Guillermo del Toro’s longtime passion project ‘Frankenstein’ is its own marvelous monster

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Guillermo del Toro has been fascinated by “Frankenstein” since childhood. As early as 2011, he envisioned a version of the monster inspired by Iggy Pop and Boris Karloff – a creature with rough stitches, deep wrinkles, and a broken nose. Over time, his vision evolved. The monster, now played by the tall and conventionally handsome actor Jacob Elordi (known from “Saltburn”), is brought to life with a rock star’s charisma. However, the focus remains on the creature’s unnervingly smooth, almost flawless seams – he appears less like a hand-made being and more like a sophisticated android.

It’s no surprise he feels that way. Over the years, Guillermo del Toro has had plenty of time to consider what genuinely frightens him. Surprisingly, it isn’t monsters – he actually has a fondness for all kinds of creepy creatures, from swamp things to eyeless giants and even characters like Hellboy. What really disturbs him are the tech-focused entrepreneurs, especially those increasingly gaining influence in Hollywood, who seem to strip everything of its warmth and originality.

The director has always dreamed of making a “Frankenstein” movie, and this isn’t just any adaptation – he aimed to create the definitive version. He’s kept the story’s historical setting, but cleverly reimagined 1850s Europe to feel like the modern tech world of Silicon Valley. The result is his most impressive film to date.

Oscar Isaac’s portrayal of Baron Victor Frankenstein is…intense, to say the least. He comes across as a self-absorbed, arrogant man who just doesn’t get why anyone would question his genius. He actually *scoffs* at the idea of being humble, and isn’t shy about letting you know he thinks his critics are simply missing the point. It’s a really fascinating, if somewhat unlikeable, performance.

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I’ve known for ages that Guillermo del Toro dreamed of doing his own take on *Frankenstein*. And it wasn’t just about bringing the story to life – he really wanted to reimagine the Creature itself, and thankfully, the actor playing him felt the same way. They both wanted something truly creative and different.

Guillermo del Toro has given Victor a powerful backer: Henrich Harlander (Christoph Waltz), a wealthy investor who attends Victor’s science talk hoping to find a brilliant mind to unlock the secret to eternal life. Waltz plays Harlander as a confident, extremely rich arms dealer – essentially a 19th-century version of modern venture capitalists like Bryan Johnson and Peter Thiel, who are currently exploring ways to extend their lives, including through blood transfusions from younger people.

Henrich tells Victor not to be sensible. The idea throughout the story is that exceptionally successful people – the wealthy and brilliant – are allowed to operate without limits. Achieving great things, it seems, requires ignoring the rules. There’s a moment that highlights who really holds the power: Henrich casually asks Victor to empty his chamber pot, ordering him to flush it afterwards.

Guillermo del Toro connects deeply with the sharp critique in Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, a dark satire about the dangers of rushing into things without considering the consequences. Shelley warned centuries ago about the risks of creating artificial intelligence, and today, those who develop AI continue to assure us it won’t be harmful, while missing Shelley’s central idea: the creator, not the creation, is the real threat.

Victor is a man who never fully matured, still acting like a child despite being served milk by a professional. He’s stuck in a pattern of trying to prove himself, likely stemming from a difficult childhood with his father, Charles Dance, who used to punish him for mistakes in school. The name ‘Victor,’ meaning ‘winner,’ highlights the intense pressure he feels to succeed.

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Isaac portrays the character with the energetic flair of a salesperson, though his enthusiasm fades when faced with setbacks. He’s figured out how to make the Creature appear to suffer, but Victor himself struggles to understand or create genuine affection, having experienced little of it. Even more troubling, he hasn’t considered the consequences of his creation – that the Creature can’t simply be switched off. The film’s only genuinely kind characters are a blind man in the countryside (David Bradley) and Mia Goth, who plays both Victor’s mother, Claire, and his brother’s fiancée, Elizabeth. Elizabeth, a nun with a disturbing side, finds a strange beauty in anatomy, even examining a dissected corpse with fascination. However, the more she observes Victor, the less admiration she feels.

