Monday, December 8, 2025

Venice: Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” Debuts with a Disappointing 78% Rating, Netflix’s Oscar Choice

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I’m very surprised that “Frankenstein” isn’t a monster.

In Venice, Guillermo del Toro’s long awaited film for Netflix has met with mixed reviews.

So far it’s at 78% with 18 reviews posted. Stars Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi are being praised, as well as the production. But something is wrong in the telling of the story.

Oscar winner del Toro is one of my favorite all time directors. He rarely makes a mistake. Plus, Netflix was counting on this one for its Oscar chances this season.

“Frankenstein” definitely seems polarizing among the critics. Some lavish praise but Variety did not. They said:” Gorgeous as it may be, the entire film feels as if we’re watching through a peephole. Strangely, [Dan] Laustsen’s wide-angle lenses make “Frankenstein” feel smaller, when the point was conceivably to squeeze more image into every frame.”

Whatever. I’m looking forward to this eagerly.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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