Venice 2025: Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’ is All Cinema Can Be
by Alex Billington
August 30, 2025
“In seeking life, I created death.” The timeless story of Dr. Frankenstein and his Monster returns to the big screen again in this brand new version of Frankenstein. For his 13th movie, Mexican maestro Guillermo del Toro adapts Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel of the same name and brings his vision of this tale to screens – with a gothic, macabre, brutal, and mesmerizing take on this well-known story. Much like del Toro’s version of the classic story of Pinocchio from a few years ago, he infuses this Frankenstein with so many unique and intriguing ideas, expanding upon the original story and adding depth into every single frame of it. I LOVED this movie. Right from the start, with an action-packed opening scene set on a Danish ship trapped in ice, I knew we were in for a magnificent tale of madness and this delivers on that promise. Part creature feature, part emotional exploration of what makes us human, part horror, part love story, it’s a mash-up of all of del Toro’s favorite things in one spectacular cinematic creation. Yes it is yet another Netflix movie destined for streaming but I don’t care, it’s beautiful creation no matter what. I’m especially lucky to have had a chance to view it on the big screen and enjoy every last second of it as a thrilling, heart-pounding, vivid experience.
Everyone already knows that Guillermo del Toro is a master storyteller & cinema maven. He’s won plenty of Oscars already, he’s even won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival before (for The Shape of Water in 2017). He is still as voracious and masterful as ever and Frankenstein is one of his best. Del Toro is also credited as the sole writer on this adapting Mary Shelley’s original story about Dr. Victor Frankenstein and his Monster creation. He sticks closer to what is in the book and does not attempt to reinvent or re-imagine this story in any new way, which is fine, he doesn’t need to as it’s still a riveting story to tell especially with his vision. What he does do is embellish in the visuals and the emotions – letting all the extraordinary sets & cinematography become characters of their own. Del Toro’s Frankenstein tells the original 1800s version of the story following Victor, played with exceptional verve by Oscar Isaac, as he grows up through a troubled childhood to become a mad scientist / surgeon hellbent on figuring out how to stop death. This ultimately leads him to exploring the uncanny act of creating life from death – and his greatest experiment involves putting together a body from various parts and re-animating it with the electricity captured from lightning.
Goodness it is always so refreshing & thrilling when a filmmaker actually has a VISION for their work. Not just someone shooting what’s in the script and getting it on screen in the most generic way. A real visionary filmmaker has a complete focus on the details & every last part of the film so that that there’s real meaning and depth in every shot. Everything matters. This is the true glory of fantastic cinema. Guillermo del Toro is one of the greatest filmmakers of our times whose vision remains entirely singular & cinematically exciting. This story obviously means a great deal to him and it feels like his life’s work to adapt the classic tale of The Monster with his distinct flourishes. He knocked this one out of the park. It’s everything that cinema should be – beautiful, thrilling, engaging, emotional, satisfying. The score, sets, cinematography, performances are all ravishing. I am buzzing thinking about and writing about this movie. There’s a propulsive, powerful drive del Toro’s storytelling that pulls viewers in and keeps them hooked. This drive is also what keeps the movie’s pacing lurching forward – it’s nearly 2 & 1/2 hours long but there is a lot to get through, from his childhood, to the birth of The Monster, to the violent aftermath, to the Monster’s own story when it all comes full circle.
My favorite segment of the movie is in the second half when The Monster himself, played by Jacob Elordi, finally gets to tell his side of the story. This seems to be where other reviewers have been getting frustrated as it humanizes The Monster in a way that gives him more depth than the classic version of this character presented iconically by Boris Karloff. It’s actually quite stirring to switch to this side and learn about what makes us human – which is an important aspect in the emotional core of del Toro’s take on Mary Shelley’s tale. Guillermo is often at his best when he lets the wise old man teach us about life – one of my favorites in his filmography is John Hurt as “Broom” in the first Hellboy. In this movie we get British character actor David Bradley as the Blind Man. In fact, all the performances are tremendous. Finally we get Oscar Isaac digging into a role again (it has been a bit), giving it all his all, confronting his darkness and presenting a well-rounded take on this character. Del Toro said during the press conference that this Frankenstein movie is about the various flaws in all people and how these flaws, these imperfections, are part of humanity, part of our existence, part of what makes us all unique. Isaac embraces that uniqueness ever so (ahem) perfectly.
I can’t wait to watch it again… Del Toro’s Frankenstein is a cinematic triumph. It represents his growth as a filmmaker and exemplifies his storytelling prowess. Much like Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpieces, I can sense every storyboard, every decision that led to every single shot working as wonderfully as it does on screen. The cinematography by DP Dan Laustsen is to die for – and be brought back to life by because it’s awe-inspiring to look at all the time. Light pouring in from everywhere, lush colors, vivid details. It’s not exactly realistic, but neither is this story, it’s a fantastical tale of darkness. Maybe this fancy, showy cinematography style won’t work for everyone, but I loved everything about it. As an example of the attention to detail, the way Del Toro makes sure that glowing orange embers float away from The Monster’s robes after he is shot represents how this kind of tiny, usually unnoticeable detail is part of the magic of visionary filmmaking. Frankenstein isn’t a completely new reinvention but it’s now the best version of Victor & the Monster’s story made for the screen. An instant favorite. This is why I go to the movies – for this kind of enchanting cinema.
Alex’s Venice 2025 Rating: 9 out of 10
Follow Alex on Twitter – @firstshowing / Or Letterboxd – @firstshowing
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