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Tag: Mary Shelley

  • Guillermo del Toro delivers a Frankenstein for the tech bro era

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    There’s a reason the story of Frankenstein endures. Its examination of mankind’s hubris and inhumane scientific progress has only become more relevant since Mary Shelley’s time. The pursuit of “innovation at all costs” has led to new monsters, born from people who failed (or refused) to consider the consequences of their actions. So it’s no wonder that Victor Frankenstein in Guillermo del Toro’s Netflix adaptation feels so much like a modern day tech bro. He is practically their template.

    Squint a bit, and you can see Frankenstein’s recklessness in Mark Zuckerberg ignoring Facebook’s role in promoting the genocide in Myanmar, with Elon Musk lying about Tesla’s real self-driving capabilities (potentially leading to several crashes), or Sam Altman’s OpenAI building a hallucinating AI search engine trained on stolen content. Screw the consequences, they just want to shout “it’s alive!” as their products go viral (and as their investors lap up the engagement).

    Del Toro’s Frankenstein is a remix of the major elements of the novel — there’s the doomed love story, the mad scientist driven by his ego and the sympathetic monster who demonstrates far more humanity than his creator — refashioned in the director’s opulent style. But it’s also clear from the film’s explosive opening, where an Arctic ship encounters Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) being chased by a seemingly unkillable Creature (Jacob Elordi), that del Toro isn’t shying away from his campier horror roots. Arms are torn off, gallons of blood are spilled. This Frankenstein contains multitudes.

    Why did Victor Frankenstein go through hell to reanimate the dead? Because he could. In the novel and this film, the whole ordeal was always about bragging rights and demonstrating his greatness as a scientist. He didn’t consider what he owed to the new life form, or the cruelty of bringing a being into the world with no companion. It didn’t matter who he hurt. Sound familiar?

    Mia Goth and Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein (Netflix)

    What truly makes del Toro’s Frankenstein work is his understanding of the characters. As Victor Frankenstein, Oscar Isaac embodies the punk rock charm of a rebel scientist who thinks he alone can invent a way to reanimate life. But he also lives with the memory of an abusive father who likely killed his beloved mother. Elizabeth fascinates and intrigues Victor, but she’s also disgusted by his apathy for the natural world. It’s not hard to see why she feels immediate sympathy for the Creature, who is portrayed by Jacob Elordi as a sort of child-like super human. He’s an immediate disappointment to Frankenstein, who can’t help but repeat the cycle of abuse he experienced with his father.

    Looking back at his career, it’s as if del Toro has been trying to adapt Shelley’s novel through all of his films. You can see elements of the story in his debut feature Cronos, which centers on a device that makes people immortal (but also curses them with a thirst for blood). The tragic father and son relationship between Frankenstein and the Creature is mapped directly onto the evil vampires in Blade 2. The Gothic romance between Frankenstein and his sister-in-law Elizabeth (who also has eyes for the Creature) echoes Crimson Peak. And the desire for a seemingly “evil” being to fit into normal human life is front and center in del Toro’s Hellboy films.

    Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein

    Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein (Netflix)

    In an interview with NPR, del Toro mentioned that, as a child, seeing the monster appear for the first time in the 1931 Frankenstein film was “an epiphany.” It was an experience that helped him understand his own faith, and seemingly his entire view of life and art. His Frankenstein is the work of someone who has been living with the story for decades. It comes to life with lavish sets, his love of voluptuous colors (there’s a scene of a red scarf floating in the air that haunts me) and his fascination with the macabre.

    There’s a lesson in Frankenstein for today’s tech elite, but given their current obsession with AI despite its potentially massive societal and environmental impacts, I have little hope they’ll learn anything from it. But when Guillermo del Toro was asked about using generative AI by NPR, he spoke as someone who truly understood Shelley’s novel. “I’d rather die,” he said.

