Review: Guillermo del Toro’s FRANKENSTEIN is a gothic masterpiece of horror and heart

I was waiting to see Guillermo Del Torothe vision of Frankenstein for years, and now that it’s finally here, I can say it was worth it. I loved the movie!

Del Toro has made a film with a story that sticks with you. You feel it in your chest, this is a story that has been brewing in Del Toro’s mind for years and you can see that passion in every single frame. Thanks to Netflix, he finally got the chance to make his own movie and the result is simply phenomenal.

The visuals, the pacing, the characters, the wonderful performances. It’s a rich and elegant film. The design of the Creature, the dark atmosphere, the old world textures, everything draws you into this bleak and tragic world.

Del Toro understands that horror is not just fear. It’s about what scares us as people, and in this case, it’s the horror of rejection, of creating without love, of trying to make sense of a world where we feel we don’t belong.

Oscar Isaac he plays Victor Frankenstein as if he were burning from the inside, the perfect balance of ego and desperation. He brings a kind of dangerous energy to Victor that makes him compelling to watch.

Then there is Giacobbe Elordi as the Creature, and gave an amazing performance that I wasn’t expecting. This version of the monster is not the one you’ve seen in countless other adaptations. Elordi makes him extraordinarily human. It’s a raw performance that manages to be more sad than scary. My Gothic he’s also fantastic because his presence has a disturbing elegance and fits perfectly into this world.

Del Toro doesn’t just tell the story of Frankensteinreshapes it. He shifts the classic perspective of “playing God” into something more personal, he talks about a man who tries and fails to be a father. This reformulation turns the entire story into something deeper.

This is a film about broken people trying to fill the void with love, power, or purpose, and it’s not afraid to sit in that pain.

At its center, Frankenstein it’s not just a story about science gone wrong, it’s about the unbearable weight of abandonment and the human need for connection. Guillermo del Toro leans into the emotional layers of Mary Shelley’s novel, framing the relationship between Victor and his creation as failed parenting rather than simple arrogance.

It becomes a tragic exploration of what happens when a creator refuses to love what he or she created, and the consequences that come with that refusal. The Creature’s journey isn’t just driven by revenge, it’s a search for meaning, identity, and belonging in a world that sees him as a mistake.

That desire, combined with Victor’s growing sense of guilt, transforms this monstrous story into something deeply personal and disturbingly relatable.

I loved how much empathy is built into this film. Switching between Victor’s perspective and the Creature’s gives you a full and painful picture of their dynamic. Neither are purely villains or victims. They’re stuck in this brutal cycle of abandonment and desire, and when it finally breaks, it becomes quite emotional.

Their final moments together were the most touching I’ve seen in a film this year between two strong characters.

As for the Frankenstein images, they are absolutely fascinating. Every frame is meticulously crafted and Del Toro builds a cold, decadent, gothic world that is full of life and texture.

While the film has horror vibes with its dark story, gothic imagery, disturbing body horror, monsters, violence and blood. Underneath it all is a story about forgiveness, about what it means to be created, to be left behind, to be hated for existing.

Frankenstein it manages to be both gorgeous and heartbreaking. It’s a movie about monsters and how the real ones aren’t always the ones with scars or stitches.

I’m so happy to have seen it on the big screen. Frankenstein It’s visually huge, it’s the kind of cinematic experience that deserves a proper theatrical release, even if Netflix only gave it a limited run.

If you get a chance to see it in the cinema, don’t think twice. The size of this thing, the detailed set design, the stunning gothic imagery, it deserves to tower over you and be seen on the big screen.

Del Toro has achieved something honest and surprising here. Something elegant, tragic and completely captivating. When you watch it, I hope you like it!