Remember 2017’s hotly anticipated “Dark Universe” horror franchise? Yeah, not many do. Nothing really came of it… and rightly so. But lately, I’ve decided something. Universal missed a huge opportunity. Robert Eggers and Guillermo del Toro were right there! They could have carried the entire series on their shoulders alone. Nosteratu? Frankenstein? I bet Universal is kicking themselves after del Toro’s Frankenstein hit Netflix this week.

Frankenstein is (you guessed it!) a retelling of the classic 1818 Mary Shelley novel following Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) and his “Creature” (Jacob Elordi). Do I really need to sum up Frankenstein? Chances are, unless you’ve been living under a cinematic or literary rock for the last 94 years, you’ve seen (or read!) at least one of the versions. Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, Felix Kammerer, Charles Dance and David Bradley co-star in the movie. Guillermo del Toro directs Frankenstein from his own script.

Frankenstein is a well-trod, oft-explored title. That fact is hardly in dispute. Sitting here, I can think of four versions of the story, and this is not counting the Shelley source material. I was thinking of this very fact as I turned the movie on. There are so many cultural hallmarks associated with this story.

While it’s been an embarrassingly long time since I read Shelley’s book, so many names and associations still flew through my head this time around. “My” Victor Frankenstein (Colin Clive). Heck, I would be lying if I said I didn’t think back to Young Frankenstein at multiple points. This could be a detriment, yet strangely, it wasn’t.

It barely needs to be said that Guillermo del Toro is one of our modern day “auteurs”. Few directors working today bring such an artistic shine to his work. Every frame in Frankenstein feels like a work of art. The director’s eye for color, design and period aesthetic radiates off the screen. Few directors have tackled gothic horror with the same brilliance and his visuals are second to very, very few.

The deeper I fell into Frankenstein, I’m surprised to say, I found myself utterly intrigued by Jacob Elordi’s casting as “The Creature.”

I’m relatively new to Elordi’s work. My first introduction came with Priscilla in 2023 where he co-starred as “The King” himself, Elvis Presley. Films like Saltburn (2023) and On Swift Horses (2024) quickly followed, giving the young actor a hell of a breakout. This isn’t even getting to his work on the HBO critical darling Euphoria. I’m ashamed to admit, the series remains on my “to be watched” list.

Elordi enters brand new territory in Frankenstein and I hate to admit, I don’t think I’ve given him enough credit in the past. The roles I listed propelled him into a “leading man” status quickly. He’s looks like a modern day “matinee idol”. He dominates the frame! So many these works, however, place a high value on his appearance and charisma. In Saltburn, he’s quite literally a figure of obsession. In On Swift Horses, he’s tapping into a James Dean-like vulnerability. Heck, he played Elvis in Priscilla, for crying out loud.

As “The Creature” he’s ripped out of this comfort zone. He’s under heavy make-up and at times, is almost unrecognizable. This is a different role for Elordi and kids, he hits it out of the metaphorical park. There’s a power and a tenderness shining through from under the heavy costume. It comes through in a beautiful performance that I’m embarrassed to admit, I wasn’t sure I was expecting.

Everything gels on-screen with an artistic beauty. Kate Hawley’s costumes deserve all the love. The color. The cut. The design. Kids, I don’t like flouncy, period skirts, so it’s incredibly telling that I want all of Mia Goth’s dresses from this film.

When all is said and done, the only thing that really tripped me up with this one was, I think, a bit of the pacing.

I don’t like being in the “movies are too long” crowd, but as Frankenstein started to hit the two-hour mark, I felt myself getting a bit antsy. For those keeping score, it clocks in at a little over two and a half hours.

It’s a bit unfortunate that Elordi’s narrative dominates in the second half. This is where we experience the film’s heart and its emotion. This is where it needs to hit hard. While I don’t want to say it, I think I could have done with a bit less of Isaac’s Victor. He’s just sooooooo…. Victor Frankenstein.

Part of my struggle with Isaac’s narrative is something feels so abrupt and in this, we gain a real animosity towards Victor. We don’t see a transition. He’s just a jerk. He doesn’t understand what he’s just done. He doesn’t have the patience. As we watch Victor through Elizabeth’s (Mia Goth) eyes, we see just how villainous he truly is. Perhaps I was looking for redemption or purpose where there shouldn’t be any? Maybe Victor is simply a terrible person.

As the final credits rolled, I decided I need one thing: a Frankenstein/Nosferatu double feature. I’m certainly not going to say this is the best version of Frankenstein. There’s too darn many for that. However, when we’re looking at filmmakers who should tackle this story in 2025, give me Guillermo del Toro any day. His flair for capturing a haunting beauty is largely unparalleled. This is a beautiful film that stands on its own, and I recommend adding it to any watch list. Just brace yourself for the runtime.

Frankenstein is now streaming on Netflix.