Frankenstein (Guillermo Del Toro, 2025): Mexico | United States

Reviewed by Alexis Renteria. Viewed at SBIFF.

Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, reads as an extravagant melodrama. Del Toro is notorious for his gothic creature features such as Pan’s Labyrinth, Crimson Peak, and The Shape of Water. Frankenstein was the project that he dreamed of making for his entire career. The project was brought to life with the help of actors, Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein, Mia Goth as Dr. Frankenstein’s mother and later on Elizabeth, and Jacob Elordi as the Creature. The film showed at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival for their 41st season. 

The film opens in a cold and barren sea frozen over. In view a captain and his men attempting to free their ship from the ice. They meet an injured Victor Frankenstein, but where Victor is the Creature is not far behind. As the Creature approaches, announcing himself with a deafening roar, the men are filled with fear and prepare to defend themselves. Following a bloodbath in which the Creature takes many lives before being forced into the icy water, the captain of the ship allows Victor Frankenstein to tell his tale.

Act one then explores Victor’s life. As a child Victor deals with an abusive and unfeeling father. Victor finds his mother to be his only sanctuary and the pair lean on each other heavily. When Victor’s mother suddenly dies in childbirth Victor vows to conquer death. Jumping ahead, a now grown up Victor has established himself as a scholar and doctor. It is at this point in his life when he is approached and offered unlimited funds to tackle his greatest project, creating life. 

The infamous story of Frankenstein is deeply ingrained into the cultural zeitgeist, and has been for decades. However, as the story unfolds in this retelling, new life is breathed into the iconic tale. Victor carries his story on through the creation of the Creature and his failed attempt to raise him. After explaining his perspective, the Creature appears to deliver his own version of events. Entering the second act, Elordi plays the Creature as extremely empathetic, making the tone of the story shift from something bitter and self absorbed to a lens of adoration and fear of life. 

The costuming and set design are so intentional, as if they were their own living characters. Del Toro makes it possible to read his characters before they utter a single word. Upon actually speaking, these characters carry a profound sadness dripping from their every word. The larger than life relationship between Victor and the Creature is like that of a God and his damned offspring. The film explores generational trauma and Victor’s own hubris. Elizabeth’s wedding dress demands the audience attention; the ribbon detailed sleeves reminiscent of the Bride in James Whale’s Bride of Frankenstein. As blood seeped from the center of the dress, the diffusion mirrored the appearance of a wounded bird. This detail acting as an ode to Elizabeth’s feeling of entrapment, which was like that of a caged bird. The music builds and swells, breathing life into the film like that of an electric bolt giving life to the film.

Frankenstein in all its tragedy still manages to deliver a sliver of hope, making the film feel very human. I would highly recommend this film. Del Toro said it best when he said that while Mary Shelley created the beautifully complex and sophisticated novel, the film that he made will be known as his own.



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Published:
02.24.26 / 11am
Category:
Films, Santa Barbara Film Festival 2026