The new »Frankenstein« premieres on Netflix today. Our Mick had the opportunity to see the film in theaters. Here's his opinion:
When I first heard that Guillermo del Toro would be adapting Mary Shelley's »Frankenstein«, my heart skipped a beat, because del Toro loves monsters, and I couldn't imagine a better director for this subject. I read in various places that this was the film del Toro was born to make. My excitement was somewhat dampened when I learned that the film was financed by the streaming giant Netflix. Of course, it was fantastic that this passion project came about in this way. But such a story, combined with del Toro's skills as a visual artist, was practically made for the big screen.
Fortunately, Netflix (also keeping an eye on Oscar regulations, of course) brought the film to select theaters for a limited time. The nearest venue for me was in Düsseldorf. And so, about two weeks ago, I made the pilgrimage to the UFA-Palast cinema in the state capital. Seeing »Frankenstein« on the big screen was truly an experience. Everyone who did the same will confirm this. Today, the movie premieres on Netflix, and I'll be watching it there a second time.
As I mentioned at the beginning, Guillermo del Toro is imbued with a deep love for monsters. He treats Shelley's novel with great respect without slavishly retelling the story page by page. His adaptation of the material and his changes are inspired, giving the characters additional depth, and at its core, his film captures the essence of Shelley's work.
Oscar Isaac plays the scientist Victor Frankenstein as a driven man, obsessed with the idea of conquering death and creating new life. As interviews with del Toro reveal, the character's interpretation is reminiscent of a rock star. The film delves deep into Frankenstein's life, and the flashbacks to his past begin in his childhood, depicting his love for his mother (portrayed by Mia Goth) and his suffering under his tyrannical father, the great surgeon Leopold Frankenstein, brilliantly embodied by Charles Dance. The conflict with his father will shape Victor's life. Sons and fathers – the film is full of them, full of repetitions of the same mistakes and motives. Frankenstein creates the creature, but at the end, he doesn't know what to do with it and makes the same mistakes as his own father.
Jacob Elordi plays the creature in search of the meaning of its existence and the love of its creator. Elordi's performance is fantastic; his innocent eyes steal the show. With him, the film raises profound existential questions.
Mia Goth appears in a double role as both Victor's mother and Elizabeth, who, unlike in the novel, is the fiancée of Victor's brother William (Felix Kammerer). Unlike Victor and everyone else, she reacts to the creature with affection and empathy.
Even the smaller supporting roles in the film are convincing, including Christoph Waltz as Mr. Harlander, Elizabeth's uncle and financier of Frankenstein's research, Lars Mikkelsen as Captain Anderson, and David Bradley as the old blind man – all of them embody father figures.
Besides the captivating story, »Frankenstein« is, as expected, also a feast for the eyes. Alongside Guillermo del Toro's screenplay and direction, as well as the two lead actors, I see further candidates for Oscar nominations in the set design, costumes, makeup, and cinematography.
»Frankenstein« is very high on my personal top ten list of the year. The film has what it takes to become a modern classic, and it will likely often be mentioned in the same breath as James Whale's two classics starring Boris Karloff.
A few more words about Netflix: It's great that the streaming service invested 120 million US dollars and gave Guillermo del Toro total creative control to realize his vision. However, the film only made it to theaters to meet the requirements for Academy Award submissions – resulting in three weeks in just 382 US cinemas. Clearly, Netflix is hoping for a few Oscars to bolster its image and use for advertising to attract new subscribers. »Frankenstein« will henceforth lead a life as content, but this masterpiece deserved more than that. I'm glad I had the chance to see the film in theater, but I would have been pleased if Netflix had shown the respect this work deserves and granted it a longer and wider theatrical release. And some Academy members may well take Netflix's policy into account when deciding whether to award the film.
As a passionate 1/6 scale collector, I naturally want the main characters in my favorite scale as well. That would be a great license for Hot Toys or InArt! In 1/10 scale, Iron Studios is the early bird, presenting Frankenstein's Monster as an Art Scale Statue:
https://www.space-figuren.de/Movies/Frankenstein/1-10-Scale-Frankensteins-Monster-Art-Scale-Statue-Frankenstein::29697.html