Del Toro and Marilyn Menson (Derbez in When) : Cinescopia

The most beloved fatty in cinema in Mexico returns with his own version of the Mary Shelley classic, Frankensteinone of the director’s great dreams. And, although he returns with decent levels (considering the incomprehensible Nightmare Alley and the overrated The Shape of Water, whatever), Frankenstein is not even close to Del Toro’s best times.

We don’t need to tell you what Frankenstein is about, right? If you answered yes, go back to Secondary School. In this adaptation, Guillermo himself writes a script that draws towards the more ‘human’ side of the monster and how it can be a reflection of the human condition. The film is divided into 2 parts, the first focuses on telling the story of Victor Frankenstein, showing a little of the traumas he grew up with, explaining his creative/curious psyche. And the second, completely in the ways of the Monster/Creature, his desires to ‘love’ and be loved and society’s disgust towards him.

Narratively it shows us Del Toro’s ambition to deliver something big, structured, that reflects the seriousness with which he recreates the myth of Frankenstein. Dividing the story in two may seem like a good idea to better understand this approach, however, the parts are not equal, I mean manufacturing and narrative.

The first part shines through a lavish Oscar Isaac, on point in his representation of the traumatized being that Frankenstein was. The direction and production design are 100% Del Toro, not towards horror, but in the territory dominated by the Guadalajara, fantastic, visual, dark… Although it is true that the rhythm at times drops, making that first part feel a little long, we will also see that compared to the second, it is a total success.

And the second part takes a nosedive for several reasons, the main one, and perhaps most personal for the writer here, is Jacob Elordi’s makeup and hair. We won’t say anything about her face, all beautiful like that of a smiling Peruvian llama (although it is one of the reasons why the character doesn’t work), because the man puts all his effort into it, he does what he can with what he has. But from the first moment you see his long hair you will remember Derbez’s parody of Marilyn Manson. Sorry, yes, you will never see Jacob the same way again.

Jokes aside, the truth is that not only Elordi is a miscast in Frankensteinbut the narrative part begins to go around in circles, only lengthening things and adding perhaps unnecessary drama, which had been disguised very well during the 1st part. Lacking the necessary histrionics, Jacob is never on Oscar Isaac’s level, making his interactions suffer a bit and seem overly put together.

It should be mentioned that, while the production design and cinematography shine, the special effects fail in several scenes, giving a sense of falseness that is too distracting.

As in almost all of Del Toro’s films, the acting direction is very good. We already mentioned that Oscar Isaac gives one of his best performances and we will surely see him with nominations in the awards season. We’re not going to beat poor Elordi any more, because it’s not his fault, it’s Andrew Garfield’s who dropped out of the project and who surely would have done it better. The thing about Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz is a shame, because their characters can be key to the story, but they are ignored and therefore feel wasted, sadly if they didn’t exist, the film would be the same.

Frankenstein is not a bad film, it has great moments and Oscar Isaac’s performance, but Elordi’s miscasting and the redundant nature of some things make it falter. Del Toro fulfills his dream of Frankenstein, but his creature does not come to life. She will surely be a fan favorite and will be highly nominated in the awards season, which lately seems to be what the chubby Guadalajara aspires to.

Tags: Christoph WaltzFrankensteinGuillermo Del ToroJacob ElordiMia GothOscar Isaac