The new film by Guillermo Del Toro creates a whole new perspective on the story of a mad scientist and his unhinged quest to create life and cheat death using the power of science, a quest which has some unfortunate and unpredictable outcomes for both the innovator and his innovation. With Oscar Isaac playing Viktor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi playing the creature, a tale of life, death, revenge and the bond between creator and creation based on Mary Shelley’s novel, “Frankenstein” is an intense story of one man’s obsession with creating life and another’s in seeking death.
Del Toro manages to create an incredible gothic atmosphere in the film, highlighted by the dramatic locations and overall darkness of the film – from the set to the costumes, colours remain muted, and the overall atmosphere is grave, creating a haunting and unsettling setting for an equally haunting and unsettling story. On occasion we see remnants of his past films like Crimson Peak shining through, emphasising the haunting beauty of the story of Frankenstein. With such detailed scenes, it was impossible not to be intrigued by the many set curiosities and costume intricacies which alluded to the characters’ individual stories.
Though avid book readers such as myself may not commend the film for being fully accurate to Shelley’s original story, it is easy to appreciate it simply from a cinematic standpoint. Some of the main differences, including Frankenstein’s treatment of the creature and the role of Elizabeth (Mia Goth) among others, work to create a version of the story that in some aspects is more tragic than the original tale.
Elizabeth seems to play a larger role in the story here than in the book, but her involvement almost makes the story more tragic – and in my opinion makes for an interesting change to the story. Elordi’s expression as the Creation, from hesitant and awestruck by the world, to vengeful and indestructible is a testament to his acting range, especially in comparison to his previous roles like as Nate Jacobs in the series “Euphoria”. Oscar Isaac was also a good choice for Victor, and I really developed a strong dislike for him so I can safely say his portrayal of the role was a credit to his great acting capabilities. I can confidently reiterate that Del Toro did a fantastic job in casting choices as well as the overall theme of the film for all the characters.
The changing of Viktor’s family dynamics from the book, with the young Frankenstein being abused by his cruelly perfectionist father rather than supported and nurtured, leads to a desire to surpass him as a doctor. This also builds resentment against his younger brother, William (Felix Kammerer) who is the apple of his father’s eye, lacking the fiery defiance that causes, one could say, a difference in opinion between Victor and his father. In his later life, the eldest Frankenstein is turned out of Edinburgh Royal College of Surgeons for his radical and godless beliefs – he believes he can make life out of salvaged corpse parts and a spark of electricity. In order to prove them wrong, he sets out to create a living being from corpses found on the battlefield of the Crimean War, aided and urged by the enigmatic but wealthy Mr Harlander (Christoph Waltz) who turns out to be William’s fiancée’s, Elizabeth Harlander’s, uncle. Coincidentally, Victor seems entranced by Elizabeth, which is especially Freudian as Mia Goth plays both Elizabeth and Victor’s mother... though in a hilarious turn of events involving a church confession box, she admits to despising him (which he seems outraged by, but honestly not surprising). Though the comedy of this scene is short lived, it was a nice break from the gory disaster going on in Victor’s lab. As he is completing his creation, it comes to light that Harlander has a small favour to ask him in exchange for his financial aid in the operation which one can only assume will not end well.
By the end of the film, we see a switch of roles – the one considered the monster is more human than the man who created him and the question remains: who is the real monster in this story?
The film was one of the few I could call a glorious cinematic experience, even though I may be biased due to reading the book previously. It is a bit of a long watch, but I did not sit bored for a single moment as every scene has something new; I think it is time well spent if you have 2 hours and 32 minutes to spare. I cannot reiterate enough though, that it was a highly enjoyable experience and I would recommend the movie to anyone, if they were fans of Mary Shelley’s work or had never experienced her work before.
The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival and has been in cinemas from October 17th and on Netflix from the 7th of November.
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