Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is the enormously influential 1818 gothic novel by Mary Shelley (1797-1851). The book launched without the author’s named attached to hide that she was female.
The 1931 adaptation is probably the most famous movie adaptation, but there have been many. With this Netflix production bringing Mexican director Guillermo del Toro’s vision to the large and small screens.
We’re always a bit uncertain on del Toros’ work, but with this film he hits a lot of impressive heights. Helped by a fantastic cast, led by Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth, and Jacob Elordi.
Mia Goth Stars in Frankenstein
Okay, so we’re big Mia Goth fans and even though Oscar Isaac is the lead character here (Victor Frankenstein), we’re championing Mia Goth all the way (see our review of dark comedy horror classic Pearl for more fanboying).
Away from that for a moment, Guillermo del Toro has done a great job here. We do think this is an excellent adaptation of the book, with a stellar cast, great direction, and plenty of unique flourishes.
As is often the case with del Toro, we do think the film is too long. 30 minutes could have easily been cut from the production to tighten it up, but that’s standard for the director. His other works, such as 2017’s The Shape of Water, have a similar protracted issue around a great concept.
Anyway, the plot should be clear to you!
But if it isn’t, the story is set in 1857 with the genius (but arrogant) scientist Victor Frankenstein on a mission to create new lifeforms. On his various adventures, he soon meets the wealthy Lady Elizbeth Harlander played by Mia Goth, whom he tries to win over.
He soon finds she’s as smart (if not smarter) than him. And they have a game of flirtatious cat and mouse. In what’s our favourite scene from the film.
Away from the love story, Frankenstein puts his efforts into creating his monster. This he achieves, after which he begins teaching it to interact with the world around it.
A gentle giant that it is, with Elizabeth meeting him for the first time.
The plot follows Shelley’s novel from there, with Frankenstein growing bored of his creation. The devastating consequences are depicted clearly across the film from there, which is very grim and grizzly.
Some of the body horror scenes are pretty full on (in a good way), with the gothic and Victorian era sense of medical incompetence clear to see.
Whilst we wouldn’t say this is a 5/5 classic or anything, more on the 4/5 front, it more than does the job. We must note Jacob Elordi’s fantastic performance as the monster, who you must feel a great degree of sympathy for, with Isaac and Goth helping bring forward the monster’s sense of existential dismay.
All very good, then, and well worth a look on Netflix if it intrigues you.
The Production of Frankenstein
The Netflix production had a budget of $120 million and ONLY received a $480,678 box office run. Disastrous, eh? Well, that’s as it had a limited cinematic release and that’s why it’s so low.
As a Netflix production, it doesn’t release how many people have watched it. But it has been critically acclaimed, with a few niggling comments complaining (like with us) about the running time.
Oh, and because Professional Moron partially exists to worship Mia Goth, here’s an interview with her and her insights on the Frankenstein production.
Guillermo del Toro has wanted to do a Frankenstein adaptation since 2007. With various other productions to work on, he’s had to wait 20 years to get this one done. Well worth the wait, though, as his take is characteristically artful.
It was shot in February 2024 in Toronto. It was quite a long shoot by modern standards, running through to September 2024. Some external shots for castles were later shot in Scotland and England, notable the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.
Frankenstein has met with largely positive reviews, which has led to a bunch of Oscar nominations. Good for it! May Mia Goth win them all.
