Guillermo del Toro’s long-gestating adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein had its Canadian premiere Monday at the Toronto International Film Festival, where critics praised its visuals and Jacob Elordi’s performance as the Creature while noting an uneven narrative and an overripe turn from Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein. The film runs 149 minutes and is scheduled for selective theatrical release Oct. 17 before streaming on Netflix Nov. 7.
The story follows Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), a tormented scientist found injured by seafarers in the Arctic, and the Creature (Jacob Elordi) he fashioned from stitched-together body parts. Mia Goth appears as Elizabeth, recast in the film as the fiancée of Victor’s brother rather than Victor’s own betrothed. Del Toro’s version traces familiar beats from Shelley’s novel — the creation and confinement of the Creature, his escape, a brief refuge with a blind man and the clash that drives Victor north — while introducing modest plot adjustments.
A review in the New York Post called Elordi’s Creature a “sensitive” reinvention that departs from the genre’s classic caricatures — the Boris Karloff, Herman Munster and Peter Boyle templates that have dominated pop-culture portrayals. The critic wrote that Elordi’s performance turns the experiment into a sympathetic, romantic figure that anchors the film’s emotional core.
By contrast, the review characterized Isaac’s Victor as frenetic and unbalanced, saying the actor’s performance is delivered at an extreme pitch that frequently overwhelms scenes. The critic added that whenever Victor is on screen, the film’s balance suffers, arguing that a more measured portrayal would have made for a more compelling central conflict.
Del Toro’s aesthetic is unmistakable throughout. Reviewers pointed to echoes of the director’s earlier work — the blood-red interiors and gothic mansions of Crimson Peak, the imprisoned empathetic creature trope of The Shape of Water and action set pieces that recall Hellboy — and described the film as “very del Toro” in its design and tone. The production’s costumes drew particular notice for their boldness and dramatic flourishes, and many practical effects and set designs were praised for craftsmanship.
At the same time, the review said the adaptation struggles with pacing and originality. After an intense opening, the second half was described as slackening, with the film taking its time to return to the Arctic frame and offering little in the way of a new interpretive angle on Shelley’s text. Some computerized effects, notably certain fire sequences, were singled out as looking cheap amid otherwise high-quality production values.
The review also noted that del Toro leans heavily on visual storytelling, sometimes at the expense of deeper emotional development. While scenes of the Creature’s curiosity and his interactions with Elizabeth were identified as the film’s most affecting moments, the critic argued that what the Creature most yearns for — life and love — remains underexplored in service of spectacle.
Del Toro has publicly said he has long been obsessed with Shelley’s novel, and the review framed the film as a director’s reunion with material that complements his taste for dark fantasy and baroque visual worlds. The critic concluded that while Frankenstein is “cool, attractive and occasionally entertaining” and showcases del Toro’s craftsmanship, it ultimately feels lifeless in places where the original story is most alive.
The film’s TIFF premiere marks the latest high-profile festival bow for del Toro, whose other work has been an awards-season staple. Frankenstein will reach audiences in select theaters on Oct. 17 and on Netflix beginning Nov. 7.