Guillermo del Toro’s FRANKENSTEIN Premieres to Rave Reviews at Venice Film Festival

Guillermo del Toro has finally unveiled his long-awaited passion project, Frankenstein, and critics are already calling it one of his finest achievements.

The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where it was met with glowing reviews that praised it as both faithful to Mary Shelley’s legendary novel and uniquely del Toro’s own creation.

Del Toro has been chasing this monster since childhood. At a Venice press conference he said:

“I’ve been following the creature since I was kid. I waited for the movie to be done in the right conditions, both creatively in terms of achieving the scope to make it different, and to make it at a scale that you could reconstruct the whole world.”

Though the project took more than a decade to realize, his lifelong obsession with Shelley’s story has resulted in a film critics are calling lush, emotional, and strikingly authentic.

Early reviews suggest Frankenstein is not just another retelling, but something daringly personal. The Wrap called it a “wildly enjoyable and deeply touching movie,” adding that del Toro’s “passion for the story drips from every frame.”

He praised the film as “a remarkable achievement that in a way hijacks the flagship story of the horror genre and turns it into a tale of forgiveness.”

That focus on intimacy and humanity reflects del Toro’s own view of the film. He has insisted that his adaptation isn’t about artificial intelligence or modern fears, but rather “an unconventional yet complex family drama.”

Other critics are just as enthusiastic:

RadioTimes.com hailed it as “unquestionably one of the most beautifully crafted films you’ll see this year,” praising the work of cinematographer Dan Laustsen, composer Alexandre Desplat, and production designer Tamara Deverell.

Vulture noted: “Whatever its flaws, the director has filled Frankenstein with seemingly everything he loves, and it reflects his obsessions. It feels like the work of a true madman.”

Time Out called it “loud, bombastic, sublime and silly,” while also celebrating its gothic world of “towers totter above precipices, cellars drip hollowly and women wear impossible dresses in the snow.”

Little White Lies described it as “operatic in both mode and scale,” saying del Toro channels Shelley’s spirit while steering clear of retreading old ground.

IndieWire declared: “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.”

The Hollywood Reporter called it “one of del Toro’s finest,” celebrating its “epic-scale storytelling of uncommon beauty, feeling and artistry.”

The Wrap doubled down, describing it as “a filmmaker returning to his roots at a time when he has the skills to make those roots grow into something huge and singular.”

With its lavish production, powerhouse performances, and emotional storytelling, Frankenstein might end up being one of del Toro’s defining works.

Del Toro, who has already given us classics like Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape of Water, seems to have found a new way to honor Shelley’s monster while reimagining him for modern audiences.

Come October, we’ll finally see the full scope of this gothic vision in theaters, followed shortly after by its Netflix release.

The movie, which stars Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, and Christoph Waltz, will arrive in theaters on October 17 before making its streaming debut on Netflix November 7.