Info in Movie News | October always brings a wave of horror-themed entertainment, and Netflix has officially joined the fray. Newly-released trailer for Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein gave viewers their first glimpse of Jacob Elordi’s chilling interpretation of the monster. Best known for his work in Euphoria and The Kissing Booth movies, and TV series, Elordi here completely rejects his typical image of a sex symbol in favor of one of a frightful one with pale skin and sutures, as if he was one of the most famous characters in the world literature.
According to Variety, the stuffing is one of the most ambitious works of del Toro, a filmmaker who decided to reinterpret Mary Shelley's 1818 gothic novel, which had been the source for monster movies for a long time, in the form of a new movie. His character appears in the trailer among spooky houses as well as college professor Victor Frankenstein played by Oscar Isaac and his future wife Elizabeth Lavenza portrayed by Mia Goth. Moreover, the brief but impressive gothic and horror decoration is seen from a scene of a shining ballroom to a frozen shipwreck.
Instead of a monster movie, and this time Guillermo del Toro relates it to human condition. He told several media at the Venice Film Festival - the event of the movie's debut and it praises it highly - that he sees the story of Frankenstein as one of forgiveness, empathy, and the precarious links among humans. He definitely claims it is not a horror movie in the standard way but a very personal story of fathers, sons, and the consequences of creation.
The movie has already made waves on the festival circuit. After its Venice premiere, Frankenstein was amazed guest at Telluride Film Festival, then it went to the Toronto International Film Festival. At TIFF, the film was second to the People’s Choice Award winner, an honor that is commonly considered as one of the first signs of the Oscars. This trend could mean for Netflix and del Toro that Frankenstein will be a critical and an awards-season favorite.
Jacob Elordi’s transformation is at the heart of the movie. Once typecast in roles that emphasized charm and good looks, his monster in Frankenstein is deliberately unsettling. His voice, posture, and appearance reflect a character caught between life and death, humanity and rejection. Still, Elordi is not the only monstrous presence in the movie. Depending on perspective, Oscar Isaac’s Victor Frankenstein may be even more chilling, a man willing to play god, stitching together life from death with catastrophic consequences.
The applauded cast is more than just the icing on the cake, they only lift the project even higher. Mia Goth, whose name has been going up very fast these last two years because of Pearl and X, is playing Elizabeth, the woman that love and obsession caught. Besides them, there are stars like Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), Felix Kammerer (All Quiet on the Western Front), David Bradley (Harry Potter, Game of Thrones), Lauren Collins (Degrassi: The Next Generation), and Lars Mikkelsen (House of Cards), a great group of actors. With their combined talents, everyone gets the film’s melding of spine-tingling terror and melodrama through the characters
From an optical angle, Frankenstein seems to be the typical del Toro product. The teaser involves such cinematic set pieces as ships covered with thick fog and frozen in ice, laboratories lighted only with candle and full of bizarre devices, and charming but spacious European halls full of life with grandeur. All these elements give a glimpse of the director’s talent of blending the fantastical with the ugly and therefore, making the audience feel like they are stepping into a world that is both legendary and very close to the earth.
Del Toro first started chasing after a project of his own version of Frankenstein, which has been mired in development for decades. After getting a nod from the Academy for The Shape of Water, he finally got a green light from Netflix to go ahead with his vision. Instead of throwing scientific arrogance as the cause of the tragedy, del Toro tactfully changes the narrative to one of empathy. “It’s about forgiveness, understanding, and listening to one another,” he said to Variety. This take is what distinguishes the film from the earlier ones that have been adapted to screen, which usually resort to the gothic terror and rarely, if at all, depict the creature’s humanity.
In order to qualify for awards consideration, Netflix is going to put out Frankenstein in selected cinemas from October 17. The worldwide streaming premiere is scheduled for November 7. This move reflects Netflix’s previous releases of prestige titles, which combine festival excitement with streaming accessibility.
Del Toro’s fans will get the film as the realization of the director’s commitment over the years. For the public, it becomes an opportunity to experience once again one of the most timeless of literary works, now seen through a lens of empathy and sorrow. If it manages to become Oscar’s favorite or just a fan’s favorite, Frankenstein is still looking like a very important release of the period, as it transforms an ancient monster into a reflection of the human soul.
Post a Comment