A recent date night took us to the theater to watch Guillermo del Toro's new iteration of Mary Shelly's 1818 classic book, Frankenstein (or A Modern Prometheus). I am a fan of the book and a fan of del Toro's, so I had reasonable hopes for their creative pairing. Just when you think this story has been done to death. Shelley herself released a second version in 1831 and as far a visual productions, an generic internet search there are to date 423 movies, 204 short films, 78 tv series and 287 television episodes that mention or refer to Frankenstein, not to mention characters like Lurch from the Addams family that are obvious references. Plus there are at least 60 film versions of the story itself.
How was Guillermo del Toro going to resurrect this story? Del Toro has an artistic and story telling style that have always stood out from the crowd, so I was interested to see his fresh cuts through a well worn path. The result? A touching story about obsession, humanity, forgiveness and the redemptive power of a father's love. Wow. This is hands down the best version of this film I have ever seen. Even among Del Toro's own body of work I would rank it near the top.
The performances of one and all were superb, including from actor's I thought were just so-so in other works...about Star Wars. Mia Goth is rapidly rising on my list of acting talent. I've just enjoyed her in Marrowbone and she truly shines in the role of Elizabeth as a person who struggles with her own desires, integrity, purity, and humanity. Instead of just being the beautiful, vapid doting female of the story, her character brings depth and intelligence to the story that is usually overlooked in this role.
The sets and costumes are beyond gorgeous with stunning art concepts and direction. Color symbolism abounds -Red for Victor and his mother; blue for his sweet brother and Elizabeth dons both blue and green. Also note the details in Victor's vest are reflective of the pattern of the Lymphatic system. Likewise, Elizabeth's clothing is vibrant with nature patterns similar to those of butterflies and beetles that she loves so much. Lots of thought went into the clothing in this film and that's something I can definitely appreciate.
Although there were some changes to the story from the original, I would say they were well done and the story from start to finish is a delicious feast for the mind and the eyes.
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