I usually steer toward comedy, action, or romance films on movie nights, but someone recommended I watch Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, so I did.
Directed by the Academy Award winner, the movie is an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel of the same name. It stars Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as the Creature, both giving stellar performances.
I’ve heard bits and pieces of the Frankenstein story throughout my childhood, but nothing really made me care about it until this movie. One thing that really drew me in, besides the beautiful cinematography, was that both points of view flowed together perfectly.
Heads up: If you haven’t watched the Netflix film yet, there are spoilers below.
At first, I felt bad for Victor Frankenstein, but that quickly changed
In the words of his younger brother, William (Felix Kammerer), Victor was, indeed, “the monster.”
Victor’s journey begins with grief over his mother’s death, transforming his hurt into anger. From thinking his father purposely let his mom die to being jealous that his brother, William, was the “golden child,” Victor set out to be remarkable. His masterplan was to cure death through science.
Initially, I felt sympathy for the character, as his dad, Baron Leopold Frankenstein, was abusive. Yet, instead of being better than him in a positive way, he chose to become this arrogant, lying surgeon who creates life from death, assembling pieces of others to make a new body.
To sum things up: He gets expelled from school, a wealthy man named Henrich Harlander (Christoph Waltz) invests in his experiments, Victor has heart eyes for his brother’s fiancée, Elizabeth aka Harlander’s niece (Mia Goth), and creates the Creature only to dispose of him (via explosion) after barely teaching him anything.
Not to mention, he blames the Creature for Harlander’s death and Elizabeth being wounded before she succumbed to her injuries.
Jacob Elordi really became one with the Creature
Before Euphoria and Priscilla, where he played Elvis Presley, I was introduced to Jacob Elordi through The Kissing Booth film series on Netflix. While those were just for fun movies, playing the Creature really made me see the actor in a new light.
After finding a way to escape the explosion, the Creature realized he was on his own. He takes shelter on this family’s farm, helping them in hopes of building a connection. He eventually does with the blind grandfather.
There, he was taught so much, from new words to how to read. Gone were the one-word sentences; he could now have full conversations. The Creature returns to what remains of the laboratory and finds Victor’s notes and illustrations, realizing he was made from human scraps and can’t die. He also sees an envelope addressed to Victor and goes to find him to ask for a companion.
Victor refuses, and the Creature becomes upset, culminating in him throwing his creator around. When Elizabeth enters the room, she’s happy to see the man she connected with most.
And, well, Victor tries to shoot the Creature. He hits Elizabeth instead and lies when William and others at their wedding run into the room.
Header photo credit: Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi in Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’ on Netflix
