Frankenstein Trailer, Fun Facts & Review
Frankenstein Synopsis:
Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), a brilliant but wildly egotistical scientist whose ambition to conquer death leads him to animate a Creature (Jacob Elordi) from assembled human parts. Immediately repulsed by his monstrous success, Victor abandons his creation, forcing the highly intelligent Creature out into a world that despises him. This profound rejection sparks a poignant and violent quest in the Creature, who seeks both to understand his tormented existence and to ultimately exact revenge on the maker who condemned him to misery.
Genre: Drama, Horror
Release Date: On Netflix November 7th, 2025
Frankenstein Fun Facts:
A Lifelong Dream Project:
Director Guillermo del Toro stated he wanted to make a Frankenstein film for over 25 years but chickened out because he dreamed of making the greatest Frankenstein ever, and whether it's great or not, once you've made it, it's done. You cannot dream about it anymore.
Star-Studded Cast:
The movie features a talented group of cast, including Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein, Jacob Elordi as The Creature, Mia Goth as Elizabeth Lavenza, Christoph Waltz as Henrich Harlander, Charles Dance as Leopold Frankenstein, and other great additional cast in the mix.
Not a "Horror Movie":
Del Toro stated his version of Frankenstein is not a horror movie but an incredibly emotional story.
Limited Theatrical Release:
The movie will have a limited theatrical release in the United States on October 17th, 2025, before it is released on Netflix on November 7th, 2025.
Inspired by Illustrations:
Del Toro cited the Frankenstein illustrations by Bernie Wrightson from the 1983 version of the book as the key inspiration for how he envisioned the narrative and the design of the Creature.
An Awards Contender:
The film had its world premiere at the prestigious 82nd Venice International Film Festival and was also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, establishing it as an important high-profile release for Netflix and a possible contender in the upcoming award season.
Frankenstein Review:
Guillermo del Toro's long-awaited movie, Frankenstein, is finally here! It's a visually rich and deeply emotional film, just as fans expected. The movie features Oscar Isaac as the driven Baron Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as the monster he creates. This Netflix film successfully ignores most of the old, standard movie ideas about Frankenstein. Instead, it focuses on the main philosophical and human tragedy that was in Mary Shelley's original novel.
The movie starts with an incredibly beautiful, old-fashioned, and dramatic look, thanks to del Toro and his cameraman, Dan Laustsen. Everything in the sets is gorgeous to look at, especially the giant, wet rooms (like Victor's lab, which used to be a water station). The colors are intense and dramatic, mostly dark colors like black and blue. The Creature looks very much like the classic drawings by Bernie Wrightson: it is a tall, stitched-up, scary-looking creature but also has a deep, strange beauty. Even if you don't care about the story, the movie is worth seeing just for its detailed artistry, as it wraps the viewer in a careful, dramatic kind of fear.
The movie truly shines with the performance by Jacob Elordi, who plays the Creature. Unlike most movie versions that show the Creature as a simple, scary, grunting figure. But Elordi's Creature is intelligent, well-spoken, and terribly lonely, exactly like the character in Mary Shelley's book. Elordi uses his tall size and graceful, deliberate movements to show the Creature's feelings: his growing curiosity, his ability to be kind (especially with the blind man played by David Bradley), and his final, justified rage. This is a brilliant, emotional performance that makes the Creature the most morally important character in the whole story.
Playing opposite Elordi, Oscar Isaac's Victor Frankenstein is perfectly cast as a crazy, self-centered character. Isaac portrays Victor not just as a scientist, but more as an arrogant, spoiled artist filled with too much pride. He is obsessed with defeating death because of a tragic event in his childhood. His real failure isn't in his experiment but in his terrible rejection of the being he created. Isaac makes it easy to see Victor's shift from a brilliant scientist to a person that despises his own creation. This reinforces del Toro's main message: the real monster is not the Creature, but the creator who abandons his duty. The supporting actors, including Mia Goth (who plays both Elizabeth Harlander and Victor's late mother) and Christoph Waltz (as Henrich Harlander, Elizabeth's uncle and a wealthy arms manufacturer who funds Victor's experiments), provide a great foundation for Victor's chaotic world.
The movie is a masterpiece visually and has amazing performances by the talented cast. The movie runs for two and a half hours long; this is because there are two sides of the story: first the creator tells his side of the story, followed by the Creature's story. The pacing is slow at times as we learn more about the character as the movie builds up the storyline. The movie also covers different themes like war, forgiveness, and human cruelty, but they appear only for brief moments as the story unfolds. The exciting journey leading to a final confrontation feels less intense than expected.
Overall, Frankenstein is a powerful and visually stunning movie adaptation that works because it shows empathy. While the long runtime might not be for everyone, viewers who enjoy being completely absorbed in del Toro’s dark fantasy will find a take on the classic story that is true to the book and uniquely fresh, putting the heart and soul of the Creature right at the center of the film.