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By: Sabrina Avila
When people think of Frankenstein they think of the monster kids dress up as for Halloween, but this movie will change your perspective on the name. While Frankenstein is a monster, it might not be the traditional monster you think.
The very anticipated "Frankenstein" movie released on Netflix on November 7, 2025. After a week in certain theaters, streaming fans were excited to be able to have access to the movie at home.
“Frankenstein” is based off of the book "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley. The book is under the genre of gothic horror and was published in 1819. While I’ve never read the book, I’ve heard the movie is almost an exact replica of the book.
With a budget of $120,000,000, the cast for this movie contained a variety of a-list actors such as Oscar Issac, Jacob Elordi and Mia Goth. The director of the movie Guillermo de Toro has been wanting to make this movie for as long as he could remember. With a director that has been so committed and inspired by the book and the original 1931 movie, del Toro was the perfect person to pull off this project. He wanted to incorporate themes of forgiveness and understanding into his take on this classic story.
The movie takes place in the 1850’s in Scotland and throughout Europe. It follows the story of a brilliant scientist Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Issac). When Frankenstein gets the idea to create a creature that would defy the normal means of death, he follows through with his crazed idea despite what people say. After seeing the story from Frankenstein’s perspective, the perspective switches to The Creature’s (Jacob Elordi) perspective which unlocks a whole new sense of empathy towards The Creature.
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Just as del Toro hoped for, the movie dives deep into the themes of forgiveness and understanding. Forgiveness is expressed through family dynamics, especially a father-son dynamic. Growing up, Frankenstein had a rough relationship with father. Due to this hardship, he becomes very close with his mother Claire (Mia Goth). Claire dies in childbirth while giving birth to his brother William (Felix Kammerer), which leaves Frankenstein devastated. The rocky relationship with his father results in Frankenstein having an aggressive relationship with The Creature. Although he isn’t actually The Creature’s father, The Creature looks up to him as his creator and his whole world. From Frankenstein's eyes, The Creature is a failed experiment which isn’t even worth a name.
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Just like forgiveness is portrayed in dynamics, understanding is as well. William’s fiance, Elizabeth (Mia Goth) is played by the same actress as his mother. Frankenstein starts to feel for Elizabeth because of her gentle nature; she shares this trait with his mother, Claire. I think it’s incredible how Goth took on both roles because it’s such a crucial part of the story: Frankenstein finds comfort in Elizabeth just like he found comfort in his mother. And, the fact that they’re played by the same actress adds so much depth to their storyline. Even though Frankenstein has never felt what he feels for Elizabeth with anyone else, he understands that he can’t be with her, for now.
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Another thing that really stood out to me is the costume designs throughout the movie. Frankenstein wears red gloves at certain parts of the movie, symbolizing all the blood he has on his hands. This can be figurative and literal blood; when searching for the perfect body parts to make up The Creature, Frankenstein chooses which men are hanged. Also, he searches battlefields after the battle is over in search of specimens. He is skilled in disassembling people and reassembling people.
In addition to the gloves, Elizabeth’s outfits have hidden details. On her wedding day, her dress has fabric going up her sleeves which resemble the bandages The Creature wore when he was first created which shows Elizabeth’s understanding and connection to The Creature. In addition, Elizabeth wears a green dress with a malachite mineral pattern which represents her love for nature and insects, especially beetles.
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Jacob Elordi’s acting in this movie is Oscar worthy. I’ve seen Elordi in other movies such “The Kissing Booth” and “Priscilla”. While his performance in “Priscilla” was absolutely perfect, “The Kissing Booth” isn’t a movie which made Elordi stand out in any way. But, in “Frankenstein,” his performance was next level. The Creature doesn’t speak much, but Elordi’s eyes brought so many thoughts and feelings to The Creature which he couldn’t say with words. There is even an eye which has a slight light in it which shows a darker side to The creature.
Oscar Issac is also an actor in this movie who is worth mentioning. His portrayal of Victor Frankenstein was fantastic. Here and there he shows hints of humanity in his character, but overall he does an amazing job at unraveling Frankenstein’s true nature.
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IMDb gave the movie a 7.6/10; Rotten Tomatoes a 86% and Fandango a 95%. In my eyes, the movie is absolutely perfect; I have zero complaints about it. I don’t know if it’s the incredible acting I love, or the world building, but everything about this movie is fascinating.
I know I started off by saying that Frankenstein isn’t the cliche Halloween monster you see every year, but I never said that Frankenstein isn’t a monster. This movie dives into the reality behind the real monster, Victor Frankenstein.
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