On Oct. 17 2025, the public was introduced to a new retelling of the famous gothic classic, “Frankenstein.” This movie is the product of more than 20 years of work by director Guillermo del Toro. The movie features extremely talented actors, including Oscar Issac as the titular character Victor Frankenstein, Jacob Elordi as the Creature, and Mia Goth as Elizabeth.
Before the movie came the book. “Frankenstein” or “The Modern Prometheus,” written by Mary Shelley, is often considered the origin of the sci-fi genre. This innovative piece has influenced many stories and has also been adapted numerous times. The story explores themes of revenge, nature versus nurture, the cycle of abuse, and the dangers of creation.
Some may wonder about the origins of the alternate title “The Modern Prometheus.” The myth of Prometheus parallels certain aspects of “Frankenstein,” particularly the consequences of creation. The original story, as well as the many adaptations, follow this theme as much of Victor Frankenstein’s troubles stem from his “failed” creation.
Del Toro may have been working on this movie for over 20 years, but his connection to the story of Frankenstein actually goes back to his childhood. As a young boy, Del Toro watched James Whale’s “Frankenstein.” From then on, he became obsessed with sci-fi, and this fixation would shape his career.
A few years later, he would read the novel that the movie was based on. He would go on to say that Mary Shelley was the most inspiring person from the English world in his life as he accepted his BAFTA for “The Shape of Water.” The influence of her work can be seen in many of his films, as he explores the various themes of “Frankenstein” in his other works.
For example, in Del Toro’s movie “Pinocchio,” he focuses on the relationship between the creator and the created. He does this through the relationship between Geppetto and Pinocchio and the back and forth between the two as Geppetto struggles to understand Pinocchio. This theme runs throughout the whole film.
Additionally, he explores the idea of humanity’s tendency to fear the unfamiliar. After Pinocchio is created, the townspeople are quick to judge him, and this reflects the reaction people have to the Creature in both the book “Frankenstein” and the film. Though this theme isn’t as strongly focused on, it nonetheless demonstrates how Mary Shelley’s book has influenced Del Toro’s work as a filmmaker.
After years of hard work and pondering, Del Toro began to work on his lifelong passion project, Frankenstein. In each frame, you can see his dedication and all of the amazing people involved. In the Netflix behind-the-scenes mini documentary “Frankenstein: The Anatomy Lesson,” we get to see just how much thought each department put into the movie.
Del Toro made changes to the original story, especially Victor’s backstory, but these changes are for good reason. In an interview with The Independent, he is quoted saying, “There are large portions of the movie that are autobiographical for me… I do that because [Shelley] basically wrote an autobiography of her soul.”
Many of the changes being critiqued are actually creative choices that resemble the choices Shelley made in her creative process. If you look closely, you will see that much of Victor’s backstory aligns with Del Toro’s own history. Much like Victor, Del Toro’s ideas were rejected because of the church’s beliefs, and similarly to Victor, he found support in his mother, who fed his creativity despite the church’s opinion.
Despite this, it would be wrong to say that his adaptation is entirely faithful to the original text. Some of the characters, including the main characters, have had drastic changes from the original characterization. These changes were not made for autobiographical reasons but rather for plot structure and thematic emphasis.
First of all, Elizabeth is made to be the embodiment of goodness and a passive soul in the book. Meanwhile, the film portrays Elizabeth as a more complex character. In the movie, she acts as the opposite of Victor and challenges his thinking. Moreover, she has more independence in the film than Elizabeth ever did in the book. This change was likely made to paint Victor as the villain through the contrast of his character and Elizabeth’s.
Then there is William’s character, who has been drastically changed from the book and the movie. In the book, William is the first victim of the Creature, and he is also killed as a young boy rather than as an adult, like in the movie. Some speculate that this character change was made to emphasize the tense relationship between Victor and his father that fostered their abusive relationship.
Since the film’s theatrical release on Oct. 17 and its Netflix release on Nov. 7 last year, the film has received high praise from critics and fans alike. Some of the awards it received include:
- 11 Critics’ Choice Awards nominations and 3 wins
- 1 Gotham Vanguard Tribute and an additional nomination
- 10 Satellite Award nominations (the ceremony hasn’t happened yet)
- 5 Golden Globe nominations
- 9 Oscar nominations (the ceremony hasn’t happened yet)
These are just to name a few awards and nominations the film received, and with the awards season coming up there are likely more to come with the positive reception the film has had so far. Let’s just say we’re excited to see what’s in store for the classic tale of a modern Prometheus.
