By Steve Crum
There have been 469 feature movie versions of Frankenstein. Most of them at least pay homage to Mary Shelley’s original 1818 novel. (That includes Young Frankenstein’s parody of such. It does not include Jesse James Meets Frankenstein.)
2025’s Frankenstein, written, directed and produced by Guillermo del Toro, towers among the best—if not THE best– of the filmed versions. The 150 minutes is divided into three parts: Prelude, Victor’s Tale and The Creature’s Tale. 
After the opening, which covers an ice-stranded Royal Danish Navy ship in 1857 on the way to the North Pole, the action kicks in to a nearby bloody scene. Captain Anderson (Lars Mikkelsen) and several of his crew rescue a near-death Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac). As he is carried aboard their vessel, a lanky figure attacks—repeatedly.
Meet The Creature (Jacob Elordi) we now know as Frankenstein’s monster.
Segue to Victor’s Tale wherein we survey the future baron’s aristocratic upbringing with a strict and often cruel father (Charles Dance). Victor 
becomes obsessed with science, particularly creating life through assemblage of corpses’ body parts. (His lab resembles a bloody slaughterhouse.) If you have seen any previous Frankenstein film (or read the novel), it should sound familiar. Add to that characters vital to the plot. William Frankenstein (Felix Kammerer) is Victor’s younger brother…and engaged to Lady Elizabeth Harlander (Mia Goth). Christoph Waltz portrays Henrich Harlander, Elizabeth’s uncle, who funds Victor’s heinous experiments. More corpses + more body work + a fantastic lightning rod sequence = a living and increasingly verbal man. (This info should not be considered a spoiler.)
An aside: Do not expect to hear Victor’s famous shouting from James Whale’s 1931 Frankenstein: “It’s alive! It’s alive!”
A friendship develops between Elizabeth and the creature—who is chained within the castle tower. This leads to tragedy, thanks to Victor.
Circumstances lead to The Creature’s Tale wherein the narrative is spoken through thoughts and actual voice of the “monster” himself. He is on a trek to find the long-gone Victor and seek retribution. On his own now, he discovers friendly creatures of the forest as well as making friends with a blind old shepherd, played by David Bradley.
He also discovers some deadly forest savagery via wolves. The wolf attack sequence is…to die for. Sorry about that one.
Incidentally, I am not disclosing the huge surprise about the creature’s physical being. It is a major plot point, however. Add to that the story’s rather jarring conclusion.
Along the way, savor Elordi and Isaac’s super fine acting. Makeup, set design, cinematography and music are impressive as well.
Del Toro’s Frankenstein is grand storytelling.
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GRADE on an A-F Scale: A