Frankenstein is the latest feature from Academy Award–winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. Written and directed by Del Toro, he adapts Mary Shelley’s classic novel with the same name, and this is a huge passion project he’s been busy developing for many years. This time around, it stars Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as Frankenstein's monster, while also having a supporting cast of other amazing actors such as Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, Lars Mikkelsen and Charles Dance. Victor Frankenstein is a scientist obsessed with life and death, so he decides to create a monster made from different body parts and bring it to life. Ultimately, Frankenstein is a tragic tale that makes us wonder what it truly means to be human.
It’s alive! Whether you love or hate Del Toro’s films, we can all agree on one thing: his movies look extraordinary. The production design, musical score, cinematography and costumes are all top-notch. The fact that he prefers practical effects over digital is actually quite commendable. The craftsmanship displayed in Frankenstein will leave you jaw-dropped from start to finish. Every frame is a painting, because it’s just stunning to look at. The way he mixes fairy tale and horror elements is simply remarkable. If you’ve seen his previous films like Hellboy, The Shape of Water and Pan’s Labyrinth, you can tell he’s a genius when it comes to directing features with outstanding creature design. This is the creature feature he has always wanted to make, and it really does show his admiration for this source material. The gothic tone of the novel and Del Toro’s cinematic style perfectly complement one another.
One of the best career-changing performances of 2025. Everyone in the cast does a great job, and you can feel their excitement working on a Del Toro film. Isaac’s brilliant iteration of Victor Frankenstein is an egotistical yet tortured man who is desperate to succeed even with the dark fate that awaits him. Although, the real scene-stealer is Elordi as Frankenstein's monster. This is without a doubt the best performance he has ever given in his entire acting career. He’s that good, and now people will notice he’s a force to be reckoned with in the industry. He most certainly deserves an Oscar nomination for this. He wonderfully portrays the tragic element of the premise through his role, which is not an easy thing to do. The movie does a terrific task of focusing both on Victor Frankenstein and his monster, as their arcs culminate towards an intense and gripping finale. It does admittedly feel a little long at times with its runtime, but most of the time you are fully immersed in the narrative and its world.
Del Toro continues to prove why he’s one of the best filmmakers of all time. We have had many different cinematic variations of the Frankenstein premise, but it makes total sense for this director to tackle this source material with his unique aesthetics and style. Frankenstein is his long-awaited passion project, and the result has finally paid off and it’s immensely satisfying. Absolutely fantastic.
In select theaters now.
Streaming on Netflix November 7, 2025.