Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has always seemed to stump filmmakers. It’s garnered a multitude
of adaptations, from James Whale’s 1931 film, to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, all with
different, equally unfaithful depictions of the original novel. There’s the creature, with bolts in his
neck and a green face, inherently monstrous and violent. Or, there’s a complete rejig of the
original plot, as is in Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation, where he adds a subplot dedicated to a
female monster. Guillermo Del Toro’s new Frankenstein promised a fairly book accurate film, but
instead delivered something entirely different to what Mary Shelley accomplished in her novel. It
is always difficult to transfer something from page to screen, especially in the cases of works
written before the invention of cinema, but Del Toro stops short of adapting Frankenstein at all.
The film isn’t without its strengths, of course. Elordi brings a humanity to the creature that is so
often stripped from Hollywood versions of the character, and the casting of Mia Goth as both
Frankenstein’s mother and Elizabeth is a though-provoking choice. Cinematographically,
‘Frankenstein’ is a behemoth, sublime sets created with majority practical effects that transport
the viewer into the setting. Del Toro nails the Gothic visual language, as I had no doubts he
would. It’s a shame that such detailed and effective film making is wasted on a subpar story.
Del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’ is not truly Frankenstein, only an imitation of it. The original novel
explores themes of science unrestricted, nature vs nurture, familial relationships, and the gender
dynamics of the Enlightenment period. In Del Toro’s version, much of this is lost. Instead of
outright rejection of the creature, Oscar Isaac’s Frankenstein attempts to raise him, keeping him
locked in the basement of his lab. His brother William is no longer a young child, but a
successful adult, married to Elizabeth, Frankenstein’s book bride. Henry Clerval, my personal
favourite character, does not even appear in this film; there is no attempt to explore the
homosocial bonds that ground Shelley’s novel. Stripped back, Del Toro’s adaptation of
Frankenstein is a simpler tale. He gives the viewer a clear villain in Victor, and a clear victim in
the creature. Victor quite literally says that he ‘was the monster all along’ – nice to know the
director trusts his audience. It’s tied up, all too satisfyingly, with an overwrought final scene
between the creature and his creator, where they forgive each other and name each other father
and son. How lovely. But it’s not Frankenstein.
It’s shocking, that in a 2 hour 30 minute run time, Del Toro removes so much of the plot of the
novel, while also under developing all its themes. It leaves a meandering, aimless front half, with
a melodramatic final hour, all of which feels a little shallow. To top it all off, Del Toro ends his film
with a quote, not from the novel, but from Lord Byron. For an adaptation of a book written by a
woman, and one of the most notable feminist works of literature of its time, ending this film with
an epithet from a man who has nothing to do with it at all, leaves a sour aftertaste.
It’s difficult to adapt novels to the screen. Writing and cinema are two different mediums, with
two different goals and strengths; film doesn’t allow for the same introspective passages that a
novel can. Often, direct page to screen creations aren’t possible. If Del Toro went the Rocky
Horror route – that is, taking elements of an existing work, and transforming them into
something completely new – then his Frankenstein would be much more successful, something
that serves the greatness of Elordi’s performance as the creature. I personally really enjoyed Del
Toro’s Pinocchio, which, set in fascist Italy, bore little resemblance to the original story. Perhaps
if he had transposed Frankenstein into 2020s America, with Victor as an Elon Musk type figure, I
could overlook the unfaithfulness to the original text. In its actual state, slapping the name Mary
Shelley on this film feels a disservice to everything the original stands for.