Guilmero del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’ is a terrific retelling of a classic story

By Cadence Powers

“Frankenstein,” the newest installment in Del Toro’s Gothic film collection and a modern adaptation of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, hit select theaters on Oct. 17. Marked by beautiful visuals, powerful writing and a moving soundtrack, the newest installment in “Frankenstein” adaptations demonstrates why Del Toro’s work is so well known for its gothic aesthetic. 

The movie opens on a vessel bound to reach the North Pole amongst a Frozen Wasteland. The crew members notice an explosion in the distance and find Victor Frankenstein. Upon taking the man onto the ship, they’re attacked by a strange creature dressed in rags. Even after they chase the creature away, Frankenstein tells the captain that the creature will be back. To explain, he tells his tale of how this all began. 

The film itself is divided into three sections: Prelude, Victor’s Tale, and The Creature’s Tale. This is a homage to the original text, which Shelly originally divided into three books. The story follows Victor Frankenstein, a man with a desire to stop death, as he comes to the full consequences of his obsessions.

The film follows a similar chronology to the original text; meaning it is told through a series of stories from one character to the next. A story that is not told chronologically can be very difficult for an audience to follow, yet “Frankenstein” does so with ease. From telling Victor’s tale to telling the tale of the Creature, the story weaves itself through many different narratives, to reveal the whole plot. The actions and events of the beginning of the story become clearer as the audience sees the prior progression of events which lead to this moment. 

One of the main themes this film explores is obsession, as well as the consequences of that obsession. Frankenstein is single-minded in all of his pursuits, from his initial creation of the creature to his relentless pursuit of it. It is this obsession that leads to his own downfall and how he ends up at the film’s beginning. Through each part of the film, Frankenstein is confronted with the consequences of playing with the natural forces of life and death. 

The film itself is very well done. I would be remiss if I did not mention costume designer Kate Hawley, who created stunningly beautiful costumes. Not only did the costumes add to the aesthetic beauty of the film but they also demonstrated fundamental parts of the characters as well. Between the costumes, the set design and the soundtrack, the already good writing was bracketed by auxiliary qualities which made the film an all around amazing experience. 

As an adaptation, I found there were a few minor drawbacks. Mostly, the changes to the plot. While no adaptation can be completely true to the original source material, many of the changes were pretty large. This is not to deter viewers from watching the film; in fact, the majority of the changes allowed for the themes of the story to shine through. These changes did not detract from the overall content of the film, nor did they undermine the themes which the film communicates.

While the film includes many horrific elements, the film is beautifully done, and I recommend seeing it either in select theaters or on Netflix on November 7.

Frankenstein is currently showing in select theaters. Available to stream on Netflix on November 7. 

Cadence Powers is a junior Professional Writing and Information Design Major. When not working on schoolwork, she can best be found reading or writing. 

Images Courtesy of Netflix