Just as he did with his previous film, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio in 2022, del Toro has made a film out of a story that’s been adapted countless times before. The popular Disney version of Pinocchio came out in 1940, more than 80 years before del Toro’s edition, and now he’s made a new Frankenstein, which has a cinematic lineage that’s even older than that, dating back to James Whale’s 1931 film, 94 years ago. Both stories go back even further, as adaptations of novels from the 19th century, with Mary Shelley’s novel published more than 200 years ago.
The new del Toro Frankenstein is a gorgeous film, impeccably designed, costumed, and art-directed. This director has always loved old castles and ships and mysterious monsters, so the fit’s natural. The script, set in the 1850s, remains relatively faithful to the source material, aside from some switching of the chronology and a few other minor changes. I’ve sometimes admired del Toro’s films more than I’ve loved them, and not thought about them much after seeing them. But like his Pinocchio, this a first-rate adaptation.
The new telling of Frankenstein goes back and forth through the timeline, beginning near the end of the chronology, with Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) telling his story on a ship, with The Creature (Jacob Elordi) lurking outside. We flash back to Dr. Frankenstein’s youth, the death of his loving mother, the cruelty of his unloving father (Charles Dance), and his relationship with a much younger brother (played by Felix Kammerer as an adult). Mia Goth soon shows up as Lady Elizabeth, with whom both brothers, as well as the creature, soon become enamored.
Dr. Frankenstein begins his experiments, with funding from Elizabeth’s wealthy uncle Henrich (Christoph Waltz, in another of his wonderful, mincing performances). This leads to the creation of Dr. Frankenstein’s monster, called “The Creature” in the film and played by Jacob Elordi. Elordi plays the part with all of the 6’5” actor’s size, but none of his handsome looks, as the actor’s face is obscured for most of the film. It’s a performance of imposing physicality, and like many movie monsters, he starts with grunts but is speaking articulately before long.
The expansive cast includes two different creepy old guys who were on Game of Thrones (David Bradley and Charles Dance), plus Ralph Ineson. It’s accompanied by a great score from Alexandre Desplat. In the last century or so, there have been numerous editions of the Frankenstein story, from varied directors. There’s been Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Frankenweenie, Frankenhooker, and my favorite, Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein. Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, two years ago, was another Mary Shelley riff. Guillermo del Toro has found a worthwhile way to tell this much-trodden story.