Director Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” released in theatres on Oct. 17, 2025. The movie stars Oscar Isaac as scientist Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as Frankenstein’s magnum opus, the conscious amalgamation of different people’s body parts referred to only as the Creature. 

As the name suggests, Del Toro’s film is a rendition of Mary Shelley’s 1818 Gothic and Romantic novel “Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus.”

As two of many sophomore English II Honors students who finished up the novel for our “Frankenstein” unit this past week, we were intrigued to watch the latest rendition of Shelley’s work to see how it matched up to the original – especially after a positive review from English II Honors teacher Caitlin McCranie.

“As soon as I finished watching the movie, I wished that I could find a way to change my whole [“Frankenstein”] unit, which we had already started,” McCranie said. “I would have loved to screen it in my classroom, and then have a great discussion about the changes that he made and what kids thought about it.”

For us, we quite enjoyed this movie: the cinematography was beautiful, the acting was compelling and the production overall was incredible. However, Del Toro’s movie adaptation has some key differences to the novel that give the movie a very different context and meaning. Despite all of these frankly quite dramatic changes, Del Toro still remains true to the fundamental themes of the novel. 

Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” follows the stories of the ambitious scientist Victor Frankenstein and his creation, the Creature, revolving around their vengeful pursuit of each other. Throughout the novel, Shelley explores themes such as the divine implications of creation, the consequences of ambition and the relationship between creator and creation.

So, how does the movie compare to the book? 

Warning: spoilers ahead. Scroll to the bottom if you want to know our overall opinion

Del Toro’s “Frankenstein” focuses more on the theme of parenthood, an idea only explored in the subtext of Shelley’s novel. One of the primary things Del Toro changes is Frankenstein’s relationship with his parents.

In the novel, Frankenstein describes his childhood fondly and his parents as “possessed by the very spirit of kindness and indulgence.” His perfect upbringing surrounded by loving parents and friends contrasts his later failure to offer affection to his creation. His decision to push away his family and isolate himself is made entirely on his own accord. 

However, the movie adaptation changes Frankenstein’s backstory. His parents are strict and he is raised in a hostile environment; Frankenstein’s father is a surgeon who pushes him to learn about science and medicine. Rather than his interest in the human body being a drive of his own preferences, as it is in the novel, Frankenstein joins the field of science because of those around him.

The theme of paternity is further discussed in Frankenstein’s treatment of the Creature. In the movie, Frankenstein’s father punishes him when he makes mistakes in his studies by lashing him with a cane. Later, Frankenstein perpetuates this cycle of abuse towards the Creature in his figurative stage of childhood by being harsh towards him.

These changes are made to demonstrate the effects of generational trauma, unlike in the novel, which uses Victor’s childhood to warn against reckless ambition. 

“The backbone of it became a story about a father and a son,” Del Toro said in an interview with Netflix. “And what it is to become a father after being a son.”

Del Toro’s “Frankenstein” deviates from Shelley’s novel in its depiction of Frankenstein’s relationship with his mother as well as his relationship with Elizabeth, his primary “love interest” (although she certainly cannot be confined to that label).

In Shelley’s novel, she is Elizabeth Lavenza, Frankenstein’s warmhearted adopted sister and future fiancée. She is docile and exists to “subdue [Frankenstein] to a semblance of her own gentleness.” 

However, in the movie, she is Elizabeth Harlander, to be wed to Frankenstein’s brother William (who is also quite different from his portrayal in the novel, shown as a grown adult rather than a young child). Additionally, she studies entomology, expresses strong opinions and generally has a more round character than in the novel. 

Notably, actress Mia Goth plays the role of both Frankenstein’s mother and Elizabeth.

“Many people fall in love with their mothers, but they don’t realize it, in a primitive Freudian way,” Del Toro said. 

His decision to include this Oedipian dynamic between Frankenstein and his mother aligns with the blurred line between family and romance commonly seen throughout Gothic literature. 

