November 1, 2025 • 40 mins
Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi bring Guillermo del Toro’s lifelong dream to life in Frankenstein, a gothic and emotionally charged masterpiece decades in the making.On this episode of The Moviegoers Society, Sean Tajipour, the Mayor of Nerdtropolis, and Drew Munhausen break down del Toro’s breathtaking vision — from its haunting performances and practical craftsmanship to Alexandre Desplat’s moving score and the film’s bold, spiritual take on Mary Shelley’s classic.Is Frankenstein the most beautiful monster movie ever made? 📽 Follow us on Letterboxd:
https://letterboxd.com/dmunhausen/
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Episode Transcript
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(00:11):
Well, hello and welcome to another episode of the Moviegoer
Society. I'm Sean Todgeworth, the mayor
of Nurtropolis and joined as always by my Co host
Drubenhausen, the professional media and movie mastermind
himself. Hello Drew, welcome to spooky
season. It's the final week of spooky
season, right? Are you ready?
(00:32):
Ready for it to be over? No, yes and no.
Like I had Fantastic Fest in late September, so I saw lots of
horror and stuff there. So I feel like I probably did
get it out of my system early, but I have not watched enough
horror in October proper. But I also do like transitioning
to the holiday season and the holiday movie season in
(00:55):
particular and and all that. So there's pros and cons.
I don't think I've indulged intospooky season as much as I
usually do. You see my go to holiday but I
feel like the month has gone by so fast.
I've been so busy all over the place I just don't know what to
do. Not much free time honestly.
(01:17):
For those that don't know, I just came back from San Antonio
doing panel hosting at Spacecon and yeah, it's been an eventful
weekend. Exciting weekend.
Pinch me moment weekend for sure.
I got you so many panels Drew. I think 9 of them.
(01:37):
That's a lot. That's a lot to prepare for,
too. It is and you can.
You're never prepared, I will say, but the WAD division panel
with Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olson was amazing.
I mean, just to show the stage with these people is mind
blowing. Giancarlo Esposito.
That's the proper way to say hislast name, Esposito, which I've
(01:59):
struggled with. I'm going to admit something
that's hard to say when you hearEsposito all the time.
It's horrible, right? That's what I say, Giancarlo
Esposito. It is not, but I it's Esposito.
We got to start practicing this as good as we have to.
George Takei. That was awesome.
It's not Takei. It is Takei.
(02:20):
I knew that one. Yes, I did Starship Troopers, so
I had Casper Van Deen, Deena Meyer and awesome Michael
Ironside. Oh man, I am drawing like I did
Wilson Bethel, who is Bullseye on a Daredevil as well.
(02:40):
I was like, I have to go throughmy pictures.
I'm like who else did I do? I oh, David Duchovny as well,
which was awesome. That was one of them.
I got to do a Fantastic Four first Steps panel with some of
my Disney publicist people. It was awesome.
They had a cool little activation there.
You can take some photos and kind of be in the Baxter
Building and stuff like that. And amongst other, I'm going to
(03:02):
start posting a bunch of stuff on my Instagram, on Neuropolis,
Instagram and my personal 1. So definitely check out that.
And I want to keep rambling on about Space Con, but it was
super exciting, that's for sure.But today, we are descending
into Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, A haunting gothic
masterpiece decades in the making.
I mentioned this before I was inLA.
Netflix brought me over to dive deep into Frankenstein, learn
(03:26):
more about it. I followed this project for a
while. I followed Guillermo de Tour's
journey for a while. I mean, he's so such a
passionate filmmaker. Every project he selects, it's
for a reason. And definitely this one was like
his destiny was finally fulfilled.
This was something he always wanted to do.
And yeah, before we dive into it, Drew, what do you what's
(03:48):
your take on Frankenstein in general and everything we've
got? And we're going to keep getting
more stuff kind of similar to it.
