This November, Guillermo del Toro released his 28th film Frankenstein. Based on the 1818 novel by Mary Shelley, the 2025 adaptation is earning praise from viewers and critics alike. With stunning cinematography, a thought-provoking script, and incredible performances from the cast and ensemble alike, the movie marks itself as one of the standout films of the year.

The movie begins with a violent confrontation between sailors on a frozen ship giving refuge to Victor Frankenstein (Oscaar Isaac), and The Creature (Jacob Elordi), a reanimated man made up of different human parts of enormous strength and intelligence. Immediately, the Creature’s sheer strength and rage is shown, as it is unable to be shot, drowned, or burned while trying to kill Victor. Equally, Victor is reduced to a pathetic sight, cowering in fear until he begins to tell his story. 

The movie is broken into three sections: The Prelude (where the aforementioned encounter is seen), Victor’s story, and the Creature’s story. Each section perfectly encapsulates the titular characters’ perspectives while still keeping them grounded in the wider story; while Victor’s segment of the story is full of movement and fantastical experiments, the Creature’s is desolate and quiet. 

Before Victor tells his version of the story, he disclaims that not everything he says is going to be true. With an unreliable narrator, this movie is more engaging than others as some of the story is left to the viewer’s imagination, provoking deep thought regarding both how Victor’s mind works and if his actions align with it. He begins with his childhood, where the seeds of his determination to push the bounds of life and death itself were first sown after his mother’s tragic death. Quickly, this determination turns to obsession.

Quite similar in style to del Toro’s other work The Crimson Peak, Frankenstein has a fantastical, colorful, and vast world built in the story. Victor’s story, in particular, has some stunning shots that you typically wouldn’t associate with a Victorian novel. The imagery of the novel is generally darker, and the design of the movie helps amplify its themes and messaging — while at the same time creating a beautiful film. 

With the slightly modern set design, it would have been easy for the movie to fall out of the world the novel creates, but strong performances from the cast combined with a great, thought provoking script bring del Toro’s vision to life. 

So much of the movie revolves around the relationship between the Creature and Victor. Victor, the crazed, obsessive scientist that revived the creature is an extremely complex character: all at once pathetic, fearful, and energetic — a villain who would never acknowledge their faults before it’s too late. Actor Oscaar Isaac does this brilliantly, offering an incredibly convincing portrayal of Victor and his transformation to the Creature’s prey. Similar to Isaac, Elordi had to portray a complex victim, who had to slowly demonstrate to the viewer the gravity of Victor’s actions and the Creature’s thirst for revenge. Outside of the emotional aspect of the character, Elordi mastered the mannerisms and speech patterns of an undead-man — making the Creature a sympathetic figure while at the same time giving merit to Victor’s fears. Other performances such as those by Mia Goth (Elizabeth) and Charles Dance (Victor’s Father) were good counters and grounding forces to represent the rest of the Frankenstein universe to contrast the dominant relationship between Victor and the Creature. 

Despite the movie’s strengths, there were a few obvious weaknesses. First, the pacing was relatively good until the very end of the movie. The resolution between Victor and the Creature was not only inconsistent with the source material, but it came out of nowhere, making the ending feel rushed and completely throwing off the pacing of the movie. 

In addition to this conclusion, the movie as a whole was a pretty unfaithful adaption to the novel. Key characters like Clerval were left out, Elizabeth is not Victor’s adopted sister, and the Creature is significantly less violent. One main change was the introduction of Victor as a character with an abusive father, making his quest for creating life as a way to avenge his dead mother instead of the narcissistic, power hungry act the novel portrays. 

Despite these issues, the changes made worked in favor of the world and message del Toro was trying to get across. It might have disappointed die-hard fans of the book, but the same powerful themes of life, death, and power were presented in the stunning work by del Toro.