Movie Review - Frankenstein

Director: Guillermo del Toro
Genre: Horror/ Fantasy
Runtime: 149 minutes
Year: 2025
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, Charles Dance, David Bradley. Lars Mikkelsen, Felix Kammerer, Ralph Ineson
 
Description: Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), a brilliant but egotistical scientist, brings a creature (Jacob Elordi) to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creature.
 
Review: I think “Frankenstein” is one of the books with the most movie adaptations in its name. And if I could have chosen a director for the 2025 version, I would have definitely picked Guillermo del Toro. He is suited for this story, he knows how to visualize classics like “Frankenstein”. And I wasn’t wrong, because it’s so good.

We all know the story. Victor Frankenstein is an ambitious, somewhat egotistical scientist, who brings a creature to life. This eventually leads to the undoing of both him and his creation.

Guillermo del Toro manages to bring Mary Shelley’s gothic style to life. The visuals are stunning. The aesthetics, the sets, costumes and atmosphere are all spot on.  The film is layered, which is closer to Mary Shelley’s book and explores important themes such as creation, humanity and identity. The focus on the romantic connection between the monster and Elizabeth, and Victor’s resulting jealousy is an interesting addition to the original story.

The performances are really strong. The absolute star is Oscar Isaac, who portrays a layered Dr. Frankenstein and conveys his madness fantastically. Jacob Elordi is a surprising choice for the monster. He breaks through his “hunk” image he built up with previous roles. He plays the role credibly and vulnerably. Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz proves strong supporting roles and add extra color to the ensemble.

Many people criticize the slow pace, but they clearly never read the book. I think the pacing is perfect, taking time to tell the story and get to know the characters. It’s a long film, but I never felt that.
I absolutely loved this adaptation of “Frankenstein”.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Movie Review - The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Director: Matt Shakman
Genre: Action/ Science Fiction/ Adventure
Runtime: 114 minutes
Year: 2025
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Julia Garner, Ralph Ineson, Paul Walter Hauser, Natasha Lyonne, Sarah Niles, Mark Gadiss
 
Description: Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, the Fantastic Four must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic herald the Silver Surfer.  
 
Review: Genius Dr. Reed Richards can stretch his body, his wife Sue can turn invisible and create force fields, her brother van burst into flames on command, and their best friend is a walking chunk of granite with massive strength. They are the protectors of Eart No. 828. But then an alien creature, all covered in silver, falls from the sky and tells them the world is doomed. At least, unless Reed and Sue sacrifice their unborn baby to the space god Galactus.
 
They have tried before, to put Marvel’s ‘first family’ on the big screen. The first, from 1994, was never released. And since then we had a financially successful version in 2005 that also got a sequel. The dark reboot, with the strange title Fant-4-Stic, wasn’t a success at all. “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is definitely the best of the bunch.
 
They didn’t only have to proof that this comic series is filmable at all, but the commercial future of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe rests just a little bit more heavily on its shoulders than on other titles.
 
Director Matt Shakman was also responsible for the most inventive series of the MCU: “WandaVision”. And this film, in my eyes, is great too.
 
The origin story of the Four is quickly rushed through a TV recap. And we can accept that you can still end a superhero movie with a big world-threatening final battle. As long as it’s done right. Shakman and his writers understand it all too well.
 
The film is strong, and this is first and foremost because of the excellent casting of the four main characters. Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm and Ebon Moss-Bachrach all fit their roles very well, but it’s Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm who impresses the most. The dynamic between these characters is convincing, in details and grand gestures. There is bickering, teasing, back and forth irritation. But when it comes down to it, they always choose each other and fight together.
 
The villains were portrayed well, especially Silver Surfer, played by Julia Garner. Because of Johnny Storm’s  immediate fascination with her, it gives the story a chance to delve a little deeper into her background. Which in terms gives her the necessary depth. Galactus is a bit more one-dimensional then, since he just wants one thing.
 
I highly enjoyed “The Fantastic Four: First Steps”. An excellent superhero film and a nice stepping stone to the next chapter in the MCU.
 
Rating: 4,5/ 5

Movie Review - Nosferatu

Genre: Fantasy/ Horror/ Mystery
Runtime: 132 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgård, Willem Dafoe, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney
 
Description: A gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman (Lily-Rose Depp) and the terrifying vampire (Bill Skarsgård) infatuated with her, causing untold horror in it awake.
 
Review: The 1922 “Nosferatu” by F.W. Murnau is an illicit adaptation of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”. It’s a chilling masterpiece that overambitious directors had better stay away from when thinking of a remake. Especially after all the countless Dracula films adaptations that add little to nothing to the original story. But director Robert Eggers has proven with movies such as “The Witch”, “The Lighthouse” and “The Northman” that he can do something and has a unique vision. “Nosferatu” is a story that was made for him and the result is worth watching.

The 1922 “Nosferatu” is a silent film that terrified audience at the time. Eggers stays away from the theatrical and operatic style that many vampire movies often use. He does not hide away his admiration for Murnau’s original. But he uses his own style and made a unique and personal work with an original approach.

The story broadly follow that of the classic. In 1838, Thomas Hutter must leave his young bride Ellen behind in Wisborg, Germany, and travel to Transylvania. He must personally hand over the purchase papers of an old property to the buyer, the mysterious Count Orlok. Too late, Thomas realizes that his host is a vampire who harbors an all-consuming love for Ellen. Orlok sails a doomed ship to Wisborg to claim his bride.

Probably the biggest change that Eggers made, is Orlok’s look. Max Schreck was a bald-headed vampire with sharp rabbit-like teeth. What stands out most about Bill Skarsgård as Orlok, is the thick moustache. In the first half of the film, Eggers leaves him mostly in the shadows, but in the second half you see him in more detail.

Eggers uses a monochromatic look, with sometimes scenes fully in black an white. This fits the atmosphere and also Egger’s style. The camera work is excellent. It’s panning, where is doesn’t feel like it’s spinning nor is it stationary.

“Nosferatu” is not a nail-biter, but it is very scary. But the terror is more in the portrayal of the characters, the atmosphere and the way it’s filmed. The shadow especially impressed me and was very creepy. Performances by Bill Skarsgård, Willem Dafoe and Nicholas Hoult are really strong, but it’s Lily-Rose Depp who really delivers a stellar performance.

If you are familiar with Robert Eggers’ previous work and those were not your cup of tea, “Nosferatu” will probably not be for you. If you’re a fan of his style and type of storytelling, you will love this too. Just beware of the gore that is coming.

Rating: 4,5/ 5