We have The Bride coming out next year, which is an
interesting take. But based on, you know, the
book, the original book, I personally think this is the
ultimate version. Nothing else will ever surpass
it. This is the most passionate take
(04:10):
on it, with a lot of additional creativity and just liberties on
it and stuff like that, and kindof making it his own, but also
delivering, I think would make everyone proud of a really great
Frankenstein film. Yeah, I, I'm a big fan of the
Universal Monsters in general, but I feel like of those I have
(04:30):
a lot more exposure to like Dracula and things like that,
like Frankenstein, I guess of the Universal Monsters has just
never really been my guy. Or I should say, Frankenstein's
monster has never been my guy. And I.
Always say this real quick. It's something we do in pop
culture or something that happens in this world that we
call like the monster Frankenstein, right?
(04:50):
And it's. Yeah, I make been making.
No, I make this all attractive. Everyone does this.
It's just I just bring it up because it's a funny topic
because there was an interview about that and Guillermo was
super not not problematic with Oscar.
Isaac was like, yes, Frankenstein is mean.
It's not him, it's the creature.And it's just funny though, how
we just when we think of Frankenstein, we think of the
(05:11):
creature and that's the name we kind of give him, right?
That's just how vivid everyone'smemory is, or just visuals of
the Frankenstein monster and youjust give him that name.
But that was my little. Branch right there.
Frankenstein's monster is so apparent not just in
Frankenstein adaptations, but like in all kinds of horror
(05:34):
adaptations. Like you have the Lurch in the
Addams Family and you know, things like that.
Like there's, there's just so much that comes from heck, we
just had Creature Commandos lastyear where Frankenstein's
monster is a character and member of a superhero team.
So. Well, and I just did an
interview for Stitch Head, whichis this animated film and it's
kind of like a take on Frankenstein.
(05:55):
Like Stitch Head is a creation of like a Frankenstein type
person. And so there, it's everywhere.
That type of storytelling and creatures and someone creating
something is everywhere. When you even look at the works
of Guillermo del Toro in his last movie was the animated
Pinocchio movie, which is in itself kind of a Frankenstein
story, which he has a better threat.
(06:16):
Yeah. So like, I and I watched some
interviews with Guillermo del Toro recently too, where he's
just talked about like, this hasbeen the project that he's
wanted. You know, this is his life's
work, basically. And I think not to get our head
head, head of ourselves, but like it shows on the screen and
and with what we got. And the way he talks about it,
too, he said, you know, during that press conference I was at
(06:38):
that I was able to ask a question to Oscar Isaac.
He said reading Mary Mary Shelley's novel at age 11
changed him forever. It became a kind of religion, as
he put it in his adaptations. Everything you expect a little
fun thing like they gave us, youknow, the Mary Shelley book with
like the new film cover on there.
That's cool. Yeah, and then I had him sign
(07:01):
and sign up there. So I was signed Gamer Lottoro,
Frankenstein book. I'll take it and real quick, you
know, popcorn buckets as you canprobably, I don't know if you
can. Yeah, I'm kind of hiding some of
them. But popcorn bucket craze.
There is a Frankenstein popcorn bucket.
I don't know how you get it, butGamer Lottaro had it.
And then I have it too because they were giving it to us when
(07:23):
we were at Netflix. And this is a little popcorn
bucket for the Frankenstein movie.
So I got to just show that off alittle bit.
But part of that, I like this one a lot.
That's pretty cool. Really, really creepy that
that's for sure. But yeah, his adaptations,
everything you'd you'd expect. And I'm glad, Drew, that you got
(07:46):
to see it in a theatre. I got to see at the Netflix to
to Doom theatre, but it is coming to Netflix next month,
but it is doing a limited not aslimited as you think.
They're adding theaters non-stop, it seems like, but
it's hitting theaters right now.It's your local theaters should
have it something that nearby because Guillermo is on top of
it, making sure everyone can catch it in theaters.
(08:08):
But talk about where you you sawit up.
Yeah, like I think a lot of the big chain theaters maybe are the
ones that kind of hold back fromit.
Like I don't think AM CS are going to be showing it, but I I
do have some other smaller chains around me.
I haven't looked into if Regal or Cinemark are going to be
showing it. But you know, it's funny, Full
disclosure, the last conversate conversation Sean and I had had
(08:31):
about doing an episode, we had talked about doing the the new
Springsteen movie, right? What does it deliver me from
from nowhere? And that's what I had intended
to see this weekend. And when I started to look up
times, I saw some of my local theaters nearby were showing
Frankenstein already in limited release.
