Commentary: ‘Frankenstein’ Starts With A Bang But Ends With A Whimper
by Frank Martin
Some stories are simply difficult to end. It all depends on what type of climax the storyteller is looking for. If there’s to be a peaceful resolution, one that doesn’t resort to violence and conflict, a story can peter out without much satisfaction. As a novel, Mary Shelley‘s Frankenstein doesn’t necessarily leave a lot of room for a blockbuster ending, forcing adaptations to find their own path towards wrapping up the story. In the case of Guillermo del Toro‘s Frankenstein adaptation for Netflix, he managed to pump in a lot of action and suspense early on that ultimately fizzles out in the film’s final moments.
The story starts off close to the end as Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) is found near death on the Arctic ice after an encounter with the creature (Jacob Elordi) he created. After being brought aboard a ship for his safety, the creature attacks the ship’s crew, killing many of them with his inhuman strength. The story then flashes back in time to reveal Victor’s upbringing and how he went about creating the monster, who, after escaping captivity, tried to lead a peaceful existence. The monster ended up clashing with Victor, resulting in the circumstances that found them out on the ice. With Victor Frankenstein succumbing to death, he comes to peaceful terms with the creature before it helps free the ship from the ice to sail away.
The film does a great job captivating audiences with action right from the beginning. This steady pacing of suspenseful moments continues on throughout the movie. However, the movie was ultimately going to end with some sort of reconciliation between Victor and his creation. Because of this, there was never going to be a big climactic battle. In fact, the film actually started with the climactic battle. So while there might have been a successful character arc for the two main characters, it was mundane compared to the rest of the film’s drama.
Frankenstein is now streaming on Netflix.
