A reimagining of Mary Shelley’s 1818 literary masterpiece, Guillermo del Toro’s long-awaited return to gothic fantasy enlists the help of Netflix for its lavish, baroque production. It also boasts an astounding effort from one of their biggest star exports.
You may not think it from the cold open prelude – an elaborately choreographed fight scene set near the North Pole – but, like his Best Picture award-winning The Shape of Water, del Toro’s Frankenstein is proof that the man behind some of Hollywood’s darkest stories (The Devil’s Backbone, Pan’s Labyrinth, Crimson Peak) has still got one or two teal-coloured cards up his sleeve.
This latest experiment at a tender and textured romance is set, for the most part, in 19th century stone towers, gigantic laboratories, and operating tables that, by the looks of things, came straight out of a crime scene. In true del Toro form, there’s plenty to take in with a lengthy run time of 149 minutes. It’s a picture rich with stunning VFX work, regal costuming and Tiffany & Co. jewellery. To celebrate the impressive craftsmanship on show, coinciding with the film’s UK premiere at LFF, there’s an immersive exhibition running at the Old Selfridges Hotel.
The chemistry of its cast is palpable. Oscar Isaac plays the egotistical Dr. Victor Frankenstein with fervour, he is a mad scientist after all. Fiercely butting heads with Jacob Elordi as The Creature, a gentle monster of his own misguided creation, Isaac is also challenged by scream queen Mia Goth in dazzling dual roles – as young Victor’s late mother Baroness Claire Frankenstein, and the empathetic Lady Elizabeth Harlander, the object of adult Victor’s affections who happens to befriend The Creature.
On paper all these ingredients read like a recipe for success, and for the most part it translates as such. Though Frankenstein is not without its faults. Split between two separate time periods from Victor’s youth and a leap to his adulthood, the first chapter is heavy on exposition and conversational dialogue. After a bit of a lull, it’s the resurrection of Elordi that heightens the stakes and saves del Toro’s adaptation.
There is indeed a lot of gorgeous, grounded practical prosthetics work signature to del Toro’s values of grandeur. In one scene, Lady Elizabeth likens botched creature studies to “martyrdom paintings”. Despite the fact, Netflix’s high-gloss imprint is all too clear in a couple of illusion-shattering CGI sequences involving digital flames, wolf packs, and angels of death appearing to Victor in his sleep. Michelangelo’s David if more than just a pretty face, Elordi excels not just by the slimy, sculptural framework of his appearance – makeup FX courtesy of Mike Hill – but by exercising laboured physicality in his lumbering movements and mannerisms, his eyes, the command of his developing character: grunting and growling, listening and learning.
Shelley’s story remains one of the most famously devestating explorations of the limits of human creativity, and you cannot help but be enamoured by the primitive charm of del Toro’s leading man, even when violent. In a tender transformation, he anchors unimagined humanity towards those he towers over. Who could’ve predicted that Gen Z’s ultimate tween dream, famous for The Kissing Booth and HBO’s Euphoria, could deliver one of the most talked about performances this festival circuit. If Priscilla and Saltburn are the appetisers, then Frankenstein is the main course. If there’s room for one more in your Halloween movie marathon, look no further, for this is a feast unlike anything else out there.
Watch the trailer…
Frankenstein began a limited theatrical release on 17 October 2025, with a global digital release by Netflix set for 7 November.
Words – Douglas Jardim
