Dr. Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but egotistical scientist, brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.

It’s a shame with such a generally weird director in Guillermo del Toro (which I mean as a tremendous compliment), the Frankenstein movie we got was surprisingly tame. The film itself looks beautiful, with great visual flair and anchored in some decent performances, but I feel like it’s missing what made the Frankenstein mythos special – he was an outcast, a freak that scared off sane men. Here we have a lithe underwear model monster (Jacob Elordi), with a slight discoloration of his sinewy muscles, and sometimes in need of a haircut. And the supposed true monster – Doctor Victor Frankenstein (played with gusto from Oscar Isaac)- is more cantankerously misunderstood than god-playing mad scientist.

The story is too long in some cases, and maddeningly shorthanded in others. The amount of time between the monster being unable to form full words and uttering and comprehending full sentences is about fifteen minutes. In real time. He leaves a castle grunting and after taking a walk is nearly quoting Dostoyevsky.

All that aside, the movie is great to look at, with beautiful scenes that capture the gothic spirit. Even though I didn’t care for the entire characterization of the monster, Elordi is really great doing what was asked of him. Better than I expected to be honest. It’s not his fault the movie lacks the mentality I was looking for. Christoph Waltz and Mia Goth have solid supporting turns.

My disappointment lies in expecting the guy behind Pan’s Labyrinth and Nightmare Alley to not craft a film that feels like it could’ve been made by Baz Lahrman.

Jonathan’s grade – C+