And I started thinking and I waslike, man, these Netflix movies
(08:56):
don't always show in theaters. And when they do, it's usually
for a pretty limited time. And if the new film by Guillermo
del Toro, if I have the opportunity to see it in a
theater, I feel like I should take advantage.
And plus, I wanted to see Frankenstein more anyway like
that. It's me like this, that's more
my thing. So I did.
(09:18):
So I went, I went and saw it in a theater and it was a, a Sunday
evening screening, pretty good crowd there for the screening I
was at. And so it just makes me think
like I, it's a whole other conversation to talk about
Netflix and their strategy. And I know that they're like
pretty against theatrical releases in general, but they'll
(09:40):
make some compromises when it comes to the talent involved.
Especially when they're doing Oscar pushes too honestly.
And it depends on the film on the grand scale.
And honestly, this is a film looking at this shot here that
it needs to be seen on a grand scale.
I mean, it's to be great watching it at home and comfort
your couch and all that stuff. But I mean, the set designs, the
(10:02):
attention to detail, the locations it needs to be seen in
a theater if you're able to, but.
Well, not to mention it's a 2 1/2 hour movie.
And you know, if you're watchingit on Netflix at home behind
your phone, you know, however you choose to watch Netflix,
that's just not it's it's not going to do it justice.
(10:26):
Yeah, I, I'm, I'll, I'll say this.
I'm really glad that I got to see this in the theater.
Like I can't imagine now in hindsight just watching this on
my TV at home. Yeah, this one you can't because
like I said, the grand scale of it, you know, Oscar Isaac has
Victor Frankenstein, Jacob Laurie as the creature of the
Mia, Goth as Elizabeth and more,you know, great cast in here as
(10:47):
well. But you know, Drew, knowing Del
Toro's history with monsters, how do you think this
Frankenstein kind of fits into this filmography?
You think this is one of his strongest kind of more.
It is one of his most personal films.
If he didn't make another film after that, after this film, I'd
be like, he's had a great Arcticcareer, but he's not done
(11:08):
obviously. But you know, does this feel
like more like a Pan's Labyrinthstyle film or a Crimson Peak?
Like where does this fit in thisfilmography you think?
Yeah, it's probably somewhere between Crimson Peak and Shape
of Water. Like it, I think it's a little
bit more blockbustery than like The Shape of Water is probably
(11:32):
also a little bit more, what's the right word accessible maybe
for a bigger audience. But still like I do think that
if this was playing in theaters,like if this got a traditional
wide release, I think it would do really well.
That's not going to happen and you have to kind of seek it out,
(11:54):
but I think this is going to do well on Netflix.
I think that the reception that I've seen from the festivals
that it's played and everything,I've seen reviews kind of all
over the map. Which makes no sense because if
there's I hate to say this, there's a lot of films that
maybe deserve some of the negativity score.
(12:16):
But if anyone says this is any like, imagine how Rotten
Tomatoes. If I see anything rotten about
this film, I'm like how it's a quality film and maybe just
having a bad day or you just hate Frank the Frankenstein
story or you don't like Gamer Latoro.
That's the only reason. But this is actually overall a
fantastic film even if you don'tlike the story or not.
(12:39):
It is so well done and so much passion and there should be
nothing really truly rotten about it or harshly negative
about it. I think general audiences are
going to like it. And I, I think that it actually
has a good chance of penetratingthe 10 best picture nominees
this year in the Oscar awards race because you want those kind
(13:02):
of more mass appeal movies to bein there.
And this movie being on Netflix,you know, this isn't a like AJ
Kelly or some of the other Netflix releases that are going
to be in the awards conversationthis year that will have a more
niche audience. This is something that I think a
lot of people are going to watchNetflix, I'm sure will be
promoting this a lot at release.I'm sure they'll have different
(13:23):
themes as you're logging into your account, maybe like kind of
a like a sepia tone or you know,the, they, they have a custom
Netflix logo that starts at the beginning of the movie.
