Frankenstein Review: Del Toro’s Glorious Adaptation

With stunning visuals and outstanding performances, Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein is a fresh and fascinating outlook on the timeless Gothic novel.

The next two chapters of Frankenstein are about to give us more detail on the matter as they take us back in time to Victor’s childhood, his years studying medicine, and his obsession with overcoming death. From as early as university, Victor is obsessed with the idea of creating life, so much so that he attempts reanimation, actively looks for cadavers he can use, and studies the science behind it. And so the Creature (Jacob Elordi) is eventually born. But Victor is not preoccupied with the Creature’s existence now that he has made it happen, and soon abandons his own creation. 

Frankenstein portrays the core themes of Shelley’s novel very well: Victor’s attempt at playing God and the dynamic that this creates between him and the Creature he brings to life. The film references Christian imagery throughout, from the angel that Victor sees in his dreams to the presence of Churches and Christian symbols on screen. In one of the pivotal scenes of the film, the Creature is positioned and shot to remind us of Christ on the cross as he is about to be born again before the eyes of his creator. This is echoed in the screenplay, which makes some not-so-subtle but important references to Adam and Prometheus in relation to the Creature that demonstrate the care and attention paid to the source material. Both of them are figures to which the Creature is compared in the original novel, as is the fallen angel that often comes back in the narrative and visuals of the film. 

Guillermo del Toro also brings various elements of innovation to this well-known story. His Frankenstein changes some of the plot elements in ways that the original novel does not, such as Victor’s mother’s cause of death or how the Creature learned how to speak, while remaining true to the overall narrative and sentiment of Mary Shelley’s work.

The most unique and fascinating change, however, is in the very structure of the film. If part one was Victor’s Tale, part two of the movie switches the point of view of the narration by telling the story from the Creature’s perspective. This allows the audience to connect with him on a much deeper level and see his humanity and desire to be loved and accepted from the very beginning. Jacob Elordi’s outstanding performance as the Creature naturally helps a lot in this matter, as he delivers a sensitive and layered portrayal of the so-called monster of the story. 

The technical elements of Frankenstein are also brilliantly executed. The cinematography by Dan Laustsen immediately transports us to Victor’s world, with the far North that we see at the beginning of the film, the gothic castle and the laboratory he spends hours in. The colours are vibrant, and the real-life sets feel enormous in scale, making it an incredibly exciting film to watch for the visual elements alone. The soundtrack by Alexandre Desplat is equally impressive, echoing the sentiments of the characters, from Victor’s desperate attempt to complete his life mission to the Creature’s profound loneliness and unhappiness.

Some of Victor’s backstory may seem unnecessary as it does take up a lot of the initial screentime of the film, but it is key to establishing who the main character is, his desires, and ambitions. As a story that focuses so much on giving both Victor and his Creature a voice, it would not have worked as well without this much necessary background. While it might take a little while to get started – the Creature only comes to life about an hour into the film – Frankenstein is overall paced really well. 

This is thanks to the high stakes established from the very beginning and the overall feeling of tension that remains with us from the opening scene. The structure of Frankenstein may initially feel odd due to its organisation into two parts, rather than the traditional three-act structure that we are used to seeing in Western cinema. But this works really well not only in the context of the film, which deliberately wants to keep the tension going during its two chapters, but also in the sense of subverting the audience’s expectations in the structure as well as the story. 

Frankenstein is a brilliant movie that invites us to reflect on life, sorrow, and what it means to be alive, as the powerful quote by Lord Byron at the end suggests. It manages to portray one of the most famous stories in English literature from a new perspective while remaining faithful to the novel’s ideas. Of course, there have been many adaptations of Shelley’s novel for the screen, but del Toro’s one is bound to stand out due to its outstanding technical elements, original approach, and desire to see the story from a different perspective.

Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein had its World Premiere at the Venice Film Festival on August 30, 2025. The film will be released in US theaters and in UK and Irish cinemas on October 17, 2025 and on Netflix on November 7.