Frankenstein (2025)
Mary Shelley's 1818 novel has had a longer life on screen than almost any other work of fiction. From James Whale's definitive 1931 Universal production through to Kenneth Branagh's sodden, overwrought 1994 version, Frankenstein has been pulled in just about every conceivable direction: camp, clinical, tragic, operatic. Each generation seems to feel the need to claim it afresh, which is a reasonable impulse given how much the text genuinely supports. At its core, it is a story about the arrogance of creation and the suffering that arrogance produces, questions that have not aged a day. Guillermo del Toro has been publicly attached to a Frankenstein project in various forms for the better part of two decades, so his 2025 adaptation arriving at all feels something like a minor event. The production is a joint effort between his own shingle Double Dare You, alongside Demilo Films and Bluegrass 7, with a running time of two and a half hours that signals, from the outset, serious intentions.
Del Toro's career has always been split between two modes: the personal, Spanish-language fables (of which Pan's Labyrinth remains the high watermark) and the larger-scale genre pictures he makes within the Hollywood system. This one sits closer to the former in ambition, even if the budget and cast lean toward the latter. The director's visual vocabulary, all amber light, architectural decay, and creatures treated with a kind of reverent tenderness, is well suited to Shelley's material, and nobody would sensibly argue otherwise. The principal cast is a genuinely strong hand. Oscar Isaac, who has proven himself equally comfortable in intimate character work (his turn in Inside Llewyn Davis remains one of the best performances of the last fifteen years) and in bigger, more mannered productions, takes on Victor Frankenstein. Jacob Elordi, a tall and physically commanding presence whose range has grown considerably in recent years, plays the Creature. Christoph Waltz brings his customary mixture of precision and menace to the supporting cast, while Mia Goth and Felix Kammerer, the latter a relative newcomer best known to European audiences, round out an ensemble that on paper looks difficult to fault. The creature design and gothic production values had the filmmaking community paying close attention well before release.
Whether the finished film justifies that attention is the question Macca takes up below. For those who like a bit of prior context before diving in: if the theme of creation turning on its creator appeals, the quietly unsettling Ex Machina covers adjacent ground with considerable efficiency, and makes for an interesting point of comparison in terms of pacing alone.
I went into Guillermo del Toro’s 2025 adaptation of Frankenstein with high expectations, and to be fair, the pedigree is undeniable. The cast is nothing short of amazing, featuring heavyweights like Oscar Isaac, Christoph Waltz, Lars Mikkelsen, and Mia Goth. The acting is more than decent enough, providing a solid, grounded foundation for a movie of this scale. Del Toro is, of course, an absolute master of visual excess, and that certainly comes across here. His signature gothic grandeur is on full display, making the film a visually stunning, deeply atmospheric spectacle from the very first frame.
I absolutely loved the visual effects used to bring the monster to life; it’s a genuinely striking piece of creature design that honours the gothic roots of the source material without feeling overly modernised. I was also really taken by the inclusion of the prelude to Mary Shelley’s original story, which added a nice, thoughtful layer of literary context to the narrative. For a good chunk of the runtime, it felt like we were in for a truly exceptional, deeply resonant gothic horror epic.
However, it’s impossible to ignore that the film feels massively bloated. It has the distinct feeling of what might have been a tight, punchy 70-minute film (much like the classic, efficient adaptations of the 1930s) that has been artificially stretched out to two and a half hours, and it really shows. So much of the runtime feels entirely unnecessary. This is most glaring in the monster’s long, drawn-out dialogues, particularly towards the end. For a creature born of stitched-together parts and raw instinct, its sudden, highly eloquent philosophical monologues just didn't feel like they belonged, completely throwing off the pacing and the established tone.
Ultimately, Frankenstein has all the ingredients to be a truly great film, but it just doesn't quite stick the landing. It’s a good, visually arresting movie, but the pacing issues and narrative bloat keep it from reaching its full potential. It’s just above average. A respectable, beautifully shot addition to del Toro’s filmography, but one that leaves you wishing the editor had been a bit more ruthless in the cutting room.
A three-out-of-five verdict on a del Toro passion project is, in its way, one of the more honest places a film like this can land. It is not a dismissal, but it is not the rapturous reception the director's fanbase would have hoped for either. Frankenstein 2025 joins a long line of adaptations that get the atmosphere right and stumble on the architecture, films that are polished but unremarkable where it counts most. The bones of a great picture are visible throughout, which makes the frustration all the more pointed. Sometimes the cruelest thing a film can do is show you exactly what it could have been.
Rating: ★★★ | Year: 2025 | Watched: 2026-06-15
Trailer
▶ Watch the official trailer for Frankenstein (2025) on YouTube
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Stream: Netflix · Netflix Standard with Ads
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi
Watch in the US
Stream: Netflix · Netflix Standard with Ads
Physical: Amazon US
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