Frankenstein (2025) Review: Guillermo del Toro Reinvents Classic Gothic Tale Into A Drama
Copyright © Netflix
Title: Frankenstein
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Based on: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Release Date: November 7, 2025
Guillermo del Toro is back in the game on Netflix. If a movie is by that one man, then it's a hint that it may be worth checking out. Since he adapted Pinocchio, which made people universally praise his modern adaptation, we could see no issue in him adapting another tale. Today's movie is Frankenstein, the new Netflix movie based on the iconic, centuries-old tale by Mary Shelley. Using a $120 million budget, its gross is a relatively small $313,461, thanks to its streaming service's limited theatrical release strategy. In contrast, it was broadly praised by critics and audiences for its acting performances, production, and tragic story. With daring performances mixed with an emotionally tragic narrative, Frankenstein stands out as a sublime monster that can play God.
Summary
"A brilliant but egotistical scientist brings a monstrous creature to life in a daring experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation." - Google
Reasons
The working functions of Frankenstein are the tragic story, exceptional performances, and faithful spirit of the tale. We all realize that Guillermo del Toro can adapt famous tales into emotional stories. In here, he adapted the tale into a heartwrenching narrative, plus bonus points for including a message about parental responsibility and grief. It also leans on the religious subtext that is a huge part of the book. Besides the emotion, the performances are spectacular. Jacob Elordi (as the Creature) and Oscar Isaac (as Victor Frankenstein) acted like what you would see in a musical theater. Other actors, such as Mia Goth (as Elizabeth), also had depth as the supporting cast. Thanks to del Toro's preference for accuracy, the movie retains the spirit of the original tale. It keeps almost everything from the original book, like the nature, personalities, and even the religious subtext mentioned earlier, so thank you to del Toro for wanting accuracy. In a way, you are reading the 99% accurate version with a famous director's imagination.
Several more working functions of Frankenstein include the rich production, sweeping cinematography, and eerie score. It's no wonder that Guillermo del Toro took all the time to make a film look this impressive. A lot of the production, especially the costumes and settings, was well done with the many details and materials needed to make the film exactly historical. Additionally, the muted colors correspond with the tragic atmosphere, which is a bonus point for the craftsmanship. Being a huge part of del Toro's filmmaking, the cinematography is marvelous. Other than smooth transitioning, it uses lighting that almost looks like dramatic Chiaroscuro. It is like watching a painting come to life. Lastly, the score is majestic. All of it is 19th-century orchestral background music that fits both the time period and filmic subgenre. It is composed by Alexandre Desplat, a composer who wrote the score for a few of del Toro’s previous movies, which proves he is improving throughout his years in composition.
The only (and small) error for Frankenstein is the pacing. It stands at a 2-hour and 32-minute runtime, but some scenes could have been shortened for more focus on the main premise. Even though this is the only weakness, everything else is amazing.
Conclusion
Netflix’s new adaptation, Frankenstein, is a Gothic tale that reveals how del Toro made another masterpiece to boost up views and hours in streaming. When someone remixes Shelley’s iconic tale into a dramatically sublime story, you get striking performances as well as the spirit from the original book. Honestly, this man should be hired again if Netflix wants another centuries-old tale adapted into a feature-length movie. It’s not Halloween anymore, but this movie, along with KPop Demon Hunters, is the original streaming movie that is worth the love this year. If you are a fan of Gothic horror or if you are craving the cinema film critics like, then this will be 100% up your alley.
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