Frankenstein is a tale of what happens when a craftsman receives nearly unlimited funding for a heart-wrenching project, only to realise the bankroller’s hand has intentions of its own. Where the Creature (Jacob Elordi) would look different without Henrich Harlander’s (Christopher Waltz) investment, so too would this film without its obnoxious $120 million Netflix budget.
I can’t fault del Toro’s ambition; his prosthetics were crafted to precision, and their tangibility was reflected in the quality of the acting. The clarity of the camera – like a microscope on his technical accomplishments – allowed the viewer front row seats to the aesthetic sceptical. Layering symbolism upon symbolism, each backstage creator was given their shining moment: with Elizabeth’s (Mia Goth) stand-out green silhouettes against the men’s industrial tones and the CGI red crimson angels of Victor Frankenstein’s (Oscar Isaac) nightmares.
You could feel the passion behind the script; del Toro’s long-standing sympathy for Frankenstein’s Creature bore through the plot and the central five’s interpersonal dynamics shed an introspective light on family breakdown. The addition of Harlandar – Elizabeth’s arms-dealing uncle – was the highlight of the adaptation by his sheer relevance to the plot: an unethically wealthy man with wanton disregard for other’s lives, who pours resources into saving his own. The narcissistic unity he finds with Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) invigorates the story for the modern audience, those who still rage against God’s ambivalence to death.The above creative exercises are the gift of a big budget spectacle; yet, as it progressed, I found myself wishing they’d restrain themselves a little. Drastic moments – fights on the ice-locked ship and explosions in Frankenstein’s gothic tower – looked and sounded like a Netflix show (think Snowpiercer). The hyperrealism of the CGI combined with formulaic dialogue in the opening and final scene meant that, ultimately, it was a sandwich success: the filling was marvellous, but the bread was just Hovis.
“Guillermo del Toro by Gage Skidmore 3” by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