Additionally, the movie develops the relationship between Frankenstein and his mother with symbolism. Frankenstein is the only character to wear red – which emulates his late mother’s monotone red dress – and is seen drinking only milk, a symbol for his child-like persona and perpetual desire to be nurtured. 

Another notable change from the novel to the movie is the Creature’s portrayal. In the novel, the Creature clearly commits murder intentionally and out of his own accord. However, in the movie, the Creature only acts violently out of self-defense and his murders from the novel are erased.

Del Toro also softens Frankenstein’s relationship with his creature, at first showing a wholesome, familial relationship between the two until Frankenstein eventually grows repulsed by his creation. 

This is in sharp contrast to Shelley’s novel, where Frankenstein abandons the Creature out of disgust after a mere few seconds of seeing him come to life. Consequently, the novel’s Creature was filled with anguish and hatred for his creator, causing his desire to ruin Frankenstein’s life.

In Shelley’s novel, Elizabeth is intentionally kept in the dark of the Creature’s existence. A major plot point of the novel is that the Creature murders her in cold blood to spite Frankenstein.

However, in Del Toro’s rendition, the Creature has an intimate relationship with Elizabeth, who discovers him chained up in Frankenstein’s laboratory dungeon. She acts as a maternal figure for him which serves as a contrast to Frankenstein’s cruel and intolerant treatment of the newly born Creature. She is the only force of good in his life; she is kind and patient towards him and even sympathizes with his isolation.

It is also interesting to consider how later in the movie, Elizabeth’s role in the Creature’s life becomes more ambiguous as it can be interpreted as both maternal and romantic. Perhaps this is intentional as it parallels Frankenstein’s own convoluted relationship with his maternal figure and love interest.

Eventually, Elizabeth is shot while trying to defend the Creature, meeting the same fate she did in the novel. Thankful for her lasting kindness towards him, the Creature carries her away – bridal style, like a newly married husband carries his wife over the threshold of their new house – and she later dies in his arms. 

Because we are deprived of the relationship between Elizabeth and the Creature in the novel, we question whether the Creature is capable of love. Del Toro answers this as yes, through the Creature’s tender treatment of Elizabeth.

The movie’s adaptation of the Creature is far less intense, and he clearly has good intentions at heart. He is far from his vengeful, unforgiving and murderous form in the novel.

While a drastic change to the Creature’s character, we actually liked it; it emphasized how much of the destruction and tragedy that occurred in the novel was really Frankenstein’s own fault.

A major difference between the novel and the movie is the ending, and the Creature’s final interaction with Frankenstein. 

In the novel, Frankenstein passes away before the Creature reaches him, and they never reach a resolution. Additionally, Shelley’s novel ends on a pessimistic note as Frankenstein dies with hatred towards his creation and the Creature leaves with resentment towards his creator. 

Meanwhile, the whole movie is structured like a conversation. Frankenstein and the Creature each share their respective view of the story. The movie’s ending feels more optimistic and wholesome, with both the Creature and Frankenstein forgiving each other and returning to the father-son dynamic that viewers wanted from the beginning of the movie.

“In forgiveness is where the Creature learns that he can finally be human,” actor of the Creature, Jacob Elordi said. 

With this satisfying conclusion, the once endlessly ambitious Frankenstein passes away and leaves the Creature to wander into the Arctic; he stands at the beginning of the world, or maybe the end – a reflection back to the very first scenes of the movie. 

We thoroughly enjoyed this movie and highly encourage everyone to watch it. 

If you watch it before you read the book, we honestly believe you won’t be missing out on anything because the two are so different. Despite its differences from the original novel, Del Toro’s adaptation contains loads of nuance and depth. 

It is evocative and cathartic, at times humorous but simultaneously philosophical and thought-provoking. The actors clearly understand and embody the novel’s complex characters, and Del Toro’s visual motifs reflect Shelley’s intricate symbolism. 

We give this movie five out of five stars, and hope that you get the chance to watch this cinematic masterpiece.