Frankenstein Movie

Fan takes on Guillermo’s “Frankenstein”

Elle Blount ’27

Design Editor

“Can you contain your fire Prometheus? Or will it burn you before you can deliver it?”

Guillermo Del Toro’s “Frankenstein” (2025) was released in select theaters on October 17, and our resident Frankenstein fanatic and expert, Mx. Hernandez ’14, has some thoughts to share with the Louisville community about their interpretation of the film.

Mx. teaches Frankenstein every October with their sophomores, intentionally to coincide with Louisville's spooky season. Mx. remarks that the book’s adaptation in Guillermo’s film was “the most faithful rendition” they have seen, amongst the various inaccuracies in the media. Some Frankenstein movies feature a green-hued monster with bolts in its neck, whereas in this adaptation, the makeup and costuming for the Creature, played by Jacob Elordi, “shows his monstrosity without being a silly caricature,” Mx. says.

Mx. states Elordi’s performance was “Oscar Worthy,” and really enjoyed his commitment to “perfectly emanating the existentialism” of the Creature both physically and emotionally. His mannerisms, altered voice and eyes were standouts in the film.

“His eyes had so much emotion, which became so essential to understanding the Creature’s humanity,” Mx. remarks. “Elordi expertly portrayed both the innocence and tragedy of his character with an unrecognizable appearance.” Mx. also detailed how easy it was to empathize with the Creature, which is a major purpose of the book, therefore proving it as true to Mary Shelley’s original 1818 source material.

The Creation Scene was a highlight for Mx., who said it was not only beautiful and reverent, but really captured Victor’s careful process, rather than his wicked intentions for playing God. The scene was a small departure from the content of the novel, seeing as there is no formal creation scene in Shelley’s text, however Mx. believes the change was intentional and necessary to the viewer’s understanding of Victor and his creation’s relationship.

“It was intimate in a way the book was not…there was so much care and attention to detail, it was clear the action was Victor’s life’s work.”

Mx. cites Victor’s choosiness in the materials intended for the Creature’s construction as an example of his character, paying attention to the Creature’s formation and “dehumaniz[ing] people from the beginning of the film, which was the perfect set up for the demonization of his creation.”

Oscar Isaac delivered a wonderful performance, however, Mx. tends to side with the Creature’s suffering, so his character arc stood out to them only after watching the film a second time.

“The Creature’s first word is ‘Victor’, in which Victor responds, ‘Of course you are,’ which pretty well displays how I feel about Victor.” Mx. says.

“He seemed to feel the gravity and weight of his [creation],” Mx. says, giving praise to Isaac’s interpretation of Victor’s incidental “wretchedness”, sometimes outweighing that of his monster. In the book, Victor is “so blind to the realities of the horror” he is producing, leading him to make decisions unpopular with readers.

Mx. Hernandez '14 posing with their plethora of Frankenstein paraphernalia

Kiki Sheurer ’27, however, who sides more with Victor in her fanaticism of Mary Shelley’s original text, believes that he was portrayed inaccurately in the film, mainly because of Oscar Isaac’s age, lack of relationship with Henry Clerval and “Guillermo’s efforts to make his biases toward the Creature clear,” she says.

Kiki elaborates, “[The film] does not leave room for the moral question that is essential to the understanding of the book…the Creature is so obviously human…you’re supposed to wonder whether you would be scared of a murderous [entity].”

Kiki argues that Victor’s humanity has been imposed upon in the film, as opposed to the Creature’s. “He has no time to grieve his family, other than his mother, which robs him of any sympathy from his audience,” she says. “This version of Victor was not tormented enough to be a relatable, Romantic character.”

Without giving any spoilers to students who have not taken Brit-Lit yet, Mx. said the changes to the ending, which were significant, altered their expectation of Victor’s character arc. The Creature really became the star of the show towards the end, connecting painfully with the audience. One of Mx’s personal favorite quotes from the Creature was “Merciless life”, thoughtfully changed from Mary Shelley’s “Oh cursed cursed creator! Why did I live?”

Mx. additionally reflected on the beautiful production value and how well the cinematography reflected the Romanticism of the novel. The costuming was brilliant, playing a huge role in characterizing main and lesser characters in the plot. Kiki specifically praised the costumes of Mia Goth’s character, Elizabeth. Mx. compared the film’s aesthetics to that of a more gothic take on the “Pride and Prejudice” 2005 BBC show’s general sets, specifically the Romantic feel of a “Moorish Countryside”.

Watch Frankenstein on Netflix and feel free to form your own opinions!