The thinking is likely that the tale of Dr. Victor Frankenstein and his creature has been told so many times that filmmakers are looking for something different to bring to the party. Thus, over the years since author Mary Shelly first published in 1818, there have been a multitude of versions. On British television in 1973, a beautiful creature rotted before our eyes in FRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY. (BTW…it was not.) You may remember Kenneth Branagh’s take in 1994 being as lumbering and heavy-handed as Robert DeNiro’s too modern take on the creature. Heck, there have even been all sorts of stand-ins for the creature too over the years, from Peter Boyle putting on the Ritz in 1974’s YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN to a beloved dog brought back to life in 2012’s FRANKENWEENIE. The poor forlorn creature is so iconic, General Mills even made a kiddie cereal out of it in 1971. It’s still on the shelves, still with pink marshmallows, no less.
The simple fact is that Shelley’s original novel Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus is a very succinct tale about man playing God and his ambitions going awry. In a tightly constructed 280 pages, Shelley told of an egotistical doctor bringing a dead body back to life with no idea what to do with it once it has arrived. The basic story is maintained by and large in filmmaker Guillermo del Toro’s new adaptation entitled FRANENSTEIN, but the multiple-Oscar winner heaps on a very lavish production, numerous story changes including a 40-years-later setting, and a length that belies the no-nonsense of Shelley’s construct. Still, I enjoyed del Toro’s efforts despite their many flaws. It’s a vivid, well-acted adaptation that builds its world with exacting detail and every penny of its 150-million-dollar budget is up on the big screen.
Del Toro’s take elaborates on the backstory of Victor, now showcasing a difficult life for the 12-year-old lad (Christian Convery). He’s been encouraged to follow in his stepfather’s surgeon footsteps, and his mentor is nothing if not tyrannical. He’s played by Charles Dance, a vaulted actor who can do such roles in his sleep. Trying to overcome such an overbearing parent, Victor strives to eclipse his father’s work and fixates on the idea of bringing the dead back to life when his mother dies giving birth to his younger brother. In Shelley’s book, mom dies of scarlet fever but giving Victor more motivation here is a shrewd addition. Regenerating dead flesh becomes Victor’s obsession and with the help of Henrich Harlender (Christoph Waltz), a rich benefactor paying for all the doctor’s expenses, he soon constructs an elaborate laboratory. It fills up every floor of an abandoned castle in the middle of nowhere and is such an opulent construct that its production design by Tamara Deverell will surely figure in the Oscar race come March.
Where del Toro errs is in taking awfully long to get to the creation of the creature. Instead, there is a ton of exposition as Victor’s relationships with Harlender, his younger brother William (Felix Kammerer), and William’s fiancée Elizabeth (a superb Mia Goth) all take up oodles of screen time. Incidentally, one of the film’s better Easter eggs showcases Goth in the role of Victor’s mother as well, a clear nod to her dual duties in the cult horror film X from 2022. Here too, del Toro musses Shelley’s simplicity by turning Elizabeth into William’s betrothed, not Victor’s. Some complications muddy the through-lines.
Finally, when the creature comes to life and becomes a full character in this adaptation, the film hits its stride. Jacob Elordi (EUPHORIA, SALTBURN) gives the film’s best performance as he imbues the regenerated assemblage of odd body parts into the most sympathetic human on screen. Victor treats the mute ‘newborn’ horribly by shackling him in the basement of the castle and mostly yelling at him. A man of science should know that the amalgam of dead soldiers from a war was hardly going to bring about a fully-functioning conversationalist, but here is where del Toro’s main flaw in the film lies. In Shelley’s original, Victor abandons his creation because he’s terrified of it, leaving him to fend for himself in the unknown world outside the laboratory. Here, Victor acts more like a petulant child, enraged that his new pet cannot perform any decent tricks. Oscar Isaac does what he can with the part, but even an actor of his caliber struggles with such wild immaturity as written in the screenplay.
Ultimately, del Toro’s story gets more in line with Shelley’s when the creature is taken in by a blind, old man (a sweet David Bradley) who helps educate him. It is here too where Elordi adds a lovely, delicate grace to his performance, suggesting a lovely sensitivity in the creature’s soul. Del Toro also does well with the framing device of the frozen tundra, again echoing much of what Shelley originally put down on paper. The director also knows how to get splendid contributions from his costume designer Kate Hawley, cinematographer Dan Laustsen, and composer Alexandre Desplat.
Del Toro nails most of Shelley’s tone and moralizing too, making this adaptation ultimately quite fulfilling. Do yourself a favor and see it on the big screen for maximum impact when it opens October 17. (Its premiere at the Chicago International Film Festival is this Friday at 6 PM at the Music Box Theatre.) By the way, the film’s production company is Netflix, and thus the film will premiere on their streaming platform rather early, already November 7. But you should see it before then in the way del Toro meant his film to be seen.
