Hello everybody. I'm Dan Merl here with my review of GML del Toro's Frankenstein which is in limited release, very limited release starting this weekend and hits Netflix on November 7th. This is the latest film from director GRL del Toro. His first live-action film since Nightmare Alley which was on my favorites list the year that it came out as was his last movie the stop-motion animated film Pinocchio.
A recurring theme in GML del Toro's filmography is the misunderstood monster. So it makes sense when you think about it that he is adapting Mary Shel's Frankenstein. He's wanted to do it for many years. And this is very much a GMA del Toro version of the story in many ways for better, in a couple ways, perhaps for worse.
Oscar Isaac takes on the role of Victor Frankenstein, who turns a cold upbringing by his father, played by Charles Dance, into a quest to defeat death and create life by reanimating dead tissue. With the help of his patron, Harlander, played by Kristoff Waltz, Frankenstein eventually succeeds in creating the creature, played by Jacob Allerty, who suffers a cold upbringing of his own when Victor is not prepared for the reality of fostering this unnatural new form of life.
This version of Frankenstein is very much Mary Shel's novel. In many ways, it is more faithful than a lot of past adaptations of Frankenstein, but it is a GMA del Toro film. And I think that the main byproduct of his approach is that much of the horror around the creature itself or himself has been stripped away. This is far from the look of Boris Karloff with bolts in his neck or Robert De Niro's stitched together face.
Yes, the creature is unnatural in that he is stitched together from different bodies, but del Toro's creature is gentle, who seeks really only to be recognized and understood, much like the creature in The Shape of Water was, and his on-screen appearance reflects that, which helps the audience to sympathize with his plight. But for many people out there, in other words, I'm not entirely sure if you're ready for sexy Frankenstein's monster.
Now, this is a conscious creative choice, and I think that it works most of the time because I think that Jacob Lord's performance is very good as the creature, but there were a few times where it reminded me of a bit of movies like Beastly, which was that retelling of Beauty and the Beast, except the beast wasn't really that beastly at all.
However, this is also way closer to, from what I've read and researched and from what I remember, the original appearance of the creature as written by Mary Shel. So, it's really more of a conflict between what pop culture has told us that we should expect from Frankenstein's monster versus what the actual intent should be. And Garald del Toro is really running in one direction with it, and it's the direction that works for the movie that he's making.
This version of Frankenstein is very on then the nose about who the real monster in the story is. And it's Victor Frankenstein, not the creature, but the man who created him. Oscar Isaac brings a manic crazed obsession to his performance that instantly turns to panic and disgust when Frankenstein realizes just what he's brought into the world.
For Victor Frankenstein, the creation of life is the end goal, not the sustenance of that life. And I've seen a lot of raised eyebrows at Jacob Lord's casting as the creature, but I found him to be very believable and very sympathetic in the part. The creature is the neglected son of a neglected son, and much of the film shifts to his viewpoint as he tries to overcome the horror of his appearance and find an answer as to why he was brought into existence. And this search for truth and meaning and purpose is very human in many ways.
It's at the core of what humanity is. And a lordy does a very good job showing us the tragedy of this creature who didn't ask to be what he is. Searching solely to be acknowledged as a human being, as a man, but receiving everything except that Isaac and Lord are the focus of the story. And where I think the movie falls a little short is in finding true roles for the rest of its cast.
Kristoff Waltz is integral to the plot, but less integral to the film itself, if that makes sense. Mia Goth as Victor's brother, Williams fiance, is more crucial to the first half of the film. But as the creature gets more focus, I felt like she kind of got lost in the shuffle just a little bit. And Felix Cameron as William Frankenstein, Victor's brother, is is there. He's good, but there's not a whole lot to the role. They're all good performances, but it feels a bit scattershot plot-wise.
Charles Dance and David Bradley both turn in strong performances in smaller roles that I think are better served by the script itself. This isn't just a GMA del Toro film in terms of themes and story. It also leans into what he does well as far as horror elements and specifically gothic horror elements. The first half of the movie, I was a little bit disappointed because it had that clean look that you often see with movies, especially movies that go to streaming services.
But as the film goes on, the visuals become sharper. The lighting gets more dramatic, and you actually feel like you're watching a GMO del Toro movie. I'm sure that this was a conscious choice with the film's cinematographer, Dan Lston, but I feel like there was perhaps too much of a contrast between the first half of the film and the second half of the film.
One thing that I found faultless, though, was the production design by Tamara Devil and the set decoration by Shane Vial. The pair shared an Oscar nomination for Nightmare Alley, and I think they should be nominated again for this film. Frankenstein's Laboratory alone is a masterpiece of Gothic design and every other set is equally stunning. As always, it is so great to see GMA del Toro's imagination brought to life in this way.
And it's one of the reasons why I chose to drive a few hours away to see this movie on a big screen, which is unfortunately not an option that most people are going to have because Netflix does such limited releases for their films. And the way that most people are going to be able to see the movie is at home on the streaming service.
Because this is Frankenstein, there's also an abundance of grotescery and gore. And GMO del Toro's knack for bringing organic horror to life is well matched to this story. There's plenty of splattered blood and oozing bodies and severed limbs to please the horror gore hounds out there. And nobody really is able to film a ripped off jaw like GMO del Toro. The fact that this has been Del Toro's dream project for years, and the fact that it's such a match between material and filmmaker may have some people walking into this movie wanting it to be the definitive version of Mary Shel's Frankenstein. And I think that that might be putting an undue burden on the movie.
I think that this does stand with the best versions of Frankenstein that we've ever gotten alongside the original Universal version with Boris Karoff directed by James Whale and a few others. But it seems very obvious to me that GMO del Toro is not out there trying to make the version of Frankenstein. He's just out there trying to make his version of Frankenstein.
The film is held up by the strong performances of Jacob Allerty and Oscar Isaac. If either one of them had faltered, the movie would have collapsed. And I liked the movie's style, particularly in the second half, as well as Del Toro's take on the overall story. The creature's appearance may be jarring to some. It definitely took me some time to adjust, but as the story unfolds, it makes sense.
The script, I think, could have used a bit more focusing, but overall, I think that this is a solid and impressive film. I don't know necessarily if it is one of the year's best movies, but it is one of the most memorable.
Mary Shel's story has been chopped apart and stitched back together so many different times that it's tough to make a version that stands out at this point, but I think that this version does. And people that are walking in expecting this to be Del Toro's crowning career achievement might be disappointed if they're going in just solely looking at it on this level. But if you put aside your preconceived notions, much like the creature itself, I think that you're going to find a lot to love.
So, on my personal scale, I'm giving GMA del Toro's Frankenstein a rating of it's good. I wish more people were going to get a chance to see this on the big screen, but if you don't, it will be streaming on Netflix November 7th. So, those are my thoughts on Frankenstein.