TIFF 2025 Review: Guillermo del Toro’s FRANKENSTEIN Finds the Beauty in Being a “Monster”

Beautifully tragic and instantly captivating, Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein is a gothic horror and sci-fi masterpiece. It's a familiar tale, yet told with a scale and intimacy we've rarely seen, anchored by an emotional core focused on parenthood, obsession, and what it truly means to be human.

This is a passion project that del Toro has been working toward for years, but also one that horror fans have been aware of and have been eagerly anticipating. Although del Toro is often categorized as a "horror" director and enthusiastically embraces the genre, he's been careful to downplay the amount of "horror" in this film for good reason. There are expectations from general audiences when they hear "horror" and associate that word with jump scares and/or gore. But those who are fans of del Toro's work know that he's so often focused on the emotionality and humanity surrounding perceived monsters over scares, whether it's Hellboy, the creature in The Shape of Water, or, in this case, Frankenstein's "Monster."

Adaptations of Mary Shelley's groundbreaking classic vary in terms of how much focus goes to Frankenstein versus the creature and secondary characters. In del Toro's version, he's laser-focused on the relationship between Victor (Oscar Isaac) and his creation (Jacob Elordi), including how external forces shape their view of the world and each other. There's a weaving of perspective from Victor's and the Monster's points of view that's very effective in keeping your attention while building to a satisfying conclusion.

The all-star cast brings del Toro's vision to life in a way that feels like an epic stage play, but it's Jacob Elordi who steals the show, infusing compassion and humanity into Frankenstein's "monster" in a way that we've never seen before. Elordi is 6' 5" and brings a physicality to the role that, combined with a Bernie Wrightson-inspired look and del Toro's take on the creature's physiology, makes this Frankenstein's Monster one of the most formidable we've seen. Like usual for del Toro films, and a credit to Robin D. Cook for the casting of this one, the casting feels perfect, with strong performances across the board from Oscar Isaac (who has a lot of the heavy lifting to do), Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, Felix Kammerer, and other familiar faces you'll recognize in supporting roles.

At 2 hours and 29 minutes, folks who are familiar with this story may find the runtime to be a hindrance, but by the time it was all finished, I found that I wasn't ready for the film to end. Although I found the film to have a satisfying story and conclusion, details I've heard through interviews suggest that storylines for secondary characters in the script had to be shaved to preserve runtime. As is often said, the film is found in the edit, and del Toro made exactly the movie he wanted to, with a beautiful, profound exploration of what it means to be human. That said, there's a part of me that would love to see an expanded 3+ hour version of this story extending and expanding secondary characters. Going into any more detail in this review would venture into spoiler territory, so this will be a discussion expanded upon at a later time, but I was so entranced by the magnificent production and performances that I wasn't yet ready to leave this world that del Toro had crafted.

At the TIFF premiere, del Toro said that empathy "is the new punk rock." It's clear that he had a specific focus and throughline for this film's story and characters, focusing on father and son, creator and creature, and humankind's lack of humanity and empathy. While any adaptation has its deviations and this certainly does, del Toro's vision for Frankenstein feels like one of the closest we've seen to adapting the spirit of Mary Shelley's groundbreaking novel. With massive, intricately crafted sets and clothing, a vibrant color palette, and a focus on practical work that will make any monster kid smile, fans of del Toro's work, especially Crimson Peak, will feel right at home with an intentional focus on character over horror and the beauty in being a "monster."

Movie Score: 4/5