix.
Rating: 4.5/5
Based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel of the same name. This classic story follows egotistical scientist Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) whose experiment in creating new life results in dangerous consequences when his monstrous creation (Jacob Elordi) comes alive. There've been countless iterations, or in some cases, parodies, of this tale for over 200 years at this point. Many have always assumed that it’s straight up horror.
Although under the direction of the great Guillermo del Toro, that is not the case with this one. I’ve never read the original novel, but from what I’m aware of, it’s more of a gothic romance. That’s exactly how del Toro approaches this movie. Right from such an effective opening sequence where the crew of a Royal Danish Navy ship is being attacked by the creature, you know this is going to be a unique take. From there, Victor begins to tell the story of what led to him creating a reanimated corpse.
It may be two and a half hours long, but del Toro very wisely takes advantage of the runtime to establish everything. Thus, it’s used very well as he takes time to tell the story. The editing by Evan Schiff for the most part keeps the pacing moving at a great speed. As in any del Toro film, all the visuals are so appealing to the eyes. Tamara Deverell’s production design, Kate Hawley’s costumes, and Dan Laustsen’s cinematography are each firing on all cylinders. Plus, Alexandre Desplat’s musical score perfectly fits the tone while also adding such a wondrous feel to the proceedings.
On paper, the character of Dr. Frankenstein (not Frunk-In-Steen) himself is a mad scientist. Yet through Oscar Isaac’s really good performance, he manages to inject quite a bit of humanity, making the audience sympathize with him. As the creature, Jacob Elordi perfectly portrays him not so much as a monster, but as an outcast wanting to belong. It isn’t until later when he starts to feel like a legit monster. At first, it takes a while for Mia Goth to settle into the role of Lady Elizabeth, but she eventually does so. Felix Kammerer is solid as Victor’s younger brother and Elizabeth’s fiancée, William. Meanwhile, Christoph Waltz uses his charisma to make a grand impression as Elizabeth’s wealthy uncle, Henrich Harlander.
Much like del Toro’s adaptation of Pinocchio, this isn’t your grandmother’s Frankenstein. Instead, this is a shining example of how there’ll always be new ways of telling stories that have been around for hundreds of years. The end results here are visually stunning (especially in such a visceral way), haunting, and emotionally moving. I may not have been lucky enough to have caught the film in theaters, but it still came off great on my 4K TV. Frankenstein is currently available to stream on Netflix.
Rating: 4.5/5