“While you are alive, what recourse do you have but to live?” is the sole message of “Frankenstein” (2025) directed by Guillermo del Toro. This film was released theatrically on Oct. 27, 2025, and became available for streaming on Netflix on Nov. 7. While there are various existing adaptations of Mary Shelley’s novel, this is by far the best one yet.
“Frankenstein” follows the tale of Victor Frankenstein, played by Oscar Issac, who is driven to madness by his intrigue and unhealthy obsession with bringing the dead back to life. By collecting the perfect body parts, unlocking the scientific code for reviving the deceased organs, and using an insane amount of electricity to create life, Frankenstein births The Creation, played by Jacob Elordi.
Del Toro’s take on the tale of “Frankenstein” is a bit different from that of Shelley, but in my opinion, still holds the most realistic characterization. In the film, Victor is not a university student like the novel, but a middle-aged man with unlimited funding. While Elizabeth, played by Mia Goth, is Frankenstein’s fiancé in the novel, now she’s his brother William’s wife, played by Felix Kammerer.
Instead of Elizabeth being a side character like the novel, she takes center stage in this film, and a tragic love story unfolds between her and Victor. In this, he falls in love with her despite being betrothed, and but his descent into insanity tears them apart. Victor’s character, too, diverges from the book as well. His obsession of bringing life to the death is less reliant on this idea that it was his fate to pursue powerful knowledge, and more as a conscious decision he made in response to his childhood. The movie presents Victor as more heartless and malicious than the novel, while also providing an extensive explanation of his childhood. Through this, we see how the trauma of his mother’s death and relationship with his father led to his fixation on creating life.
The most notable aspect of this adaptation, though, is its representation of Frankenstein’s Creation or “The Creature”. It is the most realistic presentation of the Creation yet, as it doesn’t present him as some mindless, violent monster, but as an intelligent, emotional creature who is driven to violent actions. Not because of his disposition, but because of how the world has treated him. In this version, you truly see how he is shaped by his relationship with those around him. When he is first created, Elizabeth’s kindness toward him is reflected through his actions, especially when he offers her a leaf that he found. However, once Victor begins to disown him, and he loses the friend he made, that loneliness pushes the Creation to violence.
The film does a good job at showing that this violence wasn’t natural for the Creation, but it was the only motivation for Victor to do what he wanted. After denying the Creation a companion, all he wished for was death to end his suffering. His violent actions toward Victor were then just an incentive for Victor to actually find a way to kill him, and karma for the mistreatment.
In addition to the plot, the makeup, costumes, and cinematics of this film were phenomenal. The Creation’s makeup was well-executed. It had a blue hue to it, which is far more accurate than the green hue that previous media had assigned the Creation. You could also see the stitching marks on his body where Victor had sewn together parts of other corpses, and the Creation’s shoulder-length hair and great height were very accurate to the book. The costuming of Elizabeth was also remarkable—her dresses were grand and in accordance with her personality and interests, most notably her green gown that had patterns of butterfly wings. This was very much in-line with her odd interest in bugs.
As a big fan of literature, I had a lot of anticipation for this film, and it did not disappoint. Everything about this movie was thought-out and intentional. From the characterization to costume designs, this film did a great job. Del Toro knocked it out the park, and while this is a bloody film, it is worth the watch. So grab your popcorn, and be prepared to squint, because this may just be the best movie this year.
