There is a new Frankenstein movie out. In it, The Creature is played by Jacob Elordi. I know you are thinking ‘that sounds ridiculous’ because Elordi is known more than anything else as a Hollywood heartthrob who acted in “The Kissing Booth” franchise, “Saltburn” and the hit show “Euphoria.” His characters in these productions centered around his appearance. In “Pricilla,” it is safe to say that Elordi pleasantly surprised us with his skills. He became Elvis, which is impressive for such a popular 21st-century actor. However, “Frankenstein” is a totally different beast.
“Frankenstein” originated as an 1818 novel by Mary Shelley about a doctor who builds a man from parts of the dead, creating new life. While there have been hundreds of portrayals of “Frankenstein” in cinema, the 1931 version directed by James Whale remains most popular. “Frankenstein” has not been given new life for almost 100 years. I can imagine it is a difficult concept to reinvent. But with all the movie magic available nowadays, director Guillermo Del Toro took the opportunity.
Admittedly, I did not want to watch this movie. It sounded like a waste of time because who cares enough about “Frankenstein” to watch it for that long? Me, apparently. I decided to pop in when my roommates turned it on and got hooked right away.
The film opens with a group of sailors trying to get their giant ship out from the ice that has it trapped. They come across a wounded man with a metal leg and bring him aboard. Before they know it, this large figure comes out and starts attacking the sailors. Shooting the figure brings no success, even with rapid fire. Eventually, the captain decides to aim his gun at the frozen water the figure is standing on, which causes it to fall deep and be left to drown.
Unfortunately, the wounded man informs the captain that this monster cannot die and that it is after him, specifically. When asked what devil created the monster, the man said “me.” Then he goes on to tell the whole story, which allows the majority of the movie to play out chronologically.
It starts with the childhood of this injured man, otherwise known as Victor Frankenstein. His father, with the same name, was extremely harsh. Victor’s mother, whom he loved, died giving birth to Victor’s little brother William, and it’s implied that Victor senior didn’t try to save her. This made Victor an unhappy child, but inspired him to become a better doctor than his father.
In college, Victor is giving a lecture about the limitations of academia, indicating that he has found a solution to the problem of death. He reveals a cadaver with a human skull and chest and arms but no bottom half. He adds on this weird energy source and the cadaver starts moving rapidly. The older scholars freak out and warn Victor that he is going against God’s will by recreating life.
In the audience during this ordeal was Herr Harlander, a wealthy man who was intrigued by Victor’s ideas. He proposed unlimited funds and the creation of a laboratory in return for the ability to watch Victor work and potentially return the favor one day. Victor took the deal but struggled initially to find suitable corpses. The inmates on death row were in too poor condition but Harlander’s patience was running out. Victor took several bodies from a battlefield and brought them back to his lab.
The sequence of Victor taking bits and pieces of body parts and putting them together made me queasy, but it was necessary. I honestly can appreciate gore when it’s not just for the sake of gore. Scary movies tend to include graphic killing scenes to make the audience uncomfortable. The gore here was more fascinating and relevant to the story.
The Creature was born by a strike of lightning after Harlander begged Victor to put his brain in a monster because he was dying of cancer. Victor refused because his body was polluted by the disease and Harlander fell to his death. Victor chained up The Creature in this weird sewer room and took care of him. The only word The Creature knew was “Victor.” Everything was new to him, including the light, the dark, the cold and the warm. Victor soon grew frustrated by The Creature’s lack of cognitive progress and decided he must be destroyed.
Victor poured 100 barrels of gasoline over the laboratory, with The Creature chained up in the basement. He left him there to die, but The Creature used his extreme strength and survival instincts to escape out into the cold. At this point in the current storyline, The Creature comes in where the now-older Victor decides to tell the ship captain what happened to him from there.
The Creature snuck into an old mill barn beside a house with a large family. He watched this family interact for a long time and eventually picked up on their customs. At night, he would build things for them, like a fence for their sheep. The grandfather attributed these acts to the Guardian of the Forest. Eventually, the whole family, except for the grandfather, left for the winter. The grandfather welcomed in The Creature, offering to share food and fire in return for companionship. He taught The Creature how to read and the ways of the world, treating him like a man rather than a monster.
The Creature embarked on a mission to find his creator by returning to the laboratory. He found unrealistically-intact papers that reveal how he was made, and a letter with Victor’s address. He finds Victor, who coldly says he regrets creating something so terrible and refuses The Creature’s request for a companion like him. He can neither die nor live. There’s an altercation later and The Creature vows to follow Victor forever, which we see is true on the ship.
In the end, there’s a moment as Victor dies where he apologizes to The Creature, who forgives him. The captain orders his men to let The Creature descend their ship freely. His final act is using his strength to free the giant ship from its ice trap, allowing the sailors to finally return home.
This movie was definitely long, but well done. Jacob Elordi was almost unrecognizable. Beyond the impressive SFX makeup, Elordi rose to the challenge of becoming unhuman. The dialogue was excellent and seemed to come directly from the novel. One of my only criticisms is the poor CGI action scenes involving wolf attacks and The Creature throwing people. Besides these exceptions, the violence was disturbingly realistic.
Overall Rating: 8/10
