“Frankenstein” 2025 is heralded by most horror fans as one of the defining and triumphant adaptations of the classic novel. But not by everyone and by everyone I mean me.
To be perfectly fair Guillermo del Toro has been quite clear that his vision is based not on the original novel but on “Frankenstein” 1931 and its various sequels. The 2025 version can only be seen as an amalgam of the classic novel, the Universal depictions of the Monster, and a lot of crap that came from who the hell knows where.
Make no mistake, Mr. del Toro is one of the most creative and accomplished filmmakers working today. His body of work has produced enough outright masterpieces as to make Mr. Hitchcock envious. He has the sensibilities of a rabid cinema and horror fan and this is evident in his work. He has the unique ability to create soul crushing dread, terror, and horror in a cinematic package that is as breathtakingly beautiful as it is mind explodingly terrifying.
And this is an absolutely gorgeous film. Or so I understand.
When first released, it had a limited theatrical run in theaters, some boasting a 35mm print. (Don’t get me started on the nostalgic and misplaced love of lower bandwidth media formats.) This is what my wife and I chose to see.
What a terrible mistake. The film was shot using digital technology that provided a much broader bandwidth that most contemporary film stock could ever offer. It was then mastered in 4k and I’ve heard that 4k presentation is stunning. Perhaps I can someday suppress enough of my distate to give it another try. The 35mm presentation is washed out, soft-focus to the extent of being blurry, and just visually unappealing.
Add in at least an hour of material not found in the novel and you’ve got something that just fails. We made it an hour into the film before walking out. I almost never walk out of a film in the theater. Hey, I made it all the way through “In a Violent Nature” 2024 and that’s saying something.
Enough bitching for one post.
