- Frankenstein 2025 brings us the character as it was envisioned by Mary Shelley.
- So far, the character has been portrayed as a dumb brute, a narrative made popular by the 1931 movie and stuck to date.
- However, Frankenstein 2025 brings us a version of the story that is true to the novel and shows us the complex side of Frankenstein's monster.
Novel adaptations hardly ever get it right, but when they do, it could easily be referred to as “Absolute Cinema”. When it comes to the classic novel, Frankenstein, the brute has never been done justice in the live-action adaptations. However, in 2025, with Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of Frankenstein, the future generations will remember the monster for what he is, and I am here to tell you what makes this upcoming flick so special and what it has done right that has never been done before.
What Is Wrong with the Current Understanding of Frankenstein’s Monster?
As most of you must know, Frankenstein’s monster first appeared in 1818 in Mary Shelley’s novel of the same name, and later was adapted into multiple movies, shows, and animated presentations. However, the image of this monster has been ruined as a dumb, mindless brute who only knows brawl.
The starting point of this misconception was the 1931 Universal Studios movie that portrayed Frankenstein as a dumb monster. Since the movie was a massive success, this narrative stuck and was reflected in the subsequent adaptations that followed, turning this complex creature into a dumb and mindless monster, sometimes even as a comic character, contrary to what Mary Shelley envisioned.
Netflix’s Frankenstein 2025 Encapsulated What Mary Shelley Envisioned
In her novel, Frankenstein’s monster was a well-read creature who, after his creation, educated himself with literature. He was fascinated by the complexity of humanity, and his favorite book of all time was Paradise Lost. He read classics and, through literature, tried to create an understanding of his place in the world.
His literary exploits added depth and complexity to his character and were also the core reason why he turned violent when he was distraught by rejection and failure to find his place in the world of men. However, today, we only remember the violent part and have almost forgotten about the philosophical, curious, and educated part of him.
Frankenstein 2025, for the first time in the history of this monster’s live-action adaptation, acknowledges this side of him and gives us a complete picture of what Frankenstein’s monster was originally meant to portray: An outcast, someone who, even though he was just as capable and complex as humans, was rejected just because he was different, just because he didn’t fit the narrative of what society would have wanted him to be, just another human, and in my opinion, this was long overdue.
