By Bob Grimm
Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein is finally complete—a sumptuous Netflix production that stands as one of his very best films, and one of the best takes on Mary Shelley’s legendary monster.
Del Toro takes some liberties as he leans toward the supernatural in his depiction of Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) and his madness-inspired dance with reanimating the dead. It’s 2 1/2 hours of Del Toro at his finest.
At the center of the film is Jacob Elordi as the Creature, the result of Frankenstein piecing together corpses found in the aftermath of war battles. Elordi makes you feel for this … guy, or thing, or whatever you want to call it. From the Creature’s initial allegiance and love for his creator, to his heart-wrenching sense of abandonment after they have a falling out, Elordi will have you crying in your living room. His Creature is, finally, a performance that can be compared to, or considered better than, the great Boris Karloff’s original take on the character.
We are all blessed to have Mia Goth available to star in such a gothic undertaking. She continues to be one of the best actresses alive with her depiction of the somber Elizabeth, Victor’s soon-to-be sister-in-law, who has an uncanny resemblance to his mother, creating all sorts of mommy issues.
Since this is a del Toro film, every frame of this movie looks magnificent, from the cinematography, to the art direction, to the amazing costuming and, most of all, Elordi’s makeup. The Creature seems like an entirely new take on the character—a sleeker stitched-together human being. It’s also remarkably good-looking. It is Elordi, after all.
Some might take umbrage with the Creature’s crazy self-healing powers, but this is a movie in which a creature derived from stitched-together body parts comes to life, so I can accept that it heals like a superhero. This element also adds to the tragedy of the film, because it means the Creature will never die.
Much of the film takes place on sets, depicting Frankenstein’s lab and a giant ship stuck in ice—fully constructed, practically created sets. There is some old-school Hollywood magic going on here.
Del Toro has made some great movies, and Frankenstein is his best yet. The film is currently playing at the Galaxy Theatres Victorian Square in Sparks, and I recommend seeing it there if you can; otherwise, it’s a shame most of us will see it on home screens rather in theaters. Thank you, Netflix, for funding such a wonderful picture, but I do hope to see this on IMAX someday.
Frankenstein is now at the Tower Theatre in Sacramento on Broadway Avenue.