Mary Shelley wrote “Frankenstein” when she was just 18, shortly after experiencing the loss of her baby. While often interpreted as a story about gender – women creating life, men trying to imitate it – the novel’s true power lies in its clever and dynamic storytelling. The narrative shifts perspectives, beginning with an Arctic explorer’s desperate situation, then moving to Victor Frankenstein’s tale, and finally to the Creature’s own account. Shelley subtly guides her characters to reveal their vanity and boastfulness, much like a host who secretly dislikes their guests.

Guillermo del Toro stayed true to the original story’s overall approach and layout, but he significantly altered the details to make Victor more responsible for his actions. Unlike the 1931 film, there’s no assistant like Igor, and Victor isn’t absolved by a simple mistake. This version of Victor creates his own problems and is directly to blame for the consequences. Del Toro also increases the film’s intensity, opening with a shocking scene where the Creature powerfully strikes a sailor, causing a horrific injury.

“What kind of monster created him?” the Captain (Lars Mikkelsen) cries out. Victor then confesses, with remorse, why he tried to play God.

It’s not wrong to look ahead to the future. Henrich, who quickly embraced new camera technology, took photos of women with skulls, foreshadowing the style of director Guillermo del Toro. However, both Henrich and Victor fail to recognize the cost of their success. When the camera sweeps across a field of fallen soldiers, it’s a haunting image. Henrich profited from the deaths of these men, and now Victor will profit from their remains.

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The Telluride Film Festival, a key preview of the upcoming awards season, made several Oscar categories much clearer thanks to a number of outstanding performances.

Del Toro clearly enjoys the energetic and often gruesome nature of the story, showcasing broken bones and plenty of blood. The laboratory scenes are full of movement, with dead leaves and flies swirling around, mirroring the inventor’s frantic energy and the dramatic orchestral score by Alexandre Desplat. The film’s visuals, created by Tamara Deverell, are outstanding, and Kate Hawley’s costumes are equally impressive, particularly the dramatic, layered chiffon worn by the character Goth, with dresses that emphasize her spine. (The movie has a fascination with bones, similar to Sir Mix-A-Lot’s famous song about backs.)

Victor treats body parts like objects, revealing he only cares about creations bearing his mark. It’s no surprise Jacob Elordi’s Creature is visually impressive – it’s carefully constructed to showcase the creator’s skill, much like Steve Jobs presenting a beautifully designed product. When the Creature vulnerably asks for companionship, revealing a glimpse of its sculpted physique, it’s easy to imagine many in the audience wanting to offer it connection.

Elordi subtly incorporates some of Karloff’s iconic movements – like reaching out as if cold and his unsteady gait. He even appears slightly lopsided, hinting at Victor Frankenstein’s imperfect creation. However, Elordi’s monster is unique. He’s not the cold, calculating killer from the novel, nor is he simply a frightened animal like Karloff’s version. Instead, he’s a creature who, after being victimized, begins to powerfully and brutally fight back.

Elordi’s Creature is much larger than Victor, both physically and in terms of character. The Creature’s pain is evident, and the film shows us that, through its eyes, humanity seems like a destructive force, relentlessly ruining everything around it.

Some of the digital effects look a bit goofy, but generally, you can tell how much care Del Toro put into every aspect of the show. I was really confused by a line of servants standing around young Victor (Christian Convery) – they were all wearing what looked like sheer bags over their heads. I think it’s a fun nod to Boris Karloff wearing a veil during his lunch breaks to avoid scaring pregnant secretaries at Universal Studios.

Instead of a typical angry mob story, Guillermo del Toro’s film centers on Victor’s failure as a father to his monstrous son. Although the ending feels a little heavy-handed with its moralizing – especially the idea that Victor is the real monster – I was captivated by the moment when the Creature, speaking for all children, big or small, roars, “The real miracle isn’t that I can talk, but that you’re willing to listen.”

This long-awaited adaptation of “Frankenstein” beautifully portrays the isolation of Victor and his creation, linking them through a shared and destructive self-hatred. Victor feels no love, while the Creature can’t find peace. As a result, the audience is left heartbroken.

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2025-10-16 21:02