Guillermo del Toro has dreamed of making a Frankenstein movie for decades. Now, the legendary director has finally brought his own monster to life, but is it a dream or a nightmare? Following the movie’s debut at the Venice Film Festival, del Toro’s vision of Mary Shelley’s Gothic horror has resulted in a monstrous standing ovation and a positive Rotten Tomatoes score.
Del Toro’s movie will receive a limited theatrical release – allowing it to be a future Oscar contender – on October 17 before heading to Netflix on November 7. Starring Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as The Monster, the extended cast also includes Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley, and Ralph Ineson. As you could expect, the movie’s synopsis is a little familiar, reading:
“Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro adapts Mary Shelley’s classic tale of Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but egotistical scientist who brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.”
Of course, del Toro has earned himself quite a reputation for developing dark fairytales, and in many ways, that style should perfectly fit the story of Frankenstein – after all, remember that it was essentially the basis for Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands. However, after opening to a higher score of 88%, the Tomatometer now sits on 77% after 22 reviews.
What Do Reviewers Say About Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein?’
Netflix
Every director has that project they spend their whole career wanting to make, but when the time finally arrives to roll cameras, the result can sometimes end up being seen as self-indulgent and struggles to connect with general audiences. Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis is one shining example of this. However, it seems that del Toro’s Frankenstein has at least managed to capture the attention of the majority of critics in a positive way.
Bilge Ebiri of New York Magazine felt that del Toro had “filled Frankenstein with seemingly everything he loves,” resulting in a movie that was, in a good way, “the work of a true madman.” Little White Lies’ Hannah Strong felt that del Toro had avoided “a retread of old ground,” and delivered a movie that is “operatic in both mode and scale.” For David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter, this is quite simply “one of del Toro’s finest.”
There are a handful of less complimentary reviews, naturally. The Sunday Times’ Kevin Maher says, “The performances are all camp and no soul, the ideas barely there and the centrepiece creature consistently underwhelming.” Variety’s Peter Debruge couldn’t seem to forgive the wide-angle lenses used in the movie, which he noted “makes Frankenstein feel smaller, when the point was conceivably to squeeze more image into every frame.” Then Martin Tsai of Critic’s Notebook clearly did not appreciate del Toro’s attempt to adapt the frequently adapted story, saying:
“There’s no horror or suspense whatsoever, just magical dismemberments under golden hues and glittering harps on the soundtrack. It’s all kind of perverse, and I’m not sure if Mr. del Toro really meant it that way.”
Audiences still have a while to wait until they can finally see del Toro’s three-decade-long quest to bring Frankenstein to life be realized, and it seems that, despite its almost immediate subsequent release on Netflix, fans should try and catch it during its limited theatrical run to see the movie as it was intended to be seen.
Release Date
September 4, 2025
Runtime
149 Minutes
Producers
J. Miles Dale