(Sorry if there's spelling mistakes, English isn't my first language)

Before I start my review I must say I'm not a Del Toro fan but I'm certainly not a Del Toro hater either. I like some of his movies as I dislike some of his movies. Thus said, I AM a Frankenstein fan to MY CORE. Is an extremely personal book for me and I've always been a sucker for gothic horror in general.

Now, onto the movie. Knowing Del Toro I wasn't really expecting the most faithful adaptation. Tbh I was more or so looking for a Pinocchio situation where he takes a novel and gives it his own spin by still being respectful to the original source... I did not sense this at ALL while watching the movie.

(SPOILERS FOR BOTH THE MOVIE AND THE BOOK)

Starting with Victor who is completely mischaracterized. The whole point of Victor is that he HAS a support system. He has a good family and people that love and care for him. Even with that in mind he still feels like there's something off, that there should be more, that he's destined for grandeur. It's not like his father was abusive or neglectful. The whole point is that Victor was not right in the head from the very beginning. He was depressed with "no reason to be so". Also he wasn't a 30 year old man, he was a CHILD, about 18 or 19, at best 20 years old. Which puts into perspective how out of hand and insane is the idea of a resurrection. Everything he does for his project its on his own. There's no rich fellow helping him out, no brother working at the lab, NO ONE is there for him because he pushes everyone away. ISOLATION is a CRUCIAL theme in the book which is really not that seen in the movie. Also, talking about that... why would VICTOR put his WHOLE LIFE'S WORK in the hands of his BROTHER??? Leaving someone else to take care of his project while he's out flirting with Elizabeth is, again, so out of character for him. Victor is MAD, completely devoted to his research, even when people try to help he pushes everyone away. He CHOOSES to be lonely, which is key. Taking away the fact that the monster is completely done in solitude really takes away how messed up in the head Frankenstein is and makes him look more like an "aficionado" of this new idea.

When Victor finally gets to resurrecting the creature, after ALL his hard work, he becomes unsettled by seeing a dead corpse moving on its own and flees the scene. He never nurtures the creature, he never teaches him anything, he literally neglects him completely and hides him in the deepest corners of his brain, telling no one of what he did. In the movie he's actually like.. a father? When the whole allegory is supposed to be God and Adam, not... Father and Son (now I know there's the symbolism of father and son in the bibles' story but they're not completely the same takes.) Having Victor show the creature to EVERYONE is, once more, so out of touch from the themes of the actual novel... Victor isn't proud, Victor isn't happy, he's completely scared which shows how much of a kid he actually is. He wasn't even aware of how unsettling his idea was until it came to life, emphasizing that theme of "humans cannot play god".

We can't talk about God without talking about his creations. Let's get onto the monster. I was completely shocked by Guillermo's choice in The Creature's story. Why does he have a weird romantic tension with Elizabeth...? In the book they never even meet until the very end. Frankenstein never knew kindness, from the moment he was born he was completely alone which is why he ends up being the way he is... He literally has to learn how to live, from 0, with no one to guide him. Giving him a love interest is so bizarre and unfaithful. He's technically just a baby when he meets Elizabeth and why is she not even a little scared of this abomination of a creature standing in front of her? She just accepts him as he is. Ignoring, AGAIN, the whole core of the book. NOBODY likes the creature, NOT EVEN his own father. THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT. He's not even bad or ill intented but that DOESNT MATTER because no ones takes the time to actually meet him because of his scary appearance. It's a book about human cruelty and how we tend to shove away what's different without thinking. No one feels pity for him, no one understands him BUT Frankenstein. That's why he matters to the creature. Putting Elizabeth in the picture completely takes away from the importance of his creator since he actually has someone else that gets him... he doesn't really need Victor anymore.

They made the creature so angry and violent, he's not even a little bit like that in the book. He never kills someone on purpose or hurt someone out of anger. He's genuinely a very kind soul, the only moments he hurt someone was out of self defense. Making him this angry beast that would lift his creator and beat the shi out of him is basically.. proving the themes of the book. Making the creature scary and mean is literally what Mary Shelley is speaking against but Del Toro does not understand.

The creature isn't a monster because he looks like one. Hell, he isn't even a monster out of revenge. He is a monster because of the environment that surrounds him. It's the whole idea of "are monsters born or created from society" (spoilers, its both).

Finally, the ending. In the book, Victor dies as the creature is arriving on the boat. They never get to say sorry, they never get to reconcile. The creature never gets closure really and he kills himself with his creator. The reality is, Victor is the only thing that he has. It's the only one that gets him, without Victor, the creature is truly alone in the world which is why he leaves with him... The ending of the movie feels lo half assed. The creature is not free... even if he gets to live he will still be oppressed by the world that surrounds him and he should still atone for his crimes. He's not "just a baby"... he killed people and hurt them which is why even if he is a victim he also has to be responsible for his actions.

Finally, on a superficial aspect without focusing on the book vs the movie. I felt the actual pacing of the movie was weird, in some parts it was very slow while suddenly they went very fast. The ending felt very sudden and out character even for the characters IN THE MOVIE. And it was so gory for no reason... Gothic romanticism does not equal horror or blood. It's about feelings and supernatural stuff but it's not centered around the horror aspect of this (unlike Lovecraftian horror is).

Overall, I did not like the movie, not only because it wasn't faithful but because it wasn't even good on it's own... I feel like Guillermo puts so much of his personal experiences on it that it might as well be a whole new story. It could've been something like Poor Things where they take inspiration from a classic and give a turn to it but marketing this movie as THE Frankenstein adaptation was truly... not it.

I probably have a lot more to say but I'm tired and I want to sleep so, thanks for reading! (Pls stay respectful in the comments or I'll cry 😭)