Frankenstein

Honestly, I knew I'd enjoy this one but as a major book fan, I still had low expectations in that area... It both met them, surpassed them even, and also failed to in completely different aspects. I loved the costuming and aesthetics. I loved the overall plot and feel of the film. I loved Elizabeth's character in and of herself (I worried about her especially). I love the idea that the creature was always "doomed" even if Victor didn't run away immediately, and the themes of generational trauma (I am also applying it to my love of the PPD metaphor narrative from the book, but I don't think that was exactly intentional—not in that way lol). The creature, in general, as always with me, was my favourite part. Not only do I love his design, even if I'm currently internally debating how canon I find it. I really love it as a film, at least... HOWEVER, my qualms as an adaptation. 1. Starting with this one because it's not entirely a critique and maybe more biased? Victor's given backstory, which is very different from the novel is... okay. It's just okay. It works for the film, and I do like the themes of Victor's mother dying in childbirth if nothing else, but after indulging in plenty of discussions about how Victor's "perfect" parents are actually not so if you squint (main and most clear example is that Victor and Elizabeth's incestuous/pseudo-incestuous (depends on text) "romance" is implicitly just an arranged marriage by grooming rather than force...). There's some really interesting discussions to be had on it, so while I have to say I couldn't have expected otherwise because it seems to be a less popular take or area of interest within the book as is, the backstory Victor has of "good mom dead, dad evil" is, again, fine but a bit boring in comparison lol. 2. I do really love Elizabeth's character in her own right (she's too far removed from the original text to compare them both, but I'm fine with that), and one of my aforementioned worries from the trailer is "oh god she's going to have a romance arc with the creature and be treated as something for him and victor to fight over yet again oh no oh no" and I was relieved when their bond seemed platonic, almost maternal, and I believed this even coming out of the film though her death scene was a bit odd... But no apparently she is this film's stand in for the bride, so there probably are some romantic undertones, even though personally I just think they were unnecessary, especially by that point. She had a much more compelling and charming character without them. I'm ignoring the intention for the rest of time lol. 3. My main gripe is... there is no nuance. The creature doesn't kill anyone (well, bar all those sailors, but there's a plot difference between that at the tail end of Victor and creature's beef rather than it fully starting with the deaths of characters not only Victor loves, but we come to love too) and Victor is called a monster to his face, at least once. It's very much written towards the "Victor is the real monster and the creature did nothing wrong ever" crowd which, maybe controversial, is a take I loathe unfortunately. You don't have to like or dislike either Victor or his creature, but book!Victor is not this horrible Satan spawn unworthy of love and, sympathetic as he is, book!Creature is still a murderer of innocents due to beef he had with someone they just happened to be related to. I really don’t like that the film forgoes this entirely (though... I will admit I do like the ending creature gets because of it; book!Creature probably wouldn't have earned it in canon, but it works here!) 4. More an actual film critique now than an interpretation one, but still reliant on the book I suppose, and possibly part of the reason for the above point? The film spends so much time on Victor's tale especially that, by the time the creature gets around to asking for a companion, we only have half an hour left, even though that's kind of the crux of the drama of the book. I know volume 3 in the book is still the final and shortest bit, but idk the space between "dad i hate you and want a gf" and "dad I love you :((" feels a little bit rushed and maybe even a tad unsatisfying? Again, I really liked the forgiveness in the ending and the creature having joy, but still. I still love it as a film and will probably rewatch at some point once it's out to stream, but unfortunately I just don't like all of GDT's decisions surrounding its primary source material.