Frankenstein; or, The Modern Poe Dameron
“I am by birth a Massassi, and my family is one of the most distinguished of that republic.” - Poe Dameron, Rebel Pilot.
If anyone is going to make a new Frankenstein movie, Guillermo del Toro seems as good a pick as any. And what a gothic masterpiece he’s given us. Frankenstein is told in two parts, Victor’s tale, and The Creature’s tale, following an opening prelude where the Danish Navy, stuck in ice at the North Pole, finds and rescues Victor Frankenstein, then fights his monster. It’s a thrilling opening and I was bought in from the start.
Frankenstein adaptations vary in quality and faithfulness to the source material, the 1818 classic novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, written by Mary Shelley. Each adaptation uses the legendary Gothic novel as a starting point to tell its own story. It’s been a minute since I read the novel, but this is a worthy addition to the adaptations that have come before it.
Del Toro seems the perfect director for this, having established an ability to visually tell beautiful gothic tales, Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, and The Shape of Water being the best examples of his style. And he tells this story with gusto. It’s easy to say this movie looks great. Each setting, each character, the costumes, backdrops, and most special effects look gothic, timeless, dark, and interesting. Visually, the movie is a masterpiece.
Victor tells his story, starting with his harsh upbringing under the tutelage of his doctor father. We soon find out Victor is a genius with a particular skill in understanding human anatomy, and with a drive to extend life. We all know where this is going. Financed and influenced by his brother’s fiancé’s uncle, who has a desire to extend his life and believes Victor’s experiments can lead him there. Victor is smitten with Elizabeth, his future sister in law-which uhhh complicates things.
Eventually, through much trial and error and a heavy dose of power, Victor’s creation is ALIVE!
I really enjoy Oscar Isaac, and he’s excellent in this role. I’ll always see him as Poe, but he makes a good Victor here, too. All of the acting is well done.
Watching the same story told from each perspective is fascinating. The one shared thread is betrayal. Eventually Victor and the Creature confront one another after an epic final battle and settle their debts to one another.
This movie could have been a bit longer if you can believe that. I think Netflix probably reminded del Toro about modern attention spans and steered him into hugging the two-hour run time. Honestly, I could have watched a bit more, maybe seen some of the threads more clearly expanded upon. But, as told this is a fun and visually stunning adaptation of a beloved classic novel told masterfully.
