Frankenstein
Frankenstein, 2025, 2 ¼ stars
Creature discomforts
Frankenstein is a flawed, violent creation
Exclusive to MeierMovies, November 5, 2025
Let me be frank: Guillermo del Toro has a problem.
Whether creating fantasy, horror, drama or comedy, del Toro seems to have a fetish for graphic violence, anatomical brutality and body horror, both when it’s warranted and when it’s not in the least.
With his new, somewhat faithful retelling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus, you would think del Toro’s penchant for body horror would serve him well. And you would be somewhat right. Indeed, on first glance, this seems like the story the writer-director was born to film, especially when he dives, head over heels (and other body parts), into the graphic depiction of the monster’s creation by depicting a sea of cadavers. But the gore continues, distractingly, into what should be the calmer, more serene, increasingly intimate parts of the story, as both Victor Frankenstein and the creature come to terms with who they are. Those sections of the narrative are also laced with savagery, including (simulated) violence toward animals.
Speaking of simulated, the film relies too much on CGI, which lends it a slightly plastic look. The production design is impressive, but it too often feels like one is viewing the film through a sheet of glass, not able to relate to it on a tactile level. Even things that could have been handled practically, like stunts, are mostly rendered, or tweaked, by computer.
At least the performances are real, and quite good. Oscar Isaac is compelling as Dr. Victor Frankenstein, and Mia Goth, Lars Mikkelsen and Christoph Waltz lend competent support. But it’s Jacob Elordi (Priscilla, Saltburn) as the creature who is most memorable. Ironically, he seems the most human of all the film’s elements, especially when he laments, “I understood that I was nothing.” If only del Toro could have forgone the visual excesses and mined the story’s emotional riches.
Some of those riches can be found in the novel’s existential poetry, such as when Victor, after chasing his creation to the top of the world, observes, “Having reached the end of the earth, there was no horizon left.” But those moments are drowned by the director’s over-the-top inclinations, not to mention the fact that he blows his visual wad at the beginning by revealing an almost supernatural creature in the first scene, robbing the film of anticipatory dread and any sense of realism.
To his credit, del Toro stays true to some aspects of Shelley’s novel that other film versions abandoned. For instance, most previous movies gave the story an exclusively Germanic, or Bavarian, setting. And to simplify matters, they were filmed in English, though it was clear the characters were speaking German.
That works well cinematically, but it’s not quite what the author intended. Instead, the novel is set in many locations throughout Europe and the frozen wastelands of the “farthermost North.” Victor was actually born in Naples and had Swiss/French influences, though he did attend school in Bavaria. Del Toro tries to capture a bit of all of those geographic and cultural influences, but the finished product is confusing, as one is often not sure of the settings, or the languages the characters are speaking. (Despite a smattering of French and Danish, all actors speak English, mostly with English dialects.)
If you adore del Toro’s sensibilities, this film is undoubtedly a treat. But for the casual fan of the Mexican director, the movie – much like Victor’s creation – is wondrous but fatally flawed: a big, beautiful, bloody, violent mess.
Del Toro has addressed his embrace of violence, most recently in a CBS interview in which he admitted his new film’s graphic depictions can be excessive. “Sorry about breakfast!” he told interviewer Seth Doane. In addition, he has also discussed his obsession with the human face and how its manipulation, or mutilation, can affect the viewer. This suggests del Toro, a master craftsman, is entirely aware of the power of his aesthetic. That’s not in doubt. What I question is his judgment.
Violence has an important place in art, but knowing when and where to use it is critical. And pointing that out shouldn’t result in the critic being labeled a prude, or a square, or an ultra-conservative, or, worse still, a fan of censorship.
How does del Toro’s movie compare to other Frankenstein films? Though not remotely close to being exhaustive, the following list might hold interest for you Frankenphiles. It also shows that, despite its flaws, del Toro’s version actually fares well compared to the previous schlock, especially 1965’s Frankenstein Meets the Spacemonster. In that 0-star film by director Robert Gaffney, we see the “spacemonster” for only a few minutes and, even more astonishingly, there is no actual Frankenstein’s monster, just a guy named Frank.
- Frankenstein (4 ¾ stars, 1931, directed by James Whale)
- Young Frankenstein (4 ¾ stars, 1974, directed by Mel Brooks)
- The Bride of Frankenstein (3 stars, 1935, directed by James Whale)
- The Strange Life of Dr. Frankenstein TV/Web/NT (3 stars, 2018, directed by Jean Froment)
- Son of Frankenstein (2 ¾ stars, 1939, directed by Rowland V. Lee)
- Frankenstein (2 ¼ stars, 2025, directed by Guillermo del Toro)
- Frankenstein Sl (2 stars, 1910, directed by J. Searle Dawley and produced by Thomas Edison) — short film
- Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1 ¾ stars, 1994, directed by Kenneth Branagh)
- Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1 ¾ stars, 1969, directed by Terence Fisher)
- Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1 ¾ stars, 1948, directed by Charles Barton)
- The Ghost of Frankenstein (1 ½ stars, 1942, directed by Erle C. Kenton)
- Frankenstein 1970 (¾ star, 1958, directed by Howard Koch)
- Frankenstein vs. Baragon (a.k.a. Frankenstein Conquers the World) FL (½ star, 1965, directed by Ishiro Honda)
- Frankenstein Meets the Spacemonster (0 stars, 1965, directed by Robert Gaffney)
And let’s not forget Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie (4 ¼ stars, 2012) and Frank Henenlotter’s Frankenhooker (1 ¾ stars, 1990).
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For more information on the movie, visit IMDB and Wikipedia. The film is currently in cinemas and starts streaming on Netflix on November 7.