Frankenstein (2025): A Gorgeous Adaptation of an Oft-Told Tale (Criterion Blu-ray)

The Film:

Given the great Guillermo del Toro's fondness for creature features, which has included "Pan's Labyrinth," "The Shape of Water," "Mimic," and a pair of "Hellboy" films, you have to wonder why it took so long for him to come around to making an adaptation of one of the most famous creature tales of them all, Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein." If there ever seemed like a perfect pairing of director & material, this is certainly it, and indeed it was always something that he dreamed of doing, working on & developing the project over the last 25 years or so, but at long last, his dream was finally brought to fruition when his vision of the classic story was released last year.

Receiving a limited theatrical release before being made available on Netflix, the film garnered pretty good reviews before making an impressive awards season run that saw it earn an incredible nine Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. With it being a Netflix film, there was some concern that it wouldn't receive a physical release, a fate that befalls many of their projects, but the amazing folks at Criterion have swooped in to save the day by adding it to their prestigious collection and loading it with plenty of extras (including an extended cut that runs eight minutes longer), so let's dive into Del Toro's latest to see what he has to offer with his rendition of this oft-told tale.

The film begins with a prelude in present day 1857, where a Danish vessel has become trapped in the ice while attempting to sail to the North Pole. They discover an injured Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) and bring him aboard, with the crew being attacked shortly after by a creature (Jacob Elordi) who demands that they surrender Victor to him. After they supposedly sink the creature in the ocean, Victor begins to tell his tale of how he grew up under the tutelage of his father (Charles Dance), a prominent surgeon, eventually becoming one himself. He soon becomes obsessed with death and the re-animation of the dead, leading to his desire to build a person out of parts and bring it back to life.

He finds a financial backer in Henrich Harlander (Christoph Waltz), who happens to be the uncle of Elizabeth Harlander (Mia Goth), the women his brother William (Felix Kammerer) is going to marry. With strenuous effort, Victor is able to get everything in place to conduct his bizarre experiment, attempting to shock his creation into life. As we'd seen with his previous projects, it turns out to work, though Victor soon becomes disappointed in the creature's apparent inability to learn, leading him to try and destroy what he's created. However, despite thinking that he killed the creature, he actually survives, trying to figure out life as he goes, all eventually leading up to a confrontation with his creator.

The very first thing that has to be said about Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of Shelley's classic is that it is absolutely gorgeous, which should come as no surprise given the high level of quality we've become accustomed to from his previous films. Everything seen on the screen, from the production design to the costumes to the makeup to the cinematography, is quite breathtaking, so it's no wonder that about half of its Oscar nominations were for these very elements, nominations that resulted in wins for the first three. Simply put, the film is an incredible visual feast, one that Del Toro & his team are able to pull you into with their strict attention to detail, which, as mentioned, is par for the course for the beloved filmmaker.

As for the adaptation itself, Del Toro has made some rather significant changes to the original story, but nothing so completely outrageous so as to feel that it doesn't belong in this world or in this tale in general, so while the film changes some of the backstory & nature of the characters and even the ending, they still feel like plausible elements. In fact, the only thing about the adaptation itself that holds it back a bit is the somewhat excessive two and a half hour runtime. The story of "Frankenstein" is not a particularly complicated one, and as we've seen over the years, filmmakers have never needed such a long duration to tell it. The 1931 classic was only 70 minutes, while the longest adaptations have typically run about two hours. It's not too much of a hindrance for Del Toro's version, but after a while, it does start to feel as though the narrative is being stretched a bit.

However, another strong element that helps it along is its remarkable cast, headlined by Golden Globe winner Oscar Isaac and Oscar nominee Jacob Elordi (whose nomination was for this very role). Isaac brings just the right touch of obsession, determination, and a touch of madness to his portrayal of Victor, while Elordi brings a marvelous amount of emotion to the misunderstood creature, with both giving the film its driving force. Throw in excellent supporting work from Mia Goth, Charles Dance, David Bradley, and 2x Oscar winner Christoph Waltz, and it's not hard to see why the film garnered a nomination for SAG's Best Cast Award.

On the whole, while Del Toro's rendition of the story certainly could've been reined in a bit in order to make it tighter and help with the film's pacing, it remains a stunningly beautiful adaptation of the tale. We may have seen this story many times before, but as usual, the director has left his own unique stamp on it, giving us a sumptuous visual feast with a tremendous ensemble to bring it to life (a rather apt way of putting it). It may have taken him around three decades from dream to delivery, but as it typically is, the wait was well worth it.

Video/Audio:

"Frankenstein" comes to Blu-ray in 1.85:1, 1080p High Definition transfers of excellent quality. In typical Criterion fashion, the picture is absolutely stunning throughout the entire duration of both cuts, perfectly highlighting the film's gorgeous sets, costumes, and cinematography. Likewise, the Dolby Atmos audio tracks are marvelous, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and Alexandre Desplat's Oscar-nominated score in outstanding quality. Overall, Criterion has done a marvelous job in both areas for the film's highly-anticipated physical debut.

Special Features:

Theatrical Cut

The Anatomy Lesson: Director's Cut (60 Minutes): A fantastic hour-long featurette that takes you behind the scenes of the making of the film.

Q&A Moderated by Martin Scorsese (32 Minutes): Scorsese interviews Guillermo del Toro, Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, production designer Tamara Deverell, and costume designer Kate Hawley.

The Reborn Cut

Commentary with Guillermo del Toro

The Parlour (5 Featurettes, 37 Minutes): A series of conversations between director Guillermo del Toro and members of the cast & crew in which they discuss the artistry and craftsmanship of Frankenstein.

Q&A Moderated by Patti Smith (35 Minutes): A discussion with Guillermo Del Toro and Oscar Isaac.

Alexandre Desplat (17 Minutes): An interview with the film's composer.

Conclusion:

Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of "Frankenstein" may feel a little stretched out at its somewhat excessive runtime of two and a half hours, but he makes up for it with a sumptuous visual feast that includes gorgeous production design, costumes, makeup, and cinematography, as well as a marvelous ensemble to help bring it all to life, ultimately making for a fascinating & unique take on this oft-told tale.

Score: 3.5/5

Available on Criterion Blu-ray starting tomorrow.

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