Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein
Rating: 5/5
By: Nathaniel Simpson
There is no secret that I love the Monster flicks. Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man, and the list keeps going on and on. Boris Karloff's performance as the iconic monster is synonymous with the genre and the name "Frankenstein", and I wondered how anyone else could make another great Frankenstein film. When it was announced that Guillermo del Toro was making his own adaptation of the iconic Mary Shelley novel, I got incredibly excited. I got my hopes and expectations for it incredibly high, which I thought could have been a mistake as I should go in not expecting anything and see how the movie plays out. Yet, when I sat down in that dark theater last night with my expectations being that this was going to be the best movie of the year, del Toro somehow blew my expectations out of the water. His Frankenstein is simply brilliant; this is a masterpiece in the art form of filmmaking, and it easily sits as my absolute favorite film of the year so far.
There is no secret that the iconic 1931 James Whale adaptation doesn't follow the book too closely. So, therefore, I decided to read the novel for the first time before going to see this new reimagining of it, and I got really excited that del Toro was going to craft this world for the screen when reading it. He is known for taking the stories about monsters and mold them to make these beautiful pictures where the viewer simply empathizes with the monster that is present in the film. While this film does have some changes to the story and characters, I think he does a great job of translating Shelley's work to the screen, and the changes he made felt necessary to the story cinematically. If he had adapted it straight from the source material, without making the changes he did, I feel like we would have lost some of the special moments that he was able to capture in his own telling of the story.
At the same time, the way he was able to write these characters is perfect. Through the first half of the movie, we see the characters of Victor (Oscar Isaac), Elizabeth (Mia Goth), and Henrich Harlander (Christoph Waltz), and how their bonds with each other play out and evolve over time. I especially loved the relationship that Victor and Elizabeth have; the novel reveals them as cousins who are to be married while del Toro approaches it differently, making Elizabeth the soon-to-be-bride to Victor's younger brother, William (Felix Kammerer). By doing this, it allows the viewer to see these two characters meet and develop a mutual attraction to one another, and we, as the viewer, are lucky enough to see this play out. Consider the moment where Elizabeth and Victor go to dinner and start dancing together; it's all so beautiful and fun to watch, and it's easily one of those scenes that fills you with delight and makes you giddy. At the same time, contrasting Elizabeth and Victor's brief romantic stint, we see the business side of Henrich and Victor, showing how they work together and it's not as smooth as either of them think.
Then, after the creation of the "Monster" (Jacob Elordi), we then are able to see the shift from Victor's desire to be feared and powerful to a simple being that simply wants to feel love and compassion. Del Toro does an incredible job of characterizing this creature, and elevating the source material of the Monster. One thing I thought was interesting about the novel is there isn't much humanization of the Monster; we understand why he is doing what he is doing but they don't show much of a human side of him. Del Toro decides to craft this human-ness to the Monster, which I think is one of the best decisions of the entire film. It's both disheartening and enlightening to see this Creation try to understand the world around him, and how his innocence crafts how he views people and the nature of the world. When he is in the forest before discovering the small cottage where he hides out at, the hunters that reside in the cottage shoot him immediately because they don't understand who or what he is. This message rings true to today unfortunately, as we deem things odd or out of the ordinary dangerous and therefore we must destroy it.
The actors then take this phenomenal screenplay from del Toro and really craft these performances to perfection. I simply couldn't have imagined a better cast for this film and they all blew me away. Isaac perhaps gives one of the best performances of his career as Victor, playing this threatening scientist who is simply scared himself. He wants to be feared by everyone he comes across and wants to be considered a genius, yet he can't put his own desires and fear aside to recognize what he has created. On the flip side, Elordi gives such a grounded and beautiful performance as The Monster, one that should be studied for years after the release of this film. Andrew Garfield was confirmed to play The Monster before shooting and had to ultimately drop out, resulting in the casting of Elordi. Honestly, I couldn't imagine anyone better than Elordi playing this beautiful, yet haunting character.
In terms of the supporting roles here, they all do an amazing job of complementing our two main leads, especially Goth. She represents this sort of angelic creature to both Victor and the Monster, and her role in the story greatly impacts where the story goes next and how the relationship between Victor and his Creation play out. Goth had a lot on her plate with this one, and she handled it all beautifully. She is so graceful and plays her role beautifully, showcasing the talent Goth has as an actress. At the same time, Waltz is just so charming and fun, and it is evident that he is having a great time with this role. The character of Henrich is not in the novel, so Waltz and del Toro were able to flesh out this character together and turn him into this enjoyable multi-millionaire.
In addition to the performances, the direction and filmmaking elements that del Toro sets up here heighten the story beyond what we have seen before. Del Toro implements this semi-gothic tone in a way that invites the viewer into the world he is creating for the screen, and it is simply beautiful. The cinematography and the soundtrack are perfect for this film, both adding not only a somber and melancholic atmosphere to the picture as a whole, but also one of wonder and whimsical delight. Take the montage where Victor is building everything in the lab and crafting the Monster; the way that the soundtrack plays through this scene fills the viewer with excitement and child-like wonder. It is very reminiscent of del Toro's previous works, especially The Shape of Water.
I also want to comment on the beauty of the miniatures and practical effects present throughout this picture. Del Toro said he didn't want this movie to be bogged down by CGI or special effects achieved digitally, and the practical effects easily make the movie loads better. You can just feel the hard work and dedication that went into making this film, and the inclusion of these effects and practical sets make it all feel so much more real and inviting. I think a lot of movies in this day and age feel too fake or made up, and Frankenstein doesn't feel that way at all.
Guillermo del Toro made a Frankenstein movie that I only dreamed about, and everything he does here is just perfect in my eyes. From the performances to the writing and directing to the beautiful cinematography and incredible soundtrack to the awe-inspiring visuals and practical effects, this picture simply works on every single level. This is easily everything I wanted it to be, and I genuinely hold strong to my belief that this is the best movie of the year.
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