Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” is one of the most frequently adapted works of English literature, inspiring countless retellings on stage, screen and beyond.
In each adaptation, the story is modified to highlight different aspects of the novel, often reflecting the concerns or values of the time.
This time, Guillermo del Toro, the director of “The Labyrinth of Faunus,” “The Shape of Water” and “Pacific Rim,” has taken on the task of adapting Shelley’s novel.
According to del Toro, he had lived his entire life with Shelley’s creation and wanted to “reproduce it in a different tone, with different emotions.” The film had a budget of $120 million and was sponsored by Netflix. It was released in select theaters on Oct. 17, 2025, and it will be available on Netflix on Nov. 7.
The main roles in the film will be performed by Jacob Elordi, Oscar Isaac, Felix Kammerer, Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz.
In this film, viewers watch the story of an extraordinary but selfish scientist, Victor Frankenstein (Isaac), who conducts a gruesome experiment to bring a creature made from the parts of various corpses to life. Frankenstein succeeds in his work, and throughout the film, the audience witnesses the consequences of what he has created.
The main difference between this adaptation and others is that viewers see the story from the perspective of The Creature (Elordi), rather than the scientist Victor Frankenstein, as is the case in many other adaptations.
The change in perspective allows audiences to better understand The Creature’s story and his journey through life.
Throughout the film, there are many events that help the characters understand their mistakes and misconceptions and perhaps make the most important and correct choice in their lives. And viewers will wonder, who is the real monster?
I really liked this movie. Compared to previous amazing adaptations of Shelley’s novel, such as “Frankenstein” (1931) or “The Bride of Frankenstein” (1935), this movie is just as good, but it also has excellent special effects, a more interesting and dark atmosphere and great characters whose acting you believe in and experience every moment of happiness and sadness with.
