Photos courtesy of Netflix
Over two hundred years after its original publication, Mary Shelley’s iconic novel Frankenstein has been adapted by Guillermo del Toro into a film.
For those who have read the book, this Frankenstein may be a letdown.
Many characters from the book are missing—replaced by others—and the characters who were in the book have starkly different personalities. None of the characters have any real depth compared to the characters of the book. The only really likable character is the Creature (Jacob Elordi), and he’s torn between sympathetic gentle giant and vengeful monster. This conflict is also seen in Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), for whom we are supposed to feel sympathy—but also not like.
Unfortunately, this illustrates the film’s major shortcoming: the director’s desire to stay true to the original work while adding an original flare, which makes it feel muddled.
When adapting classic, intensely studied works, filmmakers should either completely spin the source material into something new (see Ex Machina, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Tempest), or stay true to the author’s vision (see Stand By Me, an adaptation of Steven King’s The Body). This film is a confused in-between.
While this ‘Frankenstein’ tries but fails to replicate the genius of Shelley’s work, I recommend watching it purely for its visuals.”
It is by no means bad, however—in fact it is so far the best looking film of the year. I don’t think there is a single shot that didn’t blow me away as I was watching it, and you can tell that every frame was meticulously planned.
Del Toro puts copious effort into world-building in most of his films. This gothic period piece, with his signature fairytale-like style, is fun to watch. He peppers the film with scenes of disgusting and mind-blowing gross-out gore. Some of the most talked-about elements of the film are its set and costume design, and deservedly so. Every single thing, whether a garment of clothing or the interior design of a bathroom, looks so damn good.
The only visual letdown is the way the Creature looks. It’s clear that the producers decided that if they were going to pay for Jacob Elordi, they were going to get their money’s worth: the Creature just looks like Nate Jacobs (Elordi in the Euphoria TV series) in makeup.
One other thing. While the acting is solid at best throughout, the messy casting made me question del Torro’s vision, as many actors look out of place throughout the movie.
The best part of Shelley’s novel is how complex its themes are, but del Toro has replaced so much of what makes the book so interesting with shallow, in-your-face themes. Sometimes the writing is so obvious it’s almost impossible to make any personal interpretations.
That being said, I did enjoy the film. What it lacks in thematic substance it makes up for in aesthetic. It succeeds as a movie, and if you can overlook its identity crisis and come at it without high expectations, then this film isn’t bad.
While this Frankenstein tries but fails to replicate the genius of Shelley’s work, I recommend watching it purely for its visuals—making it a film that needs to be seen in a theater.