The Doubt Monster

"Can you contain your fire, Prometheus? Or are you going to burn your hands before delivering it?" In this part three of my deep-dive into Guillermo Del Toro's "Frankenstein", I'd like to jump around to explore some of the fascinating details used to tell his version of Mary Shelley's story.  In the opening scene, we meet the captain of a Danish ship currently stuck in the ice, insisting that when they manage to escape they will continue their mission northward despite the longing of the men to return home. The captain takes a breather in his cabin and we see him rubbing blackened toes in front of a fire. This shot holds more meaning than I first realized. There's the nod to dead or dying flesh, but deeper perhaps is the symbolism of pursuing an imagined achievement no matter the cost.  When Victor follows what he later defines as "madness" (madness here being continuing to pursue an idea in spite of all moral or ethical repercu...

"What manner of creature is that? What manner of devil made him?" Part two. I noted that the Creature only responds to violence with violence. He doesn't kill from hate or carelessness or cruelty, but as a reaction to pain or fear. He only attacks the sailors and the farmers because they shoot at him first. He kills the wolves to save his friend. Victor, on the other hand, quickly resorts to violence when he is frustrated, jealous, or angry. He beats his creation when it "refuses" to progress past a certain level - by his standards. He attempts to burn his creation alive because it isn't "perfect" enough. He knows that Elizabeth is perfectly safe with the Creature, yet he grabs and shoots a gun out of pure envy, accidentally ending her life.  The Creature doesn't lie, but Victor lies easily. He pretends to be the priest in the confessional in order to hear Elizabeth's darkest secrets (thankfully she finds him out). He fr...

"Some of what I will tell you is fact. Some is not. But it is all true." Oscar Isaac's Victor Frankenstein begins his tale with these words, and I think they sum up Guillermo Del Toro's film nicely. This 2025 version of Mary Shelley's novel is my new obsession, and I'm not alone. We're in the 2nd week of its Netflix release and it is still #1 on the platform.  I needed an outlet for my thoughts concerning this adaptation, and particularly to deconstruct the artistry and themes of the story.  Films like these come rarely and when they do I feel a need to ring out every last drop of meaning and detail and thought from them, as if it were a life source. The experience is similar to viewing a particular painting that captures your mind and soul, and you can't look into it deeply enough. Or hearing a song you wish you could absorb into your veins.  This will contain many spoilers, so consider yourself warned. Perhaps the backdrop of 2025 helps t...