Watching Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein took me down memory lane, studying the story in an English class. The 1818 Mary Shelley novel has been adapted so many times in various media, almost everyone knows the gothic science fiction tale—when brilliance meets its folly with creation. But del Toro’s take on the story may be the best I have ever seen, and what better way than experiencing it on a TIFF 2025 screen in the Princess of Wales Theatre.
Oscar Isaac plays Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant scientist tortured by ambition and his own raging passions. Pushing his work beyond scientific certainty to the boundary between life and death, he brings a new being into existence in a spectacular moment of creation. Played in a completely original fashion by Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein’s monster begins as a powerful, dangerous beast but carries the equally dangerous capacity to learn from human behaviour. It puts both Victor and his brother William’s fiancé Elizabeth (Mia Goth) in jeopardy.
Shot at a vast studio in Toronto and on location in Scotland, Frankenstein felt both grounded in our world and otherworldly at the same time. One of the green vistas looked like the first area where players begin their Death Stranding journey in the game. Del Toro was in Death Stranding, so I could see that the scene could be inspired by the Hideo Kojima game. From the ship stuck in the icy northern waters to Victor’s laboratory, Tamara Deverell’s production design continues to nail the perfect locations and built sets.
Frankenstein’s opening fight choreography showing the Creature’s ferocity was a clever hook, and added high stakes to making the Creature the villain. Adding more praise to the production design, the expedition ship stuck in the ice looked and felt very real—as it swung and swayed in this opening fight sequence. I never thought I would see the Creature in a well-choreographed fight scene on film.
Kate Hawley’s costume designs, especially for Goth, were sublime—adding a deeper meaning to the story. Goth’s clothing colours were so vivid, from her red-and-white dress to her bright baby blue one. This movie told many stories within the costumes, and I really appreciated this detail. Victor’s mother wore an intricately laced red dress to open this movie, which became a thread and connection to Victor wearing red gloves. The red Prometheus depiction was also visually stunning, almost strangely looking like the crystal clear anime compilations on TikTok or Instagram Reels—but on the big screen.
I was unsure if Victor only drinking milk was canon in the Frankenstein novel, but he was guzzling milk down whenever he was drinking something. But, he was putting up a competition with Homelander from The Boys—not breast milk though. It reinforced that Victor suffered from severe parental issues.
“Somehow, del Toro’s Frankenstein was like a rated-R Disney version of the well-known tale—but you have to overlook all the murder.”
Del Toro’s storytelling is unmatched. I see del Toro did his homework and paid homage to Shelley’s poetic narrative creation. The change to the Creature’s encounter with the blind old man’s family was an endearing reimagining. I felt more kinship with the narrative choice to spotlight how each character learned the importance of valuing life. Somehow, del Toro’s Frankenstein was like a rated-R Disney version of the well-known tale—but you have to overlook all the murder. The story wrapped everything up in a nice bow without addressing too much of each of the protagonists’ wrongdoings. Everything worked well together because the cast brought out their best acting chops.
Elordi’s physical acting shone in this movie, even more than his verbal acting when the Creature learns to speak. He brought an Oscar-worthy performance because he almost made me tear up when the Creature was telling his tale. Elordi and the Creature melded into one in this film. When Elordi calls the Creature’s life “a merciless life,” I sympathized so much with the Creature. I felt his sorrow and the feeling of being trapped in an immortal life.
Isaac played Victor really well as the titular character, portraying him as a smart yet bumbling, child-like scientist. Isaac’s craziness and crashout moments were perfect for his character, even more than when he was in Moon Knight. Something about Isaac’s performance in this movie convinced me he was actually going to “conquer death,” and this was supported by the fantastic VFX and practical effects department.
All the close-ups of the creatures, anatomies, and body parts in Frankenstein were so well-made. When Victor was trying to prove he could bring back the dead, the reanimated body was a masterclass in blending practical and VFX work. For the Creature, the prosthetics and makeup caught my eye—going for a look resembling the Engineers in Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. Funnily enough, that was Scott’s rendition of Shelley’s Frankenstein set in the Alien universe. I argue that the Creature’s design improved upon the Engineers aesthetics, making the Creature feel balanced with his grey patchwork skin and the unsettling thin but tall stature.
Audiences looking for a classic del Toro horror movie will find a more emotional story in Frankenstein—but still containing some horror tropes. With a lengthy 144-minute runtime, this film flew by in the best ways possible. Del Toro masterfully navigated each beat from the pages to the big screen. You will see the major efforts from the cast and crew behind this movie, and bring this classic tale to life. Whether you catch this creature feature in theatres or on Netflix, bring some tissues because you may get more emotional throughout this film than you think!
