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Director Guillermo del Toro adapting Mary Shelley’s iconic novel “Frankenstein,” seems a match made in cinema heaven. With del Toro’s trademark dark style and Shelley’s 1818 novel setting the bar that gothic fiction has been attempting to match for more than two centuries, when Netflix confirmed the project, I was invested before seeing a single frame. “Frankenstein” is now streaming on Netflix (as of Nov. 7), but after watching the movie for myself in theaters late last month, I can’t help but think an awful lot of viewers are going to consume this gothic epic in a way that del Toro perhaps didn’t intend. Its stunning visuals and meticulous production design are where this movie shines, and unless you have a home cinema worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, those strengths will only be blunted by streaming it at home. Even one of the best TVs can’t match a cinema. Moving beyond its incredible aesthetics (which are paired with a note-perfect score), this spin on “Frankenstein” manages to be both broadly faithful to the source material, while also somewhat missing the point. Or, at the very least, dropping the subtlety that has made Shelley’s novel such an enduring classic that has been read and analyzed for more than 200 years. Rarely have I walked out of my local multiplex with such an internal conflict. There’s so much about “Frankenstein” that I adore, but also a hollowness about its spin on the beloved tale that I couldn’t just shake. The biggest problem is that if you opt to watch this movie on Netflix, the weaknesses will only be more pronounced, and the strengths disappointingly diminished. What is ‘Frankenstein’ about? Based on Mary Shelley’s renowned novel, and directed by Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro, “Frankenstein” tells the cautionary tale of Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), a genius but arrogant scientist, who is shunned by his peers when he reveals plans to create life by assembling the body parts of corpses into a patchwork creature (Jacob Elordi). With the funding of a rich benefactor (Christoph Waltz), Frankenstein’s ambitious dream is realized when he brings his creation to life. However, this inhuman experiment ultimately leads to tragic consequences for both Frankenstein and the creature, who never asked to be made. ‘Frankenstein’ is stunning but does stumble Let’s start with the good, because as noted, there is a lot of good here. Guillermo del Toro evokes a very similar aesthetic to his 2015 gothic tale “Crimson Peak” in “Frankenstein,” and there’s never so much as a candelabrum out of place. From the chilling opening set in the frigid North Pole to the rich interior of Victor’s towering laboratory, “Frankenstein” transports viewers to a rich world of decadence and moral decay. The design of the iconic creature is also remarkable. Wisely, del Toro eschews pop culture conventions — there’s no bolt through his neck, or oversized stapled forehead — to craft a creature that feels wholly his own. But that’s not to say he doesn’t lean into the body horror of the character. Elordi’s creature is a patchy work of discolored skin that makes him look immediately intimidating, and without the classic trapping, he doesn’t feel like an actor simply wearing a discount Spirit Halloween costume. Speaking of Elordi, he is the movie’s unequivocal star. The “Saltburn” actor delivers his finest performance to date, and the second half of the flick, which tells the creature’s tale (the first half is told from Victor’s perspective), is comfortably the stronger of the two. It’s here that del Toro drills down into the core theme of Shelley’s novel, “Who is the real monster?” It's an intriguing question that has fascinated readers for centuries. So it’s a shame the director (who also wrote the screenplay) doesn’t trust his audience to understand and ponder this element for themselves. A supporting character directly spells out that the inhuman creature is perhaps more human than his creator, which had me practically groaning. Most surprisingly, it’s the dependable Oscar Isaac that struggles with the material. During the first half of the chunky two-and-a-half-hour runtime, Isaac seems to be going through the motions, and scenes that pair him with Christoph Waltz (playing a new character created for this movie) are surprisingly bland. Mia Goth, as the fiancée of Victor’s brother, is another talented performer not given enough material to shine. Which is a shame. The movie digs deeper into Victor’s childhood than most adaptations of “Frankenstein.” In this take on the story, the scientist was the product of a harsh upbringing at the hands of his stern father (a very menacing Charles Dance). As the cycle often goes, his cruel adolescent treatment is mirrored in how he “fathers” his own creation. It’s a poignant wrinkle to the character, and it serves as one of the few times that del Toro’s “Frankenstein” finds true emotional depth. By comparison, Victor’s relationship with his younger brother, William (Felix Kammerer), feels paint-by-numbers, and the conclusion of their arc strays too far into the melodramatic. Taken on its artistic merits, “Frankenstein” is a triumph. I expect it will clean up in the technical categories at next year’s Academy Awards. But where it falls frustratingly short is in giving viewers more than just incredibly intricate sets and marvellous costumes to gawp over. The tragic internal life of Elordi’s creature (he can’t die, or seemingly even be killed) does much of the emotional heavy lifting, but to get to that point, you first have to wade through Victor’s story, which is as patchy as the skin that covers his creation. ‘Frankenstein’ reviews — here’s what the critics say I could be considered one of “Frankenstein’s” harsher critics. However, I should note it ranks 25 out of the 85 movies I’ve seen in theatres in 2025, so I’m by no means labeling the Netflix original an unfortunate flop. Still, over on Rotten Tomatoes, the flick has pulled a rather impressive 85% rating. The site’s ‘Critics Consensus’ reads, “Finding the humanity in one of cinema's most iconic monsters, Guillermo Del Toro's Frankenstein is a lavish epic that gets its most invigorating volts from Jacob Elordi's standout performance.” Odie Henderson of the Boston Globe was clearly very impressed, writing, “This is a horror movie, but it’s also a heartbreaking tale of forced existence and the subsequent quest for answers. And it’s one of the year’s best movies.” Meanwhile, Wendy Ide of The Observer declared “Frankenstein” a “thrillingly immersive, sensual experience,” and The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney ranked it as “One of del Toro’s finest,” calling it an “epic-scale storytelling of uncommon beauty, feeling and artistry.” Geoffrey Macnab of The Independent was on the more mixed end of the scale: “For all Del Toro’s formal mastery, this Frankenstein is ultimately short of the voltage needed really to bring it to life.” This write-up echoes several of my own thoughts on this new Netflix movie. On the other hand, viewers lucky enough to already watch this bombastic take on Shelley’s magnum opus were clearly not disappointed with what they saw. “Frankenstein” holds a 95% viewers' score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is one of the highest scores for a Netflix movie in 2025. Recent reviews call it a “masterpiece,” “beautiful,” and a “great adaptation of a classic.” Should you stream ‘Frankenstein’ on Netflix? If you can, I strongly recommend seeking out a local theatrical screening of “Frankenstein” while it's still in cinemas. The movie’s official site has a handy showtime checker for just this reason. Guillermo del Toro’s vision feels tailor-made for the big screen, and its unflinching commitment to drawing you into its world through sights and sounds of the Victorian era (with a gothic twist) is at its very best blown up on a towering cinema screen. However, if watching on Netflix is your only option, or you’d prefer to save your money to see upcoming movies like “Wicked: For Good” or “Avatar 3,” then I still recommend you watch on Netflix. “Frankenstein” might not quite reach the heights I’d hope when this pairing between del Toro and Shelley was announced, but Jacob Elordi’s performance is reason enough to stick with it through the weaker opening half. Netflix’s “Frankenstein” may not be the homerun that it could have been, but it does still rank among the streaming service’s best movies of the year so far (granted, that’s a pretty low bar to clear). And if you’re after more streaming options, here’s a guide to everything new on Netflix in November 2025, because there are plenty more picks arriving in the coming weeks. Watch "Frankenstein" on Netflix now Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. More from Tom's Guide
