With three Academy Awards to his name, Guillermo del Toro is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of his generation. Now, after a three-year break, he’s back with Frankenstein, but where does the gothic horror rank in his filmography?
The Netflix film, an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s iconic 1818 novel, sees Oscar Isaac assume the role of Victor Frankenstein, an egotistical scientist who has blood on his hands after a botched experiment creates a dangerous creature (Jacob Elordi).
Boasting a stacked supporting cast including Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz, the film was released in selected cinemas last month, and will come to the wider public when it streams on Netflix from Friday (7 November).
Upon its world premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival in August, Frankenstein has received positive reviews from critics, with its approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes currently standing at an impressive 86%.
Despite the high score, it’s only the joint-sixth best reviewed film of the director’s career, with 2022 animation Pinocchio topping the list with 96%. Spanish-language gothic fairytale Pan’s Labyrinth is second with 95%, while The Devil’s Backbone has 93%.
Ken Woroner – Netflix
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The Shape of Water, for which del Toro won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director, is close behind on 92%. Rounding out the top five is his debut feature Cronos, with the 1992 film having 88%.
Frankenstein is in fact tied on 86% with Hellboy II: The Golden Army, while 2004’s Hellboy is narrowly further back at 81%. 2021’s noir remake Nightmare Alley has 80%, while Pacific Rim and Crimson Peak both have 72%.
Mimic, the first English-language film of del Toro’s career, still has a solid score of 67%, while superhero film Blade II is the lowest-rated directorial effort of his career, with the score of 57% being the only ‘rotten’ entry in his filmography.
With Frankenstein safely nestled in the middle of the pack, you can read a selection of reviews below:
Netflix
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IndieWire
“If you want a period monster movie that’s solid, almost oaken in its sturdiness, you don’t need to knock on wood to assure that del Toro is keeping the innermost essence, the soul of cinema, alive at least.”
Time Out
“del Toro throws everything he can at the screen. Frankenstein is loud, bombastic, sublime and silly. This is a universe in which towers totter above precipices, cellars drip hollowly and women wear impossible dresses in the snow.”
Rolling Stone
“For all its stylistic brio and an overall mesmerizing look, in which even throwaway visuals sear themselves into your memory, Frankenstein remains the simple, direct story of a man and his nonbiological offspring.”
Frankenstein is playing in selected cinemas now, and is released on Netflix on 7 November.
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