When it came to watching the new “Frankenstein,” I thought I’d be scared. Instead, I fell for the story
Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” starring Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as the Creature, was released on Netflix on Nov. 7. The movie is an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein”. Like the novel, which many FCHS students have had to read for English classes, the film is about a man, Victor Frankenstein, who experiences a family tragedy. Afterward, Frankenstein grows determined to defy death and to challenge the limits of life and death. His experiment ends up creating a living being, but the moment it comes to life, complications set in.
The Creature is both frightening and innocent; he’s learning about the world, and his creator’s lack of love for him causes anger and a need to seek revenge. Watching the new Netflix adaptation, I found myself really upset with how fast Frankenstein started hating his creation. Within minutes of bringing him to life, Dr. Frankenstein treated the Creature like a monster.
This seemed so wrong to me. The Creature was new–innocent–like a baby and scared, and his creator wanted to get rid of him like yesterday’s trash. If I created anything, I wouldn’t want to get rid of it. I mean, Dr. Frankenstein literally made this living creature using dead bodies. Why wouldn’t he at least want to study it and treat it nicely?
It also broke my heart how Dr. Frankenstein just had the Creature in chains and all alone, and then abandoned him. I don’t understand why he couldn’t have shown a bit of kindness to his creation or tried to help him learn how to speak. I feel like that made the Creature’s loneliness and anger so much worse, and it made me feel sorry for him. The movie features multiple scenes that zoom up on the physical statue of an angel in the Frankenstein family house, apparently representing Dr. Frankenstein’s own pride as being similar to the story of the fallen angel who defied God. Its appearance also changes throughout, reflecting Dr. Frankenstein’s emotional state and negative feelings.
Elizabeth (played by Mia Goth), the fiancée of Dr. Frankenstein’s brother, is the only character who shows the Creature any kindness. She is so sweet and gentle with him, and it made me upset when Frankenstein got weird about her treating the Creature like a living thing. Frankenstein even accused her of being attracted to the Creature. I found it interesting how Elizabeth’s dress is designed to look like the bandages of the Bride of Frankenstein from the 1931 film, emphasizing her role as the creature’s intended bride.
However, I didn’t romantically view Elizabeth and the Creature, just as two souls who understand each other. I loved how sweet Elizabeth was, as she represented the love and warmth the Creature craved from his creator. I caught myself saying “aww” every time the Creature and Elizabeth had a scene together. When things took a heartbreaking turn later on, I was not ready for it at all.
Dr. Frankenstein triggered me so much because he kept calling the Creature a monster, but I find Frankenstein to be the true monster, which may be the point of the original story. He abandoned something he brought to life, left it all alone and afraid, and lied to it when he promised he’d never hurt it. He’s awful because he didn’t take responsibility for his creation, but acted like it was a terrible mistake. I say that makes Dr. Frankenstein more cruel than the Creature, who only ever wanted to be loved and understood.
“Frankenstein” is rated R for grisly images and for bloody violence. It runs for two and a half hours and is considered a Gothic horror, but it wasn’t scary to me. Yes, it was bloody and quite violent, but it didn’t gross me out as I expected it to. Still, if you’re someone who can’t handle blood or scenes with limbs being cut off, it’s definitely not for you.
There have been many comments online praising Jacob Elordi’s acting as the Creature, and I totally agree with them. On Reddit, one fan noted, “I love how it looks nothing like or sounds like Jacob Elordi at all. He completely nailed the character.” I’ve seen Elordi’s other movies like “The Kissing Booth,” and this is definitely not his style, but never once did I cringe or think they should’ve gotten someone else for the role.
According to ELLE, for this role, Elordi had 42 separate prosthetics that took 10 hours to apply, as well as a coat that had to be wheeled to the set. I imagine acting is already difficult, and then having to do it with tons of makeup and prosthetics on your body? I couldn’t do it.
According to Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently holds an 86% Tomatometer rating, showing mostly positive responses from critics. The film visually and thematically connects Dr. Frankenstein’s actions to his father’s, even the way he carries a cane, representing how he becomes the exact person he feared, his own trauma from an abusive father continuing the cycle with his new creation.
I definitely recommend “Frankenstein” and rate it a 9/10.