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  • What to Stream: ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps,’ Tracy Morgan, Kim Kardashian and ‘Downton Abbey’

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    The earnest superhero team-up tale “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” and Tracy Morgan returning to TV with a new comedy called “Crutch” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

    Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: The upstairs-downstairs drama “Downton Abbey” bids farewell in a final movie, Kim Kardashian plays a divorce attorney in Hulu’s “All’s Fair” and Willie Nelson continues to demonstrate his prolific output with the release of yet another new album this year.

    New movies to stream from Nov. 3-9

    — Guillermo del Toro realizes his long-held dream of a sumptuous Mary Shelley adaptation in “Frankenstein” (Friday Nov. 7 on Netflix). Del Toro’s film, starring Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as his monster, uses all the trappings of handmade movie craft to give Shelley’s classic an epic sweep. In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr wrote: “Everything about ‘Frankenstein’ is larger than life, from the runtime to the emotions on display.”

    — Matt Shakman’s endearingly earnest superhero team-up tale “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” (Wednesday on Disney+) helps alleviate a checkered-at-best history of big-screen adaptations of the classic Stan Lee-Jack Kirby comic. Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn play Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, the Thing and the Human Torch, respectively. In 1964, they work to defend Earth from its imminent destruction by Galactus. In my review, I praised “First Steps” as “a spiffy ’60s-era romp, bathed in retrofuturism and bygone American optimism.”

    John Cougar Mellencamp performs both on stage and on one of two large screen television screens set up at the University of Illinois Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. on Sept. 22, 1985 during the Farm Aid concert. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, file)

    — “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” (Friday, Nov. 7 on Peacock) bids goodbye to the Crawleys 15 years after Julian Fellowes first debuted his upstairs-downstairs drama. The cast of the third and final film, directed by Simon Curtis, includes Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery and Paul Giamatti. In her review, AP’s Jocelyn Noveck wrote that the film gives “loyal Downton fans what they want: a satisfying bit of closure and the sense that the future, though a bit scary, may look kindly on Downton Abbey.” Peacock is also streaming the two previous movies and all six seasons of “Downton Abbey.”

    — “The Materialists” (Friday, Nov. 7 on HBO Max), Celine Song’s follow-up to her Oscar-nominated 2023 breakthrough “Past Lives,” stars Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans in a romantic triangle. The New York-set film adds a dose of economic reality to a romantic comedy plot in what was, for A24, a modest summer hit. In her review, AP’s Jocelyn Noveck called it “a smart rom-com that tries to be honest about life and still leaves us smiling.”

    — AP Film Writer Jake Coyle

    New music to stream from Nov. 3-9

    — The legendary Willie Nelson continues to demonstrate his prolific output with the release of yet another new album this year. “Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle,” out Friday, Nov. 7, is exactly what it sounds like: Nelson offering new interpretations of 11 classic songs written by Merle Haggard. And we mean classics: Check out Nelson’s latest take on “Okie From Muskogee,” “Mama Tried,” “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink” and more.

    — Where’s the future of the global music industry? All over, surely, but it would be more than just a little wise to look to Brazil. Not too dissimilar to how Anitta brought her country’s funk genre to an international mainstream through diverse collaborations and genre meddling, so too is Ludmilla. On Thursday, she will release a new album, “Fragmentos,” fresh off the heels of her sultry, bilingual collaboration with Grammy winner Victoria Monét, “Cam Girl.” It’s a combination of R&B, funk and then some.

    — AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

    New series to stream from Nov. 3-9

    — Tracy Morgan returns to TV with a new comedy called “Crutch.” Morgan plays a widowed empty-nester whose world is turned around when his adult children move home with his grandkids in tow. The Paramount+ series debuts Monday.

