Del Toro’s Frankenstein Reviews: Masterful Yet Television-Like

According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein received generally positive reactions from critics at the Venice Film Festival. The 150-minute film currently holds an 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 73% score on Metacritic.

Oscar Isaac stars as Dr. Victor Frankenstein in this new adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel, with Jacob Elordi as the Creature. Christoph Waltz, Mia Goth, and Charles Dance also appear in the cast.

Critical Reception

• Vulture calls del Toro a “master craftsman” and describes Frankenstein as a “massive technical achievement”: “But it goes further. The director has poured the film with everything he loves despite its flaws, reflecting his obsession. It feels like the work of a madman, but anyone making a Frankenstein film has no other choice.”
• IndieWire writes: “If you want del Toro to make something stranger, you may not enjoy Frankenstein. But if you want a powerful monster movie and historical epic as solid as oak, you needn’t knock on wood to check whether del Toro has kept cinema’s inner spirit alive.”
• Time says: “The grand scale of this Frankenstein is undeniable; what’s missing is intimacy.”
• The Guardian gives it three out of five stars: “Eventually and inevitably, at the end of this timeless story, we ask which of the two is the true monster. In this grandiose, somewhat sanctified romance, the answer seems to be—neither.”

• The Independent writes: “Despite del Toro’s masterful form, this Frankenstein ultimately lacks the voltage to come alive.”
• The Times calls the adaptation artificial and “sloppy”: “It’s not the greatest Frankenstein ever made. In fact, it’s not even a particularly good one. In the end, it’s merely watchable.”
• Variety comments: “Frankenstein is essentially made for Netflix, and though the platform may run it theatrically to fulfill obligations, the special effects aren’t designed for the big screen. Alexandre Desplat’s baroque and majestic score, however, compensates.”

• The Hollywood Reporter describes it as “one of del Toro’s most majestic works, with epic storytelling rare in its beauty, emotion, and artistry.”
• The Wrap praises it: “Del Toro’s Frankenstein is commendable for transforming an iconic horror tale into a story about forgiveness.”
• The Telegraph awards four out of five stars: “Over two and a half hours, its pop-gothic intensity can feel a bit much… but you’re hardly inclined to skip any part of it.”

Release
Frankenstein will premiere in theaters on October 17 and stream on Netflix starting November 7.