That's more Frankenstein theme. Like they're, they're, they're
putting a lot into this and theyknow what they have with the
movie. And regardless of what you and I
(13:43):
think, I think this movie's going to do well.
Luckily you and I, I think both really liked this movie and and
we can dig into it a little bit more.
Yeah, I want to start off with Oscar Isaac.
Great actor, great person. Before we dive into further,
I'll drop this. Jim, I love this candid photo of
(14:03):
us too talking. This is awesome picture.
I just got this like right before I jumped on.
I saw it like I did not have this photo until just like we
jumped on here. I was like, whoa, I love this.
I love candid photos, so I had to share this one.
It was a great little quick conversation with him, but I
really think he delivers. I haven't seen every performance
(14:24):
of his. There might be some I've missed
that are really great, but I really think this is his best
performance. He's like all in just everything
he goes, you know, goes through as victor.
He's a man that's kind of possessed.
He has his journey is all over the place.
He's consumed by his own need tocreate.
He's also fearful of the creature that Jacob Laurity
plays. And I do want to give, you know,
(14:47):
Oscar Isaac all the praise because I think he's so great in
his role and everything he's in is really good.
But I really I couldn't just take my eyes off him and amongst
other as well as Jacob Allordy, he's awesome as the creature,
but something that Oscar Isaac in this film very commanding and
really helps tell the story. And Drew, I want you to talk
(15:08):
about this, the storytelling in this.
And the way it's told is great because it's told, you know,
from different lenses. But when it is on Oscar Isaac,
it's really fantastic. So what do you think about his
performance in this? I'll say this, I've always loved
Oscar Isaac and I feel like he was really put on my radar back
(15:30):
with like when he works with theCohens with Inside Llewyn Davis
and even Ex Machina, the Alex Garland movie.
And I was like, this guy is going to be a big deal is how it
felt. And then it's kind of a shame
that the blockbuster projects hestarted to choose just were
like, you know, playing Apocalypse in the X-Men series
(15:52):
didn't really work. He is in the new Star Wars
trilogy. But PO of the three is kind of
like, I like him in those, but PO just kind of has the least to
do. It is the least rewarding of
those. It's just like, I feel like his
attempts to get over as like a blockbuster star have been just
(16:13):
a little bit more difficult thananticipated.
That being insane. That being said, like something
like Dune where he's, you know, like a lot of his supporting
roles I think are really, reallygood.
And in this, he really holds themovie on his shoulders for I'd
say probably what like about the1st 40 minutes or so.
It's like really a lot of him and he's wonderful in it.
(16:36):
And Guillermo del Toro has even said like it, it's the eyes, you
know, you get brilliance, you get you get insanity, you get
love, you get passion. You get all of those in his
eyes. And for playing Victor
Frankenstein, it's essential. And he, he is so good in this
and the different layers he, he even as the film goes on and he
(16:59):
becomes not to spoil like, but like maybe becomes a little bit
less likable at times. You're still just, you've been
with him for this journey up to this point and you're going to
stick with him. You know, I, I really, I, I
think that it's probably the best thing that I have seen him
in maybe since Dune Part 1 wherehe played Leno tradies or, you
(17:24):
know, but this is one of his, one of his best roles, I'd say
if this, this to me, probably gets quickly put on the Mount
Rushmore of Oscar Isaac performances.
I think easily he's a little electric in this.
He really shows how versatile heis and he is pretty much the
main character of the film most of the time and you're following
(17:46):
him until then, until we get introduced to the creature Jacob
O Lordy interest. The creature design was the most
interesting thing because it's agood looking Frankenstein kind
of, if you think about it, you know, here it is right here,
(18:07):
like look at the chiseled jaw, like right.
That's the thing about the Frankenstein creature.
He wanted to find some type of beauty with all what he was
doing as well. He wasn't trying to put
something that was unable to look at like we're used to for
the Frankenstein creature. So we have a very unique take on
it which I really thought was brilliant and a Lordy, I think
(18:28):
was a great pick. I forgot who was originally
offered. It was supposed to be Andrew
Garfield. Yeah, and I don't see it.
First of all, a Lordy is tall. I remember previously I shared a
photo with him and he's toweringover me at me being 61.
