Frankenstein

ok i have a lot to say i absolutely adore Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, it is genuinely one of my favourite books of all time, and i know that this wasn’t supposed to be an accurate adaptation but a slightly different version of the story with a lot of creative liberty and Guillermo del Toro’s personal twist, so i went in with no expectations for this movie… and i LOVED it i think this is Guillermo del Toro’s greatest masterpiece – his most personal and poetic creation yet Firstly, knowing about his background –how he was raised, his relationship with his father– really brings the storytelling into perspective because it’s his own story told through Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The way Victor begins his story with his father emphasises the importance of that relationship and its influence on how the events of the story play out. It’s the dynamic between father and son that repeats itself throughout generations. The way Victor treated the creature was an exact reflection of how his father treated him, which is in itself a projection of Del Toro’s relationship with his father and with his own children. With the ending having Victor apologise to the creature and finally acknowledging him as his son, it’s like Del Toro becoming aware of his own actions as a father and apologising to his children through the film. i found the themes of the story so beautifully portrayed my gOD. The irrevocably intertwined circular dance of life and death – Victor’s fascination with death and his ambition to overcome it. How he went from trying to beat death to wanting to create life – he desired omnipotence and longed for immortality. He viewed his creation as an extension of himself. The creature is a projection of his own self hatred as well as a representation of purity and innocence. Victor becomes envious of his creature’s pure qualities of which he himself does not possess, he grows hateful and impatient towards him in the same way his father was with him. Elizabeth also expresses how she longs to find that purity in mankind, and when she sees it in the creature she becomes taken with it, which makes Victor all the more resentful as he is deeply in love with her. In the second part, through the telling of his side of the story, the creature enlightens Victor with a distinct perspective on life and death. He is cursed with the one thing Victor longed to obtain – immortality – for it comes with the never ending bleeding, aching, and suffering. This opens Victor’s mind to seeing death as a blessing, and in the acceptance of the inevitable he apologises to his creature, acknowledges him as his son, and embraces death. Just as the creature forgives him and accepts his immortal fate. Bringing the story to its poetic end. Moral of the story is that chasing god-like power always leads to self destruction. Lastly, THE COSTUMES? hello?? absolutely stunning – love the colour symbolism throughout each of Elizabeth’s looks. - Wearing the white dress covered in blood as she faces death, experiencing her last moments with the act of kindness she had wished to see from mankind – the visuals of that whole scene are simply breathtaking. - The red details that matched Victor’s mother’s dress – hinting at Victor’s vision of his mother in Elizabeth and the attraction he felt towards her because of the similarities between the two. - And of course the looks that were directly inspired by her love for insects and nature. In conclusion, movie adaptations always slap when there’s a personal connection between the original story and the interpreter. Guillermo del Toro is a true artist who knows how to bring his vision to life and evoke a multitude of emotions in the audience <3