Jacob Elordi

Frankenstein (2025): Guillermo del Toro’s Take on the Classic Tale

Posted on by Jack Drees

“Frankenstein” is directed by Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water, Pacific Rim) and stars Oscar Isaac (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Jacob Elordi (Priscilla, The Kissing Booth), Mia Goth (X, Infinity Pool), and Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained, Inglorious Basterds). This film is based on Mary Shelley’s book “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus” and follows the titular scientist and his journey of bringing the Creature to life, as well as the consequences that ensue from his actions.

Guillermo del Toro is one of those names, kind of like Christopher Nolan or Damien Chazelle, that as soon as I see them attached to a project, my curiosity about said project doubles. That said, del Toro is not on the level of those two filmmakers for me in terms of being a priority, but it does not change the fact that he is a reputable name with a solid resume including the moving “Shape of Water,” the super fun “Pacific Rim,” and the 2022 animated gem “Pinocchio.”

As mentioned in previous posts, I am not much of a Netflix guy. But I do try to keep an open mind about some of their projects. After all, when they have the confidence to release a project in theaters, it immediately boosts my interest. So, as I was driving from Massachusetts to Connecticut for a brief stay at a casino, I stopped by a theater on the way to check out the film.

As for the film itself, I found myself having a pleasant time. It is not structured like a traditional film where you have one protagonist and their journey. Instead it seems to share alternate perspectives from Frankenstein as well as the Creature. The film takes its time to share both characters’ sides of the story.

As far as Guillermo del Toro films go, I do not think this has as much visual luster as “The Shape of Water.” I also do not think this film has as much engagement as I felt with “Pinocchio.” When it comes to this film’s future, I do not see it as much replay value as “Pacific Rim.” Do not get me wrong, “Frankenstein” is a good movie, but it is far from Guillermo del Toro’s best work. While this is nowhere near my favorite Guillermo del Toro outing, it is a film that feels distinctly Guillermo del Toro. There is a certain heart and soul to this film that I found right away. Guillermo del Toro’s worlds are so picturesque to the point where I want to step into them and never leave. The film’s color palette is almost like a Peter Jackson “Lord of the Rings” film had a baby with “La La Land.” When I look back at “Frankenstein,” I refuse to call it my favorite film of the year. In fact, it likely will not make my top 10, but this is a film whose use of color, special effects, costuming, and cinematography combine into something totally unique. I cannot recall the last time I sat down and watched a film that looked exactly like this one. While I cannot say that there is a shot in this film that is vividly sticking in my head, I will not deny that this film is consistent it comes to showcasing a plethora of spectacular imagery. That said, the film does teeter to a point where one could argue it has a pacing problem, but it is hard to say I found the movie boring. This is not the most engaging film of the year, but it makes the most of its two and a half hours.

The cast of “Frankenstein” is star-studded. You have Oscar Isaac… Jacob Elordi… Mia Goth… Not only does this film have a ton of big name actors, but all of them fit perfectly into their roles. The chemistry between these actors is immaculate at times. Elordi is compelling as the Creature. I cannot see anyone else but Mia Goth playing Lady Elizabeth Harlander in her respective context. And Oscar Isaac fires on all cylinders.

The more I think about Oscar Isaac, the more I love him. In my review for “Tron: Ares,” I talked about how Jared Leto has not had the best luck with geek-centric projects. Oscar Isaac is the opposite. Sure, “X-Men: Apocalypse” had some mixed reception. But between his excellent performance in “Moon Knight,” his charisma in “Star Wars,” his voiceover chops in “Spider-Verse,” and now arguably his best outing yet in “Frankenstein,” few people are owning the geek space like Isaac is at this point. Isaac is given a lot to do throughout “Frankenstein,” dominating the screen in just about every scene he is in. One of my favorite scenes of the film is set in a lecture hall where Frankenstein demonstrates his ambitions to revive the dead, to less than stellar reception. Throughout this presentation, he gave me a Gene Wilder Willy Wonka vibe, particularly the innocent, ambitious side of him that the public seems to know. That is not to say Isaac lacks range in his performance. When the movie hits its more emotional, heavier moments, Isaac gives the performance his all. It is not my favorite performance of the year, but it is up there.

If I had to name a favorite part of the film, it would probably be around the middle when we first see Victor and the Creature in the same room together. I really enjoyed getting to see the bond between the two, particularly as we see Victor trying to teach the Creature about everything he sees. It does not take long for the film to establish that the bond is not particularly the healthiest, but I thought the realization of that concept was perfect. The film clearly paints Frankenstein as something of a protagonist, but again, this film centers around both Frankenstein and the Creature to the point where we get their side of the story, so the film does a great job, especially when the perspective transitions from one character to the other, at giving the Creature material in which it is easy to sympathize with him. This is a “Frankenstein” story that goes beyond the surface level. The Creature is, well, a creature, but it humanizes the creature much more than Universal’s black and white classic.

In the end, “Frankenstein” is not my favorite Guillermo del Toro movie, but this is still a pretty good flick. It definitely lacks an oomph in certain regards, but the technical aspects stand out magnificently. The film has a great cast, fantastic use of color, and the production design is also worth writing home about. I do not know how well I am going to remember “Frankenstein” in the next five years, but in the moment I found it to be quite decent. Overall it is entertaining and well-crafted, especially for a Netflix release. I am going to give “Frankenstein” a 7/10.

“Frankenstein” is now available on Netflix for all subscribers.

Thanks for reading this review! My next review is going to be for “Good Fortune!” Stay tuned! Also coming soon, I will be sharing my thoughts on “The Running Man,” “Eternity,” “Wicked: For Good,” and “Sentimental Value.” If you want to see these reviews and more from Scene Before, follow the blog either with an email or WordPress account! Also, check out the official Facebook page! I want to know, did you see Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein?” What did you think about it? Or, what is your favorite “Frankenstein” story? It does not have to be a movie. It can be anything. Let me know down below! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!

Priscilla (2023): A Hauntingly Brilliant Encapsulation of First Love and the Hesitancy of Letting Go

Posted on by Jack Drees

“Priscilla” is directed by Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation, The Virgin Suicides) and stars Cailee Spaeny (On the Basis of Sex, Pacific Rim: Uprising), Jacob Elordi (The Kissing Booth, Euphoria), and Dagmara Domińczyk in a film about the young girl who meets Elvis Presley, falls in love with him, and how her life changes while connected to the rock and roll star. It is also based on “Elvis and Me,” a 1985 memoir co-written by Priscilla Presley and Sandra Harmon.

As indicated in one of my recent reviews, specifically, “Dicks: The Musical,” A24 is a wonderfully polarizing studio. It has delivered its fair share of huge hits and magnificent misses, but with just about every film they have done, I walked out of each one recognizing that something stood out about them. Whether it was the way they were shot, written, acted, edited, or an oddball combination of aspects that somehow make the project individualistic. Between that background, and the hauntingly beautiful trailer that was released in advance of this film’s release, I was curious as to what this film could deliver.

But little did I know what it was bound to deliver. “Priscilla” is easily one of the best films I have seen this year.

2023 has had plenty of bangers for me like “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” “Oppenheimer,” and “BlackBerry.” Of course there are other movies too, but “Priscilla” shares similar qualities to those movies in the sense that I could not stop thinking about it the moment I exited the theater. Because those films all had screenplays that continuously had me thinking about the themes, the ideas that went into the film. “Priscilla,” much like the recently mentioned latter films, is based on true events. Even if this film somehow managed to capture a Hollywoodized version of what happened, it was very effective in its efforts. Almost every other scene between the two leads, mostly in the later portion of the film, almost had me biting my nails. I did not know a whole ton about the relationship between Elvis and Priscilla, but this film sort of opened my eyes. In fact, it perhaps earns an additional ticket of certification as it is produced by Priscilla Presley herself.

While this film is a showcase of the romance between Elvis and Priscilla, it is something deeper at its core. It is really a marvelous depiction of what it is like to be an adolescent with a first crush. Even as you age, that idea sometimes fails to slip away. We see that as Priscilla and Elvis become romantically involved, she longs for his presence, and of course, Elvis comes with the bonus of being a bit of a status symbol. But even without Elvis in the mix, I think the movie does a decent job at showing what it is like to be young, experience love, or some feeling that resembles love, for the first time. This is mostly shown on Priscilla’s part, as she is the protagonist of the film, but it is also fascinating to see someone like Elvis Presley decide how he chooses this one young girl over the thousands of other screaming fans, not to mention celebrities alive at the time of his dominance. Their connection is one that is not easy to watch, but hard to look away from. It is ultimately a riveting, gut-wrenching romance that does not have me thinking the individuals involved are making the best choices, but it is one that I understand why it could happen. That is the foundation of this movie. Taking two young, beautiful, different people, and putting them together in a connection that is not exactly smooth-sailing. It kind of has its ups and downs along the way, but the downs become increasingly evident as the movie goes.

This movie made me ask myself what I would do had I slipped into Priscilla’s shoes. There is a moment in the film where Elvis and Priscilla are together, the former is doing an activity, and the latter seems uninterested in it. Elvis appears to catch on but informs Priscilla that there are a lot of people, particularly women, who would kill to do said activity with him. That moment basically summed up the whole movie and Priscilla’s character to a tee. We all have our celebrity crushes. I will be straight up and admit that one that instantly comes to mind for me, at least at this moment in time would have to be Ana de Armas. Now if I were given the opportunity to be with her if I found out she were single, my mind would instantly think “yes.” But the question that remains to be answered is whether I would stay with them once I get to know their various quirks. The question remains true for any potential partner, but I would have to imagine in some cases, when it comes to a high-profile celebrity like Elvis Presley, or in my case, Ana de Armas, it would be a lot harder to back out in a situation like that. It goes to show how deeply we value celebrity culture and how it influences us as a society. This movie basically sums up the whole “don’t meet your heroes” idea. Did meeting Elvis Presley and getting to know him disappoint Priscilla? Maybe not at first. But as the movie goes along, we see the two develop to a point where the relationship becomes controlling, one-sided, and toxic. Because of this, “Priscilla” is arguably the most uncomfortable I felt watching a movie in 2023, but I mean that in the most positive of statements. It felt raw. It felt immersive. It doesn’t hold back.

To my lack of surprise, the Elvis Presley Foundation declined their approval for the film. After all, unlike last year’s “Elvis,” it features the iconic musician in a less positive light. It complexifies him to the point where he is a bit more arrogant. He may be nice in some scenes, but the movie is not afraid to highlight moments where he is a jerk. Therefore, while this movie did not get me to stop appreciating some of Elvis’s songs, I admire its approach in telling a story where someone so well known and respected is given a much darker background. Speaking of Elvis’s songs, and given what I just said this should not come as a huge shock, there are no Elvis songs in this film. That said, the film has a decent soundtrack that captures its respective setting beautifully. It has a nice throwback feel and I admire the film aspiring to the challenge of putting none of Elvis’s songs in a movie in which he is prominently featured. That said, he is not the protagonist. This is not his story. This is Priscilla’s story. And her story is glorious. It is a story I will continue to think about for ages. It is a story that says a ton on how we view our idols. How we will sometimes make sacrifices for the people we admire. How we feel when we experience love and don’t want to let it go, even if it may be for the greater good. “Priscilla” is an easy two-thumbs up.

In the end, “Priscilla” is one of the most hallowing tales of love I have ever seen. It is one of those movies that you kind of have to see to believe. “Priscilla” is not only one of the best movies of the year, it is one of the finest works A24 has put out in its short history. It is up there with “Room,” “Pearl,” and “First Reformed” as one of my favorite films the distributor has put out. Sofia Coppola brings amazing performances out of everyone in this film, especially its two leads, Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi. Both of these two should be in contention for some big buzz this awards season. They do an excellent job with their roles. Regardless of how this film bases itself on true events, I think Priscilla Presley has one of my favorite character arcs in recent film. By the end, I was satisfied with her journey, but I left feeling icky. And mean that as a compliment. With each passing moment, Cailee Spaeny dominates the screen with her admirable presence and instant likability. If you told me in 2020 that in the next few years we’d be getting a movie from Warner Brothers about Elvis Presley, and follow that up next year with a movie from A24 about Priscilla Presley, I’d slap you across the face and call you crazy. If you told me after getting slapped that I would hate the Elvis Presley movie, and think the Priscilla Presley movie is a significant improvement over it, I might buy into your claim given how I think A24 tends to put out standout film after standout film. Yet at the same time, I would tell you to seek professional help. But here we are. “Priscilla” is one of the year’s best films and I am going to give it a 9/10.

“Priscilla” is now playing in theaters everywhere. Tickets are available now.

Thanks for reading this review! My next review is going to be for the brand new anime “The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes!” This film was not playing in too many places near me, but I did get a chance to catch a screening of it at an AMC, so I will have my review of the film as soon as possible. Also coming soon, I will be sharing my thoughts on Marvel Studios’ latest film, “The Marvels,” Disney’s newest animated feature, “Wish,” and Taika Waititi’s most recent directorial effort, “Next Goal Wins.” If you want to see this and more from Scene Before, follow the blog either with an email or WordPress account! Also, check out the official Facebook page! I want to know, did you see “Priscilla?” What did you think about it? Or, if you have seen both films, I want to know which one you liked better… “Elvis?” Or “Priscilla?” Let me know down below! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!