So you need someone super tall. I know, I know Garfield is tall
but it what is he like 6? Three.
(18:49):
I have no idea how tall. He is.
He's maybe 6263, but a Lordy is just like basketball giant,
right? But go ahead.
I was just going to say like with the appearance, because
like Jacob Lordy is, is a very attractive man.
Like he, he is. And and that's, you know, he's
played Elvis. He's.
(19:09):
Played he's Elvis and. In Euphoria, he's like a
football star and and some of these other projects and here
he's playing a monster. But even in Mary Shelley's text,
like he's described as having beautiful features.
The monster has beautiful features, but it's just the way
that it all comes together. But with his like the sickly
colored skin and and black lips and and watery eyes, like it's
(19:33):
like horrifying, despite the beauty behind it.
And I feel like that comes across here.
Yeah, you know, his take is he gives a physical and emotional
performance. The physicality of his his
performance is amazing. And you can see all the pain and
wonder, you know, from becoming this creature.
(19:53):
The Torah said that he didn't want to see like the typical
Frankenstein creature with patchwork monster that just, I
don't know, it's all these pieces that don't fit together,
you know, want to be like a piece of art in which is this,
you know, being born perfect butbroken by the world.
You know, it's what he wanted. And I, I just love the way he
approached this. It was perfect.
(20:14):
So what did you think? I know you talked about this,
but were you happy seeing a creature design like this?
There's a. Beat kind of like the classic
stitched up bolts look that we're so used to and other
versions we've seen. Yes, and we're kind of in an age
of trying to find new looks of the classic monsters.
(20:36):
I think of even at the end of last year, you know, we had
Nosferatu come out, which is a remake of an old, old film, but
they completely redid the look of Cal Orloc with the Bill
Skarsgard performance. Or even there's the Dracula
movie that we saw together. Dracula spin off the the
remember the voyage of the Demeter, that movie.
(20:57):
I I don't know if anybody remembers that movie at this
point. That was that's truly one that
seemed to kind of come and go, but the the Dracula creature
design and that is like very sickly and crawling around and
things. And then now you have
Frankenstein's monster and you're doing a version that
really goes through a transformation in himself and
the way that he looks and the way that he dresses and the way
(21:17):
that his hair grows and the way that he's styled.
And I, I really liked the designof the monster because like I
do, I had seen some memes already of like Frankenstein's
monster is hot in the new movie.And like, I don't know if I'd
say that because he's he's. Very.
I know someone that wouldn't saythat and we'll talk about her in
a little bit, but I would say someone would think so a little
(21:39):
bit in some way internally. Like and I, I get it, but he
also is gross looking at the same time.
I like it's it's a pretty fascinating design.
I think that the team behind it,behind the creature effects and
Guillermo de Torres vision, likereally kind of nailed it.
Yeah, and I love this shot of them kind of collaborating
(21:59):
behind the scenes. Jacob took this role very, very
seriously. I just love the brute force of
Frankenstein, right? And then also, he's very soft at
times. It's pretty wild.
And obviously Jacob Laurie's complimented very well with the
with Mia Goth as Elizabeth, who is, you know, Victor
(22:24):
Frankenstein's brother, soon to be bride.
And I really thought she was perfect for this world.
First of all, the outfits, the dresses, the costumes,
everything. I just love how she was the most
vibrant standout character in this film.
And it was on purpose, obviously, and it made sense.
(22:45):
And she saw through the creatures.
I don't know, I don't want to say it, not disgust, but like
just seeing something that she hasn't seen before and really
understanding. It's kind of like a child,
right? Someone that's new to the world
doesn't know what's going on. And then teaching him a little
bit and just showing him kindness.
Kindness he does not know. And I think that's what this
(23:07):
movie is about, also, showing kindness to people.
That kind of comparison to a child for the monster is is so
spot on. That's how it felt watching it.
And as a parent, it's tough because you see Victor
Frankenstein and Oscar Isaac's performance take this almost
like abusive parent type stance when he's like frustrated.
This child isn't learning as as quickly as he wants to or isn't
(23:30):
isn't responding the way he wants it to.
