As an avid lover of the novel Frankenstein, I was really looking forward to the 2025 adaptation starring Oscar Issac and Jacob Elordi. I had heard before watching the movie that it was going to be the most accurate adaptation of Frankenstein yet. I think this is what disappointed me the most.Â
First, let’s get into the things I liked about the movie, though. I think the set design and overall look of the movie were very eye-catching and well done. From the costumes to the lighting, you could tell a lot of the budget went into design for this movie. I think they did a wonderful job of capturing the gothic vibe of Frankenstein and really making the book come alive in that aspect. Another thing I really liked about this movie is how Mia Goth played both Victor’s mother as well as Elizabeth. This was such an interesting detail to add to the movie that really helps display that sort of oedipal relationship Victor had with his mother. This attention to detail is in my opinion the best part of the movie, I just wish they had stayed more in line with the details of the book.
I have a really hard time judging book-to-movie adaptations because there is supposed to be a certain amount of following along with the book, but also taking creative liberties. I feel like, for this movie in particular, they really strayed away from the book, and because of that, they sort of lost a lot of the important parts of the book that helped show the themes Mary Shelly was trying to display.Â
Some of the things that I think got lost in this movie were the way Victor and the creature were depicted. The great thing about Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein is the ambiguity of whether the creature and Victor were supposed to be villains or victims. This adaptation takes away that question altogether. It is very clear from the beginning that Victor is seen as a villain, while the creature is depicted as a victim completely. In the novel, the creature is definitely meant to be pitied, but he still does some truly awful things, bringing about questions of whether he is a victim or a villain.Â
The whole of this film strayed so far from the novel that it was hard to see any similarities aside from the creation of the creature. One thing that I really wish they had done differently was the way the creature is introduced into the world. In the novel, Victor is immediately disgusted by his creation and wants nothing to do with him. The movie, however, gives Victor a much different reaction. He is immediately excited and wants to teach and parent the creature. Frankenstein brings about a lot of questions about unwanted children and how that affects childhood. By having Victor show aspects of parenting in the beginning, it feels sort of counterproductive to the point that is meant to be made.
My last critique of this film is the complete lack of Justine as a character. Justine is such an important character in the novel because she really shows Victor’s selfishness. By not having Justine, the movie really misses that aspect of Victor’s character. Even though he is seen as this villainous, terrible guy in the movie, he lacks the nuance the book gave him. Victor in this movie feels to me like a cartoon version of Victor in the book. All of his actions are more villainized and less ambiguous than the way Victor is portrayed in the book. This lack of Justine feels like another way that the movie sort of missed out on some of the main themes the book is trying to show.Â
Overall this movie was really hard for me to judge objectively. I was really just expecting a more accurate depiction of the novel and was disappointed to find a completely different storyline. My problem with adaptations is that I want them to be accurate to the book, but I can understand wanting to put a spin on it to make things more interesting. In my opinion, instead of more adaptations and sequels, we really need to start making more original work. If this story was separated from the idea of Frankenstein, I think I would have liked it a little more, but all in all I just wasn’t a huge fan. I often found myself getting bored and uninterested in the direction the movie was going.Â