Frankenstein, the story written by a teenage Mary Shelley over two hundred years ago, is still considered one of the greatest gothic tales ever told. An adaptation that acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro has wanted to make for decades has finally come to life. 

Overall, this movie is very good, and I would rate it ⅘ stars. Starting with the pros: the cinematography is extraordinary with some very creative shots along with beautiful coloring and striking costume design. In my opinion, this film is clearly a worthy Oscar Nominee for the Best Cinematography award. And focusing on relationships — for example creator vs. creation — gives the movie so much emotional depth. Both Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi played their roles exceptionally.Elordi’s portrayal of the monster gave audiences a raw, emotional, and vulnerable creature, making one really question who the true monster is. Isaac’s portrayal of Victor was also amazing, showing the character’s ambition and obsessive desire to do something no man has ever done. Later on in the film, his guilt for creating the monster is also communicated wonderfully. 

Although this movie is great, there are some things that just don’t seem right. First, the pacing is a little slow for my liking, and only a small portion of the movie depicts the action that a large portion of the audience was hoping for. In my opinion, poor pacing ruins so many movies that otherwise contain great potential, because viewers stop watching out of pure boredom. Second, as someone who read Mary Shelley’s novel and was really looking forward to this film, it was slightly disappointing that the book was so different from the movie. It felt as if Guillermo del Toro was trying too hard to make it different from the book, causing some key parts of the original story to be sacrificed in the process. Of course that doesn’t exactly make the movie worse — it just let me and many other fans of the novel down because we were expecting something more authentic to the story.

Despite a bit of slow pacing and inauthenticity to Mary Shelley’s novel, the rest of this film was an amazing, beautifully shot gem with superb acting, leading to a truly emotional experience. I think that this movie is a great watch for anyone into rich cinematography, but will fail to meet expectations of viewers seeking a fast paced movie with constant excitement.