And as somebody with, with smallchildren that don't always do as
they're told or don't always listen, like, yes, you know, you
can be frustrated as a parent. Obviously the, the Oscar Isaac
part takes this. It's cruel.
It's very cruel, I must say, butI think Mia balances that,
(23:51):
brings this maternal yet fiercely spiritual energy to the
film. And she was great to talk to you
when I did a round table with her.
And she brings, you know, so much love and passion to
everything she does. Del Toro even said that
Elizabeth represents Mary Shelley and himself, right.
She's the film's voice of understanding and forgiveness
(24:11):
and, and, and just kindness in general.
So I mean, I, I love that. And I think she's a very crucial
part of the story in the storytelling.
She's made for this role. She's made for this world.
I mean, Mia Goth, obviously, she's become like the newest
horror darling, Like just put her in everything.
She's got such a striking look and I, I really do like her.
(24:35):
I would say that of the role, like, it's just hard because the
role of Victor Frankenstein and the role of Frankenstein's
monster, just such meaty roles in this story.
And the role of Elizabeth is probably the most thankless of
those. But I think that she brings to
it a lot and, and has a presence, but it's I, I almost
(24:57):
wish that I could have seen her get to do a little bit more.
And I don't even mean that as aninsult.
I'm just like, there's just, there's a lot of movie here and
at times things have to take, you know, have to be put aside
to give time to the monster and to Victor.
Well, when she shows up, when she is, she's there for a
reason. And it's like to kind of be like
the fairy godmother at times, right?
To kind of kind of guide a situation to be better or kind
(25:19):
of get an understanding where Victor's at or deal with the
creature and some aspects and just, you know, there's there's
a reason for her popping in and out.
I think because obviously the focus are on the the two main
characters. What do you think about the the
narrative and splitting the movie up into different parts
and just sing it from their lens?
(25:40):
I mean, I, I wasn't expecting that at all.
This is the whole breakup of thefilm.
I thought it worked really great.
I don't know if you necessarily needed the title cards to even
show that. Like, I feel like you could have
just done it, but no, I thought it worked.
I mean, for the most part, there's there's some stuff that
happened. I don't want to give it all
away, but like there's a big chunk of the movie that's from
(26:02):
Victor's perspective and a big chunk of the movie that's from
the monster's perspective. But those are really only the
two cards you get, despite therebeing some other things.
I take it, I take it back. There's a prelude card.
Yeah, because we kind of start. I mean, it's not really a
spoiler, it's just the break of the film.
So we won't, we won't dive into it.
We'll give some time, some people to breathe and figure it
out themselves. I guess you can say that, but
(26:24):
drew from a craft standpoint, this movie is definitely a love
letter to practical filmmaking. Del Toro hates overuse of CGI,
definitely hates AI, likes practical filmmaking and real
sets, tangible prosthetics, lighting, everything.
And he has a great team behind him, you know, and especially
(26:45):
with the cinematographer that heuses every time, the composer he
uses all the time. How do you think all that came
together? It kind of worked in unison to
you. You think so?
Yeah, I mean, well you can see here in the image you have on
screen, like the costuming and the things that they have, you
know, for the period are pretty incredible.
Especially the costumes that Miagots character gets Elizabeth
(27:08):
are some some incredible dresses.
And yeah, Victor's style is likepretty, pretty significant, too.
I do think that if you're reallylooking at like, the awards race
this year, this movie, as far ascostuming and like hair and
makeup goes, seems to, you know,be a sure bet for at least
nominations in some of those categories.
(27:29):
The visual effects, the practical effects are some of
them are incredible. There's one early on in the
movie that's a demonstration that Victor Frankenstein is
doing and all of that I thought was incredible.
And I've seen some interviews with Guillermo del Toro.
They're actually, there's one really good one from CBS Sunday
Morning that aired this past weekend where he's showing off.
(27:52):
He's basically has like a museumset up with a lot of the props
and things from this movie and that that physical prop I'm
talking about. What is there?
And I thought all of that was amazing because you could tell
it was real. The only time that there's any
CG in the movie that really sticks out is when there's
animals on screen and. For obvious reasons.
Right, right. But everything you know, monster
(28:14):
and horror related is