Running Time: 152 minutes
After a theatrical run, this motion picture will be available to stream November 7th on Netflix.
One of the most famous characters in horror literature and cinema gets a new adaptation Guillermo del Toro. The writer/director has never strayed far from the genre, with amazing titles like Pan’s Labyrinth, Crimson Peak, The Shape of Water and Nightmare Alley among many others. This time out, we get his take on Frankenstein, which follows many elements of the Mary Shelley source material closely, while also straying away to follow a few personal impulses. The result is grandiose and visually spectacular, but the gothic melodrama on display isn’t as arresting.
A ship searching for a passage to the North Pole by a hard-nosed Captain Anderson (Lars Mikkelsen) finds itself stuck in the ice. As the crew tries to free their ship, they are shocked to encounter a strange and terrifying presence around the boat. The large and lumbering figure is The Creature (Jacob Elordi). They also discover Baron Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac). First, the wounded scientist tells his story. It involves domestic drama involving Baroness Claire Frankenstein and Lady Elizabeth Harlander (both played by 0livia Goth), and his relationship with Henrich Harlander (Cristoph Waltz), a benefactor excited by his research reanimating the dead. The second section depicts The Creature’s version of events, eventually venturing out on his own and seeking vengeance on Frankenstein.
The film is a gorgeous-looking technical marvel. Everything, from the ship lodged in ice, to a university medical theater, as well as an estate that looks like it could be adjacent to the haunted house in Crimson Peak, and every other site in the picture, is consistently dazzling. This is a beautifully shot film by frequent collaborator Dan Lausten, and no matter where the camera is, almost every frame is full of remarkable detail and interesting camera angles.
And of course, the cast do well to sell some of the story’s clumsier melodramatic elements (which I’ll get into later). Isaac isn’t given much to do but to behave in an utterly obsessed and cruel manner. This is to the point of complete disregard for the lives of those he cares for, yet the actor does manage to keep our attention. Waltz is amusing as a man who has a hidden reason for funding Frankenstein’s works, and, even if the stitched-together appearance is a bit more subtle than expected, Elordi’s Creature is sufficiently looming and brooding.
Still, there are issues with this presentation. The film does reasonably well in presenting some of the reasons why Frankenstein is so troubled, with early scenes involving him wanting to impress an abusive father and bring back his deceased mother. However, the character flies off the rails so far, so fast that he becomes completely unsympathetic. Frankenstein is a deeply flawed individual, but the character typically possesses some hints of humanity and regret between his extreme actions. This version of the character even commits sadistic acts like murder. In case it wasn’t clear enough, characters in the feature bluntly tell Frankenstein that he is, “…the real monster,” on numerous occasions. Even viewers not familiar with the story will feel like the themes are being hammered over their heads.
As with other features from the director, he clearly relates more to the Creature. Thus, the story veers off to tell events from that perspective (even though, and I could be wrong, it does seem that both storytellers are describing several events that they were not present at). The being also is presented as far more innocent and less culpable for a couple of deaths in this adaptation. And, while one expects Lady Elizabeth Harlander to feel great empathy for the Creature, it’s a surprise when she appears physically attracted to the undead being without explanation. Sure, it’s a unique take on that relationship, but one that doesn’t play out in a convincing manner.
Besides the Creature, there aren’t many relatable characters and the drama between all the characters stalls as a result. And with such a lengthy running time, this adaptation is clunkier than anticipated. Frankenstein isn’t a bad movie by any means, but it has its share of issues, and doesn’t stand as a personal favorite among the filmmaker’s impressive cinematic creations.
