In so many ways, Frankenstein seems like the movie Guillermo del Toro was born to make. An avid lover and historian of all things horror, del Toro has particularly cited Frankenstein’s Monster as one of his favorite character and James Whale’s 1931 classic as one of his favorite films (if you’ve seen his personal tour of “Bleak House”, then you’ll see what we mean). Now, audiences have finally seen his long-gestating version of Mary Shelley’s novel. So, what are people saying about it?

Coming out of its debut at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, the reviews that have leaned positive for Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein have found the director by and large being praised for its visuals, with further admiration for key performances (chiefly Jacob Elordi, who plays The Creature) and the music.

.@RealGDT #Frankenstein sees the fantastical auteur’s heart poured into mesmerising craftsmanship.
Breathing new life into the Godfather of all monsters.
A hauntingly tragic gothic tale as old as time of monsters & men & stories that is visually immaculate & thematically soulful. pic.twitter.com/N4bxK8lfRv

— Ren Geekness (@RenGeekness) August 30, 2025

There has been a lot of hype for del Toro’s Frankenstein to be sure (again, it’s the perfect project – although I’ll take his version of The Haunted Mansion any day), but that doesn’t mean all of the reception has been positive. Some have been vocal in criticizing the movie’s two-and-a-half-hour runtime, a length that puts it just shy of his longest – and another remake of a classic – Nightmare Alley, while others point out that it seem destined that the perfect pairing of Guillermo del Toro and Frankenstein was too difficult to live up to. As of publication, the movie currently holds a 73% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Guillermo del Toro is the master of misunderstood creature features which is why his adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a match made in heaven.
Like Frankenstein’s monster, the pieces that shouldn’t work together – oddly do. There’s horror, there’s tender friendship,… pic.twitter.com/woDha4nsqe

— Luke Hearfield @ Venice (@LukeHearfield) August 30, 2025

Like the stereotypical depiction of the famous monster, Guillermo del Toro’s FRANKENSTEIN is a lumbering, laborious slog. Overlong & laughably scripted, it plays like a lazy imitation of the maximalist filmmaker’s tendencies. Overproduced and unexciting. At least Elordi is good. pic.twitter.com/b6QUhAdr3m

— Cody @ Venice Film Festival (@codymonster91) August 30, 2025

FRANKENSTEIN features plenty of gorgeous crafts on display, as well as captivating performances from Isaac and Elordi. But they do little to bolster an adaptation that somehow feels both abridged and bloated, resulting in a lethargic enterprise. Goth is very underwhelming. pic.twitter.com/LgYWn7WxPC

— Josh Parham (@JRParham) August 30, 2025

Guillermo del Toro recently spoke of his history with Frankenstein as both a viewer and director, telling Variety, “It took 30 years. It’s a movie I wanted to make before I even had a camera. There’s the DNA of “Frankenstein” on “Chronos,” on “Blade Two,” on “Hellboy.” And we were developing it at Universal before they passed. I pitched it everywhere. It’s been my Mount Everest to climb…When I saw the James Whale “Frankenstein” as a kid, I completely emptied my soul into the creature. I thought, “That’s me.”…Even at that early age, I felt, “my God, this is so soothing for me to see the creature and his innocence.” He was an outsider. He didn’t fit into world. He was out of place in the same way that I felt as a kid.”

Notably, the Venice Film Festival screening of del Toro’s Frankenstein took place on August 30th, the birthday of Mary Shelley.

What do you make of the first reviews of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein? Are you let down by the subpar reactions?