Frankenstein (2025) Review!!

Synopsis – A brilliant but egotistical scientist brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.

My Take – The world didn’t necessarily need yet another adaptation of Mary Shelley’s 1818 Gothic novel Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus, but I have learned to trust Guillermo del Toro, the Mexican monster-loving maestro who has already brought us such delicious creature features as Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), the HellBoy films (2004-2008) and the Oscar-winning The Shape of Water (2017).

Plus, this one has long been his passion project, ever since he first saw Boris Karloff shamble through filmmaker James Whale’s 1931 masterpiece. And now he’s finally done it, adapted the incredibly influential story about a scientist playing God (with hellish results) into his very own version. Unsurprisingly, the film is a masterpiece of the genre.

Part fairy tale, part dark fantasy and part body-horror, writer-director del Toro’s version acts as a brilliant blend of the novel’s fiction and a profound emotional reality that brings everything to life with incredible effect. A big film with a huge beating heart. Something in the vein of the auteur’s own Crimson Peak (2015) or such handsome productions as Interview with the Vampire (1994) and Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992).

Sure, it feel somewhat overstuffed, and the 150 minute runtime further ensures that it at times feels like a lot, but there’s much to admire here, particularly how it throbs with the passion of its creator. Gory and grim it may be, but it is a tragic tale told in a captivating manner. Add to that a game cast, some incredible production design, lavish sets, great special effects, and a brilliantly structured approach, the feature deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible.

Beginning in 1857 with a chilling prelude in the Arctic, the story follows the deadly, decades-long pursuit between an injured Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) and his powerful, tragic creation, The Creature (Jacob Elordi).

The story then unfolds in a dual narrative structure: the first half belongs to Victor, charting his transformation from his youth, when his mother (Mia Goth) died and left him as a distraught boy vowing to his strict father (Charles Dance) that he will overcome mortality, to a stubborn, skilled, and arrogant medical wonder obsessed with conquering death. Attracting the attention of erudite arms trader Harlander (Christoph Waltz), whose own niece Elizabeth (Mia Goth) is engaged to Victor’s younger brother William (Felix Kammerer).

The second half belongs to The Creature, detailing his desperate search for identity, love, and understanding in a world that fears him. However, his encounter with a blind man (David Bradley), who shows compassion and warmth to him, sends him on a journey of profound emotional weight, ultimately leading to a quest for reconciliation.

At once an unusually faithful adaptation of writer Shelley’s book and a boldly personal take, director del Toro’s take adds characters, switches up dynamics and explores its own themes. Here, Victor is as much artist as scientist, his crafting of the creature not dissimilar to how director del Toro sculpts his own cherished models or fashions such memorable monsters in his films.

However, the narrative particularly excels by making Victor the true villain of the story, a man who rejects his creation, thereby condemning himself to a life of sorrow. Obsession can be good or bad, creative or destructive, and in a film that is ultimately about forgiveness, the writer-director finds it in his heart to absolve not just the creature but his monstrous creator.

The director’s adulation for monsters has been no secret throughout his career, he gives a part of himself to the stories he tells, like any great artist worth their merit, and perhaps that has never been truer than with his latest effort, his story poses the question of what it means to be human, but instead of seeking unfathomable answers, he rejects the very notion that it could ever be answer.

All leading to The Creature’s ultimate ability to forgive Victor provides the story with a heartbreaking yet satisfying conclusion that moves beyond mere tragedy into the realm of redemption. Indeed, the biggest problems with the film are that it’s too often tips over into the uncanny valley of computer game or screensaver graphics. Some shots are beautiful. Others look like rushed pixel jobs that only make the melodrama onscreen tip well over into camp.

But director del Toro is one of the rarest breeds of directors who can make gore and the grotesque look truly captivating, beautiful, and even pure. The scenes where Victor cuts up and assembles dead bodies are beautifully and colorfully shot sequences, an astonishing display of finding beauty in the ugliness of creation.

The Creature itself is brought to life in glorious, Gothic fashion by painstaking artistry and Mike Hill’s elegant creature design. And anchored by burnished, beautiful cinematography from Dan Laustsen, a highly-charged score from Alexandre Desplat, and exquisite production design from Tamara Deverell, director del Toro’s film ends up being unquestionably one of the most beautifully crafted films you’ll see this year.

Performance wise, Oscar Isaac is terrific throughout. The actor throws himself completely into his portrayal of the character, breathing more life into Victor than we have seen before. His transformation from an arrogant genius to a humble, vulnerable, and broken man who is constantly running from his moral obligation is wonderful to behold.

The younger, physically-imposing Jacob Elordi, despite being under heavy prosthetics and makeup, delivers his career-best performance. He breathes essential life and profound empathy into The Creature, transforming him from the brutal monster of past adaptations into a breathing, walking tragedy whose eternal life is a curse. Mia Goth, no stranger to bringing two characters to life in the same film, brings the much-needed warmth and tenderness this film desperately needs amidst the havoc.

In supporting turns, Christoph Waltz, Felix Kammerer, David Bradley and Lars Mikkelsen are stellar. On the whole, ‘Frankenstein‘ is a glorious re-telling that is mesmerizingly anchored by its outstanding acting performances, great production and technical prowess.