Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” is now available to stream on Netflix, and with that, I want to read your thoughts on this one. Is it the Oscar-worthy film some of the “experts” claim it to be? I don’t believe so, but more on that a few paragraphs below.
It should have been a movie event. Del Toro’s decades-in-the-making passion project quietly hit theaters three weeks ago, but in very limited fashion, with Netflix refusing to divulge its box office numbers.
I had seen it at Venice, where it earned okay reviews, but it has enjoyed a strong post-Lido reception from both critics and audiences. Its Metascore is 78 and it sits at 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. It might even get a Best Picture nomination, according to the pundits — #8 on Gold Derby’s charts.
The film features a richly developed, character-driven ensemble. Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, and Christoph Waltz lead the cast, supported by talents such as Lars Mikkelsen, Ralph Ineson, and Charles Dance.
My take: you can see all the hallmarks of del Toro’s cinema—lavish sets, meticulous production design—but the film ultimately feels like a polished Netflix blockbuster rather than the imaginative delirium of “Pan’s Labyrinth.” Isaac gives a committed performance, but his Victor Frankenstein is stripped of any idealism and becomes a cartoonish madman, while Jacob Elordi’s monster is more spectacle than character, lacking the weight of Shelley’s original intent. At times, I found Elordi to be more of a CGI creation than practical character.
The script is also full of these theatrical flourishes that emphasize style over substance. The supporting actors, like Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz, are underutilized, and even the score and staging, though evocative, fail to rescue this emotional emptiness. Del Toro’s adaptation somehow turns Shelley’s meditation on creation and mortality into this visually striking but ultimately hollow exercise in glossiness.
Of course, I’m planning to rewatch it on Netflix this weekend. It’s been three months since I last saw it, so maybe it will suddenly spark for me, but I have my doubts. What did our readers think of the film? I gather many who skipped it in theaters are going to watch it in the comfort of their own homes this weekend. Post your thoughts below.
