Frankenstein

❝I never considered what would come after creation. In having reached the edge of the Earth, there was no horizon left.❞ 𐄁──── ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ .* :☆ﾟ.────𐄁 I would say that Frankenstein was one of my most anticipated releases of 2025, and as a lover of Mary Shelley's timeless novel, it was beautifully executed. One of the main issues I saw in a lot of reviews I read was that this film is very different in many ways to the original story. And ordinarily I'd agree since I prefer accurate adaptations. But Guillermo del Toro's adaptation reimagines certain elements and characters to adapt with the fantasy genre while still preserving the soul of the novel, and the product is a piece of art that I believe has the best of both worlds. Another huge problem I saw people had was with the inclusion of a quote from Lord Byron at the end of the film. To that I say: please look into Mary's relationship with Byron and Percy, and read the 1831 revised edition published under her name, because he was key in helping the publication of the novel. I know that, in general, he was a pretty bad man, but he was integral to the release of this fantastic story. When reading the novel, there's a lot of nuance between the good and bad within Victor and The Creature. Both of them aren't innocent by any stretch of the imagination, but they aren't inherently evil, either (although I was a little more sympathetic towards The Creature). In the film, the characterisation is very different; Victor's actions and personality make him much more hateable, while The Creature is portrayed in a virtuous/blameless manner. Now, going back to other elements of the film: I was blown away by the production design. Frankenstein has some of the most gorgeous sets and costumes I've ever seen, and everything was infused with del Toro's magical, spooky aesthetic; I don't think I was able to digest what I was seeing in its entirety. Adding Alexandre Desplat's haunting score into the mix just elevated things further. Oscar Isaac was brilliant in the titular role, but Jacob Elordi really took me by surprise. I've never seen any of his works before, and the most I know of him is from those stupid Kissing Booth films. He was exactly how I imagined The Creature, and I genuinely couldn't take my eyes off him in every scene he was in. The way he moved (which he apparently studied butoh dance to master; check it out if you haven't heard of it before because it's amazing) and the minute changes in his facial expressions and body language were that of a master of his craft. The cast in their entirety did excellently, though, and I couldn't find many flaws at all in their performances. Frankenstein should've had a much longer and widespread release in cinemas, because a film this stunning and epic deserves to be admired on the big screen. I think it's one of my favourites from this year, and I definitely need to rewatch it to absorb all the fine details better.