- Title: Frankenstein
- IMDb: link
At twice the length of 1931’s Frankenstein, Guillermo del Toro‘s new adaptation of Mary Shelley’s tale of a mad scientist the fruit of his labors is an elaborate look into the life of Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) and the madness which spawned his creation (Jacob Elordi). I have a limited tolerance for melodrama, especially one without the wit or snark to undercut the tedium that all-too-often is the byproduct of the genre. Rarely have I seen a film that so earnestly, and so seriously, leaned into its melodramatic overtones.
I quite enjoyed the movie’s opening scene in the arctic teasing the power and drive of the monster and setting up Victor telling his tale. And I’ll give credit to the filmmaker for the elaborate sets, particularly the tower in which the monster is given life. However, with each half-hour my interest waned, after spending too long on Victor’s childhood and especially as we delved into Victor’s feelings for his brother’s fiancé (Mia Goth) who seems to have far more in common with Victor than William (Felix Kammerer) up until when that plot point isn’t important any more?
At two-and-a-half hours, the film is at least an hour more than I cared to spend with these characters or this story which, by the end, I had absolutely no interest or investment left to give.
The film’s performances are solid, if at times overly exaggerated (as is the custom to the genre). I wouldn’t have ever pictured Oscar Isaac in the role, but he works well enough (especially at the height of Victor’s madness). Christoph Waltz livens up things a bit, at times, as Victor’s benefactor, but is mostly superfluous to the plot. Goth’s Elizabeth is a bit too manic pixie dream girl for my tastes. And Elordi gives the creature height and depth (even if the film lacks a proper look for its monster often hidden in bandages and shadow). For a Guillermo del Toro movie, how do we get such a visually uninteresting monster?
Structured to give us Victor’s story and then the creature’s, the film’s final hour drags on feeling much, much longer. Exiting the theater, I wondered how many days had past since the interminably long movie had begun playing. I think Netflix might be the proper outlet for the movie which could allow someone to digest the film in more than one sitting if they are so inclined. I’m not sure if that would have improved my opinion of the overall film, but it certainly would have allowed me to view the latter half of the film without such crushing boredom.
Alternate Recommendations
Mary Shelley’s novel has been adapted several times over the years on both stage and screen, but no version is more notable nor done more to bring the story to a wider audience than the 1931 Frankenstein.
The brainchild of Gene Wilder entertains and enthralls the audience for every single frame. Wilder was a huge fan of the Frankenstein movie franchise and his love for the characters is palpable in this delicious satire.