    — Kim Kardashian says she will soon learn whether she passed the bar exam to become a lawyer, but she plays a sought-after divorce attorney in “All’s Fair,” her new TV series for Hulu. Kardashian stars alongside Glenn Close, Sarah Paulson, Niecy Nash-Betts, Naomi Watts and Teyana Taylor in the show about an all-female law firm. Ryan Murphy created the show with Kardashian in mind after she acted in “American Horror Story: Delicate.” It premieres Tuesday on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

    — The old saying about truth being stranger than fiction applies to Netflix’s new four-episode limited-series “Death by Lightning.” It’s a historical dramatization (with some comedy thrown in) about how James Garfield became the 20th president of the United States. He was shot four months later by a man named Charles Guiteau (Matthew Macfadyen), who was desperate for Garfield’s attention. Two months after that, Garfield died from complications of his injuries. It’s a wild story that also features Betty Gilpin, Nick Offerman, Bradley Whitford and Shea Whigham. The series premieres Thursday.

    — HBO offers up a new docuseries about the life of retired baseball superstar Alex Rodriguez. “Alex Vs. A-Rod” features intimate interviews with people who are related to and know Rodriguez, as well as the man himself. The three-part series premieres Thursday.

    — The next installment of “Wicked,” called “Wicked: For Good,” flies into theaters Nov. 21 and NBC has created a musical special to pump up the release. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande lead “Wicked: One Wonderful Night,” a concert event that premieres Thursday on NBC and streams on Peacock Friday, Nov. 7. Additional film cast members like Michelle Yeoh, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode and Ethan Slater appear as well.

    — Alicia Rancilio

    New video games to play from Nov. 3-9

    — It’s going to be a while until the next Legend of Zelda game, but if you’re craving some time with the princess, check out Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. In this spinoff, a prequel to 2023’s Tears of the Kingdom, Zelda travels back in time to join forces with the Six Sages in a war against the invader Ganondorf. You can also drag another human into battle with split-screen or the GameShare feature on Nintendo’s new console. Like the previous collaborations between Nintendo and Koei Tecmo, it’s more hack-and-slash action than exploration and discovery. It arrives Thursday on Switch 2.

    — Lou Kesten

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  • Guillermo del Toro and Oscar Isaac Want ‘Frankenstein’ to Speak to Latin American Culture

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    In a conversation with Guillermo del Toro and Oscar Isaac, dropped online by GQ to promote the long-awaited collaboration between the cinema faves, the duo talked about how their Latin culture informed their take on Frankenstein.

    Guillermo del Toro revealed he and Isaac were on the same page from day one: “I think that one of the things we connected over that dinner was our Latinness. Because obviously the shadow of the father looms differently in the Latin family, I believe.”

    Isaac supplied, “[The] patriarchal thing, it’s so strong.”

    The director nodded at his actor’s assessment of the way patriarchy comes into play in his film in a different tone due to their upbringing: “[And] the melodrama, and the drama of being blind to those flaws, you know, it’s very Mexican.” The filmmaker shared that he showed Isaac 1949’s La Oveja Negra (The Black Sheep) by Mexican filmmaker Ismael Rodríguez, which stars Pedro Infante, the iconic figurehead of machismo masculinity of a bygone old cinematic era—think Clark Gable en español.

    Isaac shared how he sprinkled some of the star’s on-screen presence as he made his Victor’s masculine energy inspired by the Infante’s sweeping movements when he played key scenes, “We used that one moment when Jacob [Elordi] comes back to ask for a bride,” and described how the creator responded to his creature’s request, “and I just kind of walked by him and pushed him away. That was a little nod.”

    From a filmmaking standpoint, del Toro elaborated on his intentionality: “Those moments for me are things that you determine only from a Latin culture. The swarthy Catholicism of the film. But I think the sort of pageantry of Catholicism, which verges on the operatic, you know, the intensity of emotions,”

    Isaac agreed, “That’s why we talk about it being a story of outsiders. I talked to you a lot about that first meeting, which was like feeling like an outsider from the moment that [I] came from Guatemala to this country and constantly moving around and always feeling like a bit of an other.”

