Frankenstein (2025) – REVIEW & COCKTAILS – The Martini Shot

Way back when I was a stupid high school student trying to escape school. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is one of those rare books that managed to catch my attention. It’s a grim story full of mad science, violence, and a lot of people telling the story to other people rather than telling it to the audience. Although Frankenstein is one of the most recognized and misnamed horror icons, many people may not know the whole story. Pop culture has certainly muddied the story a lot with countless adaptations, but the good thing is that the novel itself leaves a lot of room for interpretation. You just have to stick to the basics. A mad genius creates a monster, regrets it, and we learn that maybe humans are actually the real monsters. But that’s just the surface of what this story has to offer. There are many deeper reflections to be had such as parallels to Prometheus and the reckless abandon that drives humans to create, not preserve. And it’s these deeper themes that keep me from loving him outright courtesy of Guillermo del Toro adaptation.

But don’t get it twisted; I’m still having fun with this. It contains the eerie, otherworldly aesthetic that del Toro loves, and he does a solid job with the source material to create a pretty fun gothic adventure. Even so, this was not his best performance. While the performance is great and the world design is stunning to look at, it becomes very predictable not because we’ve seen this story before, but because the story isn’t really used to delve any deeper. The line “men are the real monsters” from the beginning is still at the forefront of the story, which ends feeling tired and stale because it doesn’t fully do Shelley’s work or life justice. The way del Toro weaves the story into fantastical territory is undoubtedly interesting, but at times everything feels apart from the monsters; No greater than the sum of its parts.

What I will give this film credit for is how it parallels the journey of Frankenstein and his creation. Victor, played eccentrically by Oscar Isaachaving been left empty after the death of his mother when he was young. The loss of this rock drives him to fight death under the guise of seeking life. Man, if you want a life, go to the pub, meet someone, make a friend. He has everything to embrace the warmth and joy that life can offer, but his ego drives him into this vile vanity project. The monster, on the other hand, played well physically and emotionally Jacob Sirfighting for things he cannot have; love, friendship, acceptance. His own creation deprives him of those luxuries, but he pursues them anyway, knowing that those luxuries are the foundation of life even though they may only be a few months old. It’s a pretty standard structure, but I think it gets the job done.

Even so, I think the characterization of the two is still lacking. Victor seems to be such a completely irredeemable A-hole that the film ultimately wants us to sympathize. It could be done, but the film doesn’t do it in an interesting way. I think we can do more than just have deathbed regrets, huh? Additionally, the monsters feel too neat and subtle in both their characterization and design. He looks like one of those engineers from Prometheusstrangely. When Elordi’s The performance is solid enough, the humanity comes across a bit too much, which I think hurts the monster’s core. He’s literally just one haircut and makeover away from looking like everyone else, which means not treating people badly because their appearance feels a little bland. Honestly, del Toro’s Shape of Water does a much better job of pushing the envelope a little further. I’m not saying I want the monsters to be a bunch of dirty, sloppy corpses, but…no, wait, I’m saying that.

Hey, but at least he ends up destroying anyone who gets in his way. Look, this may feel like overkill, but there are some pretty enjoyable instances of gore and violence here that at times feels like a slasher film. Sure, it’s too much of a crowd pleaser, but I like my gothic horror with a little blood and spit. The entire film is actually nothing like that, as I found most of the set design and stylistic choices to be aesthetic rather than grim and grimy. But that doesn’t mean the visuals aren’t good. The attention to detail in these large, colorful sets is stunning, even if it essentially makes no sense beyond what the story requires. Even so, del Toro’s the commitment to physical construction paid off tenfold…but mostly just for the set design.

I was a bit disappointed by how flashy the CG was in this. Of course, this makes sense for certain things like an attack by a pack of wolves or an electrical explosion, but there are some other uses that just make things cheesier. Like, in the beginning, Victor briefly brings this half-human back to life. It feels like a very simple puppet or animatronic, but it’s a very striking CGI creature, whose rubbery nature erases any shock of seeing a corpse come to life. I don’t know if this is Netflix’s request or what, but I wish more practicality could be implemented.

So, in adapting classic literature, it takes more than just copying pages onto the screen. It takes a basic understanding of the subtext to truly make up for what is lost when you move from book to film. I think del Toro has an emotional connection to this story, as evidenced by his love of the misunderstood outcasts who often lead his stories. He does all that pretty well, but at this point, do we really need to see him again? I think it’s natural to be satisfied with a “humans are the real monsters” story, but what good does this do to improve the original work? The film almost delves into something deeper, but these revelations only come in small doses. For example, the film occasionally plays with the idea of ​​a man taking on the role of birth giver, for example. Victor was so obsessed with the idea of ​​creation that he completely forgot about the mountains of time and devotion that would have followed it. This is very interesting, because this concept is not a foreign concept if we see a family where the man wants to constantly pump the baby but hands it over to the mother to raise. Has this theme really come full circle? Not too. The film has a problem where it gets so wrapped up in its own greatness that it forgets to bring the little details to the fore.

This feels like the accomplishment of a lifetime journey Del Torobut if you think about it, now it feels like that Already achieved this through his other works. That’s why it’s 2025 Frankenstein it can sometimes feel like a recast for the director. It’s as stylish and grand as we’d expect, but ultimately falls short of the director’s work or for the director’s work. Mary Shelley’s work. It’s a fun film that certainly gets the gist of what the original novel was trying to convey, but overall, the film only feels so deep. I did enjoy it for what it’s worth, but unfortunately book lovers may need to keep looking. May I suggest Julia Duciurnau give him an opening. I think he’s got the level of weirdness that this story needs.

RATING

Corpse BACK 1818

Corpse refreshment cocktails have been around for decades, potentially offering you a hangover cure with less of the hair of the dog. Let me offer you a man’s hair that I dug up from a grave. This twist on a lively cocktail contains many of the same ingredients, but uses yellow green for a hint of spiciness and lime juice for a smoother but still delicious final product. Now, I can’t guarantee that this will actually bring a corpse back to life, but if you’re dead, why not give yourself a nice cocktail? That’s what I thought.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 ounces of drink
• 1/2oz Lillet Blanc
• 1/2oz green yellow green
• 1/4oz absinthe
• 1/2 ounce lime juice
• 1/4oz simple syrup
• decoration: chalk wheel

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add ingredients to a shaker and shake with ice.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass.
3. Garnish with a lime wheel. If desired, twist and prick until it forms a spiral shape.