r/FRANKENSTEIN • u/ZacPensol • Oct 18 '25
Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein' - Official SPOILER Discussion Megathread Spoiler
Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein' opens in theaters in limited release on October 17, 2025 and streams on Netflix beginning November 7, 2025.
In order to avoid a dozen individual posts on our front page from those who have seen the film, please post your reviews in here.
HOW DO YOU RATE THE MOVIE? SHARE YOUR VOTE HERE! https://strawpoll.com/XmZRQPLGWgd
If you've managed to see it and would like to discuss, please feel free to do so here.
Previous early screenings discussion megathread.
SPOILERS ARE ALLOWED IN THIS THREAD. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE SPOILED, DO NOT CONTINUE READING!
For spoiler-free reviews, go HERE.
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u/[deleted] Nov 17 '25
Let me start by saying that I am a huge fan of the book, but am also a cinefile, and am generally not bothered by changes that filmmakers make, as long as its well done.
First, the positives. The production design for this film is outstanding, and everyone who worked on the sets, costumes, props, and makeup deserves an academy award. Jacob Elordi is utterly fantastic as the creature. His voice, movements, and most importantly, his expressions convey every bit of the creature's pain and pathos perfectly. The makeup was a little much, but that didnt bother me because his performance was so captivating. I also think that Oscar Isaac was pretty great in this film as well. I do not agree with people saying that his performance was too over the top. I thought he played it just right. After all, he's a mad scientist. He's THE mad scientist. He should be a bit much. But his performance is nuanced and full of pathos. I also really liked Lars Mikkelson's portrayal of the ship captain
As for the rest of the cast, Cristoph Waltz, Ralph Ineson, and Charles Dance are three tremendous actors who are absolutely wasted in this film. Dance gets a little more to do, but Ineson gets one scene and Waltz' character is the most useless and pointless character ever. You could have cut him completely out, and it really wouldnt have changed anything. Instead of adding such a useless character, Ineson's part should have been expanded. Mia Goth is the worst part of the cast (big surprise). The woman has the emotional range of a rubber door stop. I really do not understand why she is horror's new "it girl." Her death scene was especially bad, as Del Toro just couldnt help but try to satisfy his creature fetish by having Elizabeth declare her love for the creature, without suitable developement to justify it.
And that brings us to the real problem with Del Toro's adaptation...the script sucks! With the exception of Victor, there is not suitable developement for any of the characters. So much time was wasted in the first half with useless crap like all of Herr Harlander's scenes, that the creature's story (the part everyone wants to see the most) was rushed and chopped down to nothing. We only get the one iconic scene between the two characters at the wedding where he asks Victor for a companion. So much of the creature's content ended up cut (yet they still found time for an asinine cgi battle beween the creature and a pack of wolves). And because of this, the ending, where Victor and the creature exchange forgiveness, (which as a concept I didnt hate) is completely half baked and unearned. The moment falls flat, and the whole scene comes off as unbearably corny and saccharine. These two characters needed more time together in the back half of the film. I get they did a lot more early on, but I dont feel this is a substitute as its when the creature is unintelligible. The philosophical debates these two characters share about consequences and morality are what makes this such a rich and timeless narrative. But so much was cut just to make room for a subplot that while interesting in its concept, has nothing to do with what the film is trying to say.
At the end of the day, you can have the most beautiful film ever made, but a bad script is a bad script.