TL;DR – A fascinating reinterpretation of the classic work that both works as an adaptation for a modern audience, but also holds true to the core of the original work, creating a fascinating juxtaposition to find a muse about the nature of life itself.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that screened this film.

Frankenstein Review Introduction –

It is time for the final review before we start our best of 2025 list. We started the year with a rich Gothic-Horror romp with Nosferatu; it is only fair that we finish it returning to that same world, and if we are going to dabble in this world, it is only right to return  to where it all began with one of the greatest minds that helped build the foundation of Science Fiction with the eminent Mary Shelley’s work.

So, to set the scene, in Farthermost North, 1857, the snows and ice creep over the sea as a ship becomes beset in its cold embrace on its way to the North Pole. While stuck, they find an injured man near a pile of blood and being hunted by a monstrous visage, one who cannot be stopped by bullets. Sinking The Monster (Jacob Elordi) to the bottom of the ocean, they wake the wounded Baron Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), who tells the tale of how he came to make the very monster that has come to kill him.    

Lusciousness

Victor says at one point that modesty is not a valour, and that feels like it might have been a motto of the film. There is a lusciousness to the set design, to the costumes, and to the story itself. The gowns that Mia Goth wears throughout the film are exquisite, the opening red gown exploding across the screen like a flag marking its place in the world. Then there is the ‘mad scientist’s lair’ that is built in one of those grand old public works buildings that you see dotting the landscape, back when people cared about things looking grand.

The one problem, or not a problem depending on your perspective and/or when you last ate, is that same lusciousness is also displayed in how they depict the more macabre aspects of the desecration of human remains. A cacophony of blood and gore expands across the film in ways that are profoundly uncomfortable at times. Even the design of The Monster has a macabre beauty to it. We have seen this commitment to this type of visual storytelling before in films like Pinocchio and The Shape of Water, but its taken to a new level here.    

Unreliability

There is always a danger when you adapt one of those foundational science fiction texts for a modern audience that you create a work that is impenetrable to a contemporary audience, or you change it so much that you lose what made it special in the first place. We have seen these bargains succeed and fail in adaptations like Foundation. Here, the story is slightly reframed with its narrative delivery, and the second half is a touch recontextualised, but always the heart of the story remains.

With the character of Robert Walton changed to Captain Anderson (Lars Mikkelsen) and his opening more of an explosion of action then a brooding setting of the scene, it leaves us with two voices behind the narrative, The Baron and The Monster. Both present themselves in a certain way that implies they are giving the best of themselves. You then realise that this is the best version that the Baron can be, and his unreliability masks a monster. It also helps that the back half of the film is more sympathetic to The Monster and their actions.   

Love and Faith

Frankenstein is a film that is equal parts pomp and circumstance, an explosion of manic energies, personalities, and camp sensibility. However, it also presents a profound muse on the nature of philosophy, emotion, and religion. The Baron is a man of science through and through, yet he is guided by an avenging angelic spirit into playing god, spurned by a childhood trauma escalated by an abusive father (Charles Dance). We get muses on the nature of life and death, on the power to create and the power to kill, and the uplifting yet also potentially damaging role love plays in our lives.

This juxtaposition creates the groundwork for some fantastic performances from the cast. Oscar Isaac perfectly understands the harsh juxtaposition that powers his character and plays into it at every moment. Christoph Waltz is a delight in every film I have seen him in, and this is no exception. He has a power and presence at all times that is fascinating to watch. Mia Goth is pulling double duty in this film and gets to be the one who taps into the philosophical core of the original book. Finally, there is Jacob Elordi, who joins a rare list of actors that can bring real emotion into play while almost being completely hidden away behind some of the best prosthetics in the business. He brings love, compassion, and genuine anger to the role, and captivated every moment he was on screen.   

Recommendation

In the end, do we recommend Frankenstein? Absolutely. I have yet to see a Guillermo del Toro film that was not at the very least interesting to watch. He has such an eye for detail that he can evoke a sense of wonder even if it is a retelling of an old myth or a modern popcorn blockbuster. Frankenstein brought a fresh exploration of a classic tale that works for a contemporary audience without losing the heart of the original, and he should be championed for pulling that off.

Have you watched Frankenstein? Let us know what you thought in the comments below. If you liked Frankenstein, we would recommend Love and Monsters to you because it also works in this same myth-making space about what constitutes a monster and is also a fascinating watch to see how they pull it off.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Bluesky at @Tldrmovrev, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Frankenstein
Directed by – Guillermo del Toro
Screenplay by – Guillermo del Toro
Based on – Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Music by – Alexandre Desplat
Cinematography by – Dan Laustsen
Edited by – Evan Schiff
Production/Distribution Companies – Double Dare You, Demilo Films, Bluegrass 7 & Netflix
Starring – Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, David Bradley, Lars Mikkelsen, Christian Convery, Charles Dance & Christoph Waltz
With – Kyle Gatehouse, Lauren Collins, Sofia Galasso, Ralph Ineson, Burn Gorman & Nikolaj Lie Kaas