Frankenstein (2025) was one of the most anticipated films of the year. To no one’s surprise, Guillermo Del Toro once again hit it out of the park. His rendition of Mary Shelley’s most iconic work is a departure from the classic Frankenstein films where the focus stays on Victor Frankenstein and instead splits the narrative into two: Victor and the Creature’s. Through this, Del Toro tells a story of two men haunted by their fathers.

The Creature

Across film and television, Frankenstein’s monster is usually portrayed as a grunting, unintelligible wall of meat. In this film, the creature is portrayed as an intelligent man, just like in the book. However, acquiring this knowledge is a journey for the creature.

In classic Del Toro fashion, the film focuses on the humanity of the monster. Jacob Elordi plays an excellent depiction of an innocent newborn lamb, searching for the love of his creator. Unfortunately, he is shunned, abused, and chained to the bottom of a building.

In Victor’s custody, the creature’s growth doesn’t exist. He cannot speak well. He cannot retain what he learns. Victor demands perfection from the newborn to show off to the scientific community. When the creature cannot give the scientist what he wants, the creature meets whippings, torture, and death.

The creature soon takes over the narrative, portraying a man burdened by his upbringing. A man trying to heal wounds imprinted onto him by an arrogant man. He struggles to accept himself and to be kind to himself. When the creature finds kindness, he turns into the eloquent specimen Victor craved to show the world. However, this victory rings hollow for Victor as he now lives in fear of the man chasing him down, yearning to feel like he belongs in the world.

Daddy Issues

Throughout the press junket, Oscar Issac and Del Toro talk about their relationships with the masculine and the trials of fatherhood. The men bonded over their fears of passing on trauma and ending cycles of abuse for their children before the film’s development. The depth of this conversation fuels the root of the film’s conflict.

The film takes liberties with Frankenstein’s childhood as it depicts Victor’s strong bond with his mother and the fear of his father. Flashes of Victor being his mother’s emotional support after arguments with his father show unhealthy relationship dynamics between mother and son stemming from the abuse of one man. In the wake of his mother’s death, she left a child that his father doted on, unlocking a side of the man the young Victor never knew.

All of this sparks a drive to outdo his father from a place of spite and anger. What Victor doesn’t realize until the end of the film is that he becomes arguably worse than his father.

The creature serves as the perfect contrast. His instinct to search for love and understanding despite how many times Victor burns him is childlike. It hurts watching the creature beg for scraps of love throughout the film. At the end of the film, the creature only seeks closure from Victor, who remains a stubborn fool.

Elizabeth

In the original novel, Elizabeth Lavenza is Victor’s fiancée. She is painted as his perfect woman: youthful, gorgeous, and devoted to him. She is a contrasting force to Victor’s obsession with the macabre. In the film, she is betrothed to Victor’s brother, William. Upon their first meeting, they clash over their worldviews. Like a moth to flame, Victor finds himself entranced by her despite her utter disdain for him. While she has a positive effect on him for a moment, his arrogance and need to outdo his father overtake him once again, leading him to build the creature.

Her appreciation for life, the creatures of the Earth, and her headstrong nature allow Elizabeth to challenge him and create a conflict between war and peace.

Theatrical Run and Netflix Release

Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein is currently in the midst of a theatrical run, but the film will be available on Netflix starting November 7, 2025.