Frankenstein 4K 2025

Sometimes the thought creeps in that inside del Toro live a war-traumatized teenage boy—the one behind Hellboy and Pinocchio—and an equally war-traumatized teenage girl—the one behind Pan’s Labyrinth, Crimson Peak, and The Shape of Water—because how else could one treat the experiences of a female audience with such meticulous care and respect in this day and age?

In this film, these two minds worked together to create a remarkable interpretation of the source material, revealing both old and new meanings—at once subtly and directly, just as the director likes it.

Oscar Isaac’s character, Victor, possesses all the traits of every classic “red flag”—from narcissism to a God complex.

And these traits didn’t just appear in him for no reason. The director painted a picture in which a dysfunctional family gives rise to an equally flawed child, forced to grow up with certain psychological abnormalities, which, later on, remain unrecognized and are further obscured by layers of defense mechanisms—causing this cycle of violence to continue when he decides to play God and bring a life into the world, without knowing what to do with it afterward.

The creature, in turn, has a multi-layered image—as an unwanted child, a haunting conscience, and the very embodiment of Adam/Jesus.

The cast initially evoked mixed feelings, but the sets, costumes, and makeup created an atmospheric, even character-defining look, in true del Toro style.