    Isaac explained how this was something he experienced in trying to prove himself over the course of his career to play outside of the stereotypical Latino roles as his career evolved. “That kind of fed into this kind of myopic view of, like, excellence. The only way I can succeed is by being excellent and better than everyone else at this thing. And no matter what it costs, you know, that was something that definitely, I think, fed into Victor.”

    To del Toro, this made Isaac the right choice for his leading man in his lifelong dream project: “The Victor that I really believe would be a fresh Victor is a Victor that had swagger and sensuality and flair.” The filmmaker came to that conclusion from his experiences as a Latino, which ended up mirroring how he would see Victor’s final form in the eventual film as it came into fruition as “reclaiming that for not a British actor, not an Anglo actor,” as it related to his connection to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. “We talked on the set and I said, ‘it’s not an accident that our Victor is played by, you know, Oscar Isaac Hernandez.’ And we reclaimed some of that energy.”

    Isaac added how he tapped into that wavelength. “Yeah, exactly. At one point, you’re like, ‘A European would never make a movie like this’—the way that you were shooting it with these huge sets and also the way you direct; sometimes you’d be like, ‘I need the Maria Cristina,’” he said in reference to the classic telenovela move where an actor walks away to process an emotion before doing a dramatic physical reaction, whether it’s a full-body turn or gaping wide-eyed brows up in the high heavens look.

    In Frankenstein it’s used with great gothic aplomb on purpose. Isaac shared the note del Toro gave him in a big moment opposite Mia Goth. “‘It was like you have to walk from his left shoulder past him and then you stop and you turn back,’” he recalled.

    “It’s like a telenovela,” del Toro interjected.

    Isaac reminisced, “You have to make this Mexican boy very happy,” he said in reference to the boy who grew up worshipping Frankenstein, who would at an older age approach him to play the complex anti-hero of Shelley’s text.

    Affirming, del Toro added, “When people say, ‘What’s Mexican about your movies?’ I say, ‘Me. Yeah,” he laughed, celebrating how his culture permeates his creations. “What else do you want? I think you cannot deny what you are, who you are. And what moves you in any act of artistic expression ever, you know?”

    Watch the rest of the interview below:

    Correction: A previous version of this article cited Netflix as the source. In fact, it was originally shared by GQ.

    Frankenstein is now in theaters and will be released on Netflix November 7.

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Sabina Graves

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  • ‘Frankenstein’ (the Book) Gets a Special Edition Ahead of ‘Frankenstein’ (the Movie)

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    As excitement builds for Guillermo del Toro‘s stylish Frankenstein movie, Penguin Books would like you to remember where the story began. Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, a pioneering work of sci-fi, is getting a special tie-in release with Jacob Elordi‘s hulking, weirdly glamorous monster gracing the cover.

    Frankenstein has, of course, been adapted many times over the years, with Boris Karloff’s Universal Pictures run as the monster providing the most indelible visual. Frankenstein’s monster (or “Frankenstein” if you don’t mind the inaccuracy) has long since become an established part of the creature pantheon, adorning Halloween decorations and popping up at Universal’s theme parks.

    A tie-in edition pairing an old book with a new adaptation—which is not a new idea by any means; other recent examples have seen Wicked and The Long Walk get shiny new covers inspired by their respective movies—might make novel fans cringe, but it makes sense. And if Elordi’s (heavily made-up) face gets a casual consumer to read a literary classic, isn’t that the best outcome possible?

    It also comes with an introduction by del Toro, offering further incentive.

    Here’s the full cover, which reproduces the film’s new poster revealed earlier today.

    © Penguin Books

    Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, starring Jacob Elordi, Oscar Isaac, and Mia Goth, hits theaters for a limited release October 17; it arrives on Netflix November 7.

    The tie-in edition of the book releases October 28; you can pre-order here. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus was first published January 1, 1818.

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Cheryl Eddy

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