Movie Review - Netflix's Frankenstein

Only monsters play God.

Frankenstein is a 2025 gothic science fiction drama film directed by Guillermo del Toro, written by Guillermo del Toro, produced by Double Dare You, Demilo Films, and Bluegrass 7, and distributed by Netflix. The film is based off of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. It stars Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi.

"I cannot die. And I cannot live." - The Creature

Plot

Baron Victor Frankenstein and his mad genius turn into something dangerous when, after being financed by an intrigued and incredibly wealthy arms manufacturer, he brings to life a creature made up of dead body parts.

The Sweet

Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of Frankenstein was one of my most anticipated films of the year. Frankenstein is, obviously, a tale that has been told a billion times, but del Toro seemed like the perfect director to give us an accurate, interesting adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic novel, so I was very excited. Throw a great cast on top of that as well as the epic nature of the trailers, and I was all in.

I was lucky enough to see this film in theaters despite its simultaneous release on Netflix, and that was definitely the best way to experience it, because this film is a visual spectacle. This is what you would expect from Guillermo del Toro's $120 million adaptation of Frankenstein. Basically every shot looks like its pulled from an art museum. del Toro just has an eye for how to make this gothic imagery pop and look stunning on screen. The film is framed with these sweeping, epic shots, but also really fantastic use of camera movements and perspective.

The real heroes of the gorgeous visuals, however, are the production designers. The production design in this film is immaculate. It immerses you in this lavish, elegant Victorian setting with enormous, golden sets and these beautiful, colorful costumes. Every new location feels so grandiose and graceful. It juxtaposes these gorgeous locations with the loneliness and sadness of the locations with the creature; by comparison, they feel empty and cold. It was truly some of the best production design I have seen in the 2020s. If this team does not get nominated for an Oscar, I am rioting.

Speaking of Oscar noms...Jacob Elordi better get one. Basically every review of this film has praised his performance, and I am going to as well. I haven't actually seen this guy in anything besides Frankenstein. I know who he is, obviously, but I haven't gotten around to Saltburn and I have no interest in Euphoria. However, I cannot imagine his performances in any other movies being anywhere close to this. He does portray the creature as this terrifying monster, but also does a really good job of humanizing him. And he does not humanize him through dialogue, because, for much of the movie, the creature has trouble speaking. Instead, he gives an incredible physical performance, communicating emotions and feelings through body language and looks. It's a truly transformative portrayal that feels so different from any other role I've really ever seen. Like, not many performances have to communicate this level of emotion through pure physicality and facial expressions. That's really, really impressive.

The story of Frankenstein has always had the same themes. It's always about whether or not men should play God. It's always about the creature being misunderstood. And it's always about the question of who the real monster is. This adaptation has all of those elements, but it adds nuance to all sides of that. Victor Frankenstein is given a backstory that informs his actions when it comes to the creature. It also gives the creature a lot more nuance than previous adaptations. This version of the creature isn't even really the antagonist; he's more of an additional protagonist alongside Victor. The movie presents both of their sides on the events that transpire, and it's interesting how you reinterpret the story based on whose perspective we are watching it from. The draw of Frankenstein is the complexity of the questions it raises, and del Toro understands that, so he does not give clear answers. There's a lot of moral and philosophical ideas presented, and it is up to the audience member how they feel about them.

This film also feels much more like a gothic drama than a horror movie. del Toro himself has stated multiple times that this is not a horror movie, and he is very, very correct. There's elements of horror here, for sure. The creature still has some really scary moments. The opening sequence feels very much out of a horror movie. But this film is a lot more about the relationships and philosophical ideas of its individual characters than it is about the creature tearing people to shreds. And I think that was the right move for the film they were aiming to make. It wants to focus on the characters and the story, and the creature is not presented as the villain in a horror movie. Because of that, it's just much more focused on giving us a powerful, impactful story with interesting questions raised. There's violence. There's blood. And it has its fair share of grisly, scary imagery, but this is not a straight horror film. That is a different way of tackling Frankenstein, and I actually really liked that.

Finally, this movie just feels epic. As many times as Frankenstein has been adapted, it does not feel like there's a quintessential faithful adaptation of the novel. Of course, the 1931 film is a classic, but that is a nearly hundred-year-old movie that takes elements of Mary Shelley's novel without really adapting the entire story. This film feels like the Bram Stoker's Dracula of Frankenstein adaptations; it's a truly big budget adaptation that honors the source material while also bringing in its own ideas and flavor to the story.

The Sour

I don't really have much to say here. This is a pretty great movie. There are a few things that irked me, however.

First off, I think that this movie is a little bit too science-y in the first half. As we see Victor's backstory and the things that lead him up to bringing the creature to life, there's a lot of discussion of anatomy and the science behind the experiment. While that may be realistic, it's not very interesting. We all know that he's going to bring the creature to life; if he's talking about how to do it, it should really be in service to his character, not framed as exposition for the audience.

I also felt like Christoph Waltz's character, while important to the story, had a very strange conclusion. I am obviously not going to say what happens, but I found the way they resolved him to feel pointless and weird. I really can't say that much without spoilers, but they held off on a major reveal about him and then rushed his character once they did reveal his true intentions. It's kind of to the point where he feels very much like an afterthought in the film despite being a very prominent character.

There are a few other little things that bothered me: I felt the third act was just a little bit rushed. I wasn't crazy about Mia Goth's portrayal of Elizabeth. There are some elements that felt like they needed to be expanded upon. But most of these little aspects did not take away from the total experience. This is exactly what I wanted from Guillermo del Toro's big budget take on one of fiction's most iconic monsters.

Final Thoughts and Score

Guillermo del Toro puts his own spin on a classic story, bringing us a grandiose, thought-provoking adaptation that will leave you thinking long after the credits roll.

I am going Sweet here. 2025 is on fire. Age range is 15+.

SWEET N' SOUR SCALE

Sweet (Great)

Savory (Good)

Sour (Bad)

Moldy (Terrible)

"Frankenstein"

Fun Factor: 8/10

Story: 8.5/10

Acting: 8.5/10

Characters: 9/10

Quality: 8.5/10

Directed by Guillermo del Toro

Rated R for strong bloody violence, frightening themes and images, thematic elements

Released on October 17, 2025

2 hours and 29 minutes

Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein

Jacob Elordi as Frankenstein's Monster / The Creature

Mia Goth as Elizabeth Harlander

Felix Kammerer as William Frankenstein

Christoph Waltz as Heinrich Harlander

Lars Mikkelsen as Captain Anderson

Charles Dance as Leopold Frankenstein

David Bradley as The Blind Man

Ralph Ineson as Professor Krempe