Film Review: Frankenstein

Welcome back to the blog readers. Now that the dust has settled on the Academy Award nominations, I get to start up my Best Picture Expedition proper. In case you were not around last year, the Best Picture Expedition is where I venture to watch every film nominated for the highest honor: Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Watching this film was going to put me at halfway since I had already seen F1, Sinners, Marty Supreme, and One Battle After Another (all 2025). Would this be a worthy nominee for the prestigious award? Stick around to find out.

Frankenstein was written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, based on the 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley. The film stars Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, David Bradley, Christian Convery, Lars Mikkelsen, Charles Dance, and Christoph Waltz. In the film, an egotistical scientist conducts a lifelong experiment to create eternal life, but realizes soon after that it has dangerous and disastrous consequences for everyone involved.

If I can be honest with you for a second, not only have I not seen a Frankenstein adaptation, and not only have I not read the Mary Shelley novel on which this film is based, I have only ever seen one film directed by Guillermo del Toro. Shocked yet? Want to guess which one that was? With that being said, I went into this one with great optimism since I love Oscar Isaac. Thankfully, my optimism was rewarded with a damn good film that stuck with me. The performances (especially from Isaac and Jacob Elordi) were brilliant, as was the script, music, and cinematography.

First off, I want to praise the performance of Oscar Isaac. Isaac has been someone in the business I have loved ever since he took on the role of Poe Dameron in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and its respective sequels The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019). But in taking on the legendary character of Victor Frankenstein, I saw a side of him that I have never seen before. There is a desperation in Victor's actions that Isaac plays so well. There is a drive that really leaves you conflicted on whether Victor is a good guy who is flawed or a bad guy with bad intentions. Isaac plays this complexity brilliantly, and should have gotten some more award love than he did.

Speaking of award love, I have to say that I really was not familiar with Jacob Elordi's game. Yeah, I know he plays the pretty boy in the popular HBO series Euphoria (2019-26), he has played Elvis in the film Priscilla (2023), and has appeared in Saltburn (2023) (and will appear in the upcoming "Wuthering Heights" (2026)), but I really did not have any expectations for him when he took on the role of the Creature. I was baffled when I saw him getting a whole lot of awards love (including an Oscar nomination), but I can absolutely see it after watching this film. He delivers a power to the role that I never could have imagined. And this is because the role is more physical than anything. Not only does he bring a power to the role, he brings a pain as well, and it is really engaging to say the least. I never thought I would be saying this three weeks ago, but Jacob Elordi absolutely deserves his nomination.

The next thing I need to talk about is in regards to the script and themes of this film. Guillermo del Toro is the scribe for this film, and this is his third nomination for Screenplay at the Oscars: he was nominated for Original Screenplay for both Pan's Labyrinth (2006) and The Shape of Water (2017), and Adapted Screenplay for this film. And the screenplay did something almost thought impossible: giving humanity to Frankenstein's monster (referred to in this film as the Creature). Not only is this theme one that is prevalent throughout this film, but the idea of what it means to be human. I really resonated with the script and was hanging on every word that was said.

Next up, I want to talk about the Oscar-nominated score by Alexandre Desplat. Desplat is one of the more prestigious names when it comes to composing. If you want your film to be scored by someone considered to be a great, he is one of the guys you go to. As a two-time winner of Best Original Score (for The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) and The Shape of Water), Desplat brings a dark and dreary undertone to a score that is equal parts regal and bombastic. There is a reason this score is Oscar-nominated, and although it will not win, it definitely deserves its place there.

The final thing I want to leave you guys on for this review is with the cinematography of this film. Dan Laustsen is the director of photography for this film, and it is totally okay if you do not know his name. He has shot the last three mainline John Wick films, as well as del Toro's last three films. He brings a fast-paced effort that also is what I would consider to be "controlled chaos." Close-ups of our characters feel grand and royal when he is at the helm. Camera swivels and pivots are done with grace. Certain angles are meant to make you feel paranoid and claustrophobic. Laustsen was also Oscar nominated for his work, and he clearly deserves it based on what I have seen.

In conclusion, Frankenstein is a haunting and beautiful look at what it means to be human that contains some amazing imagery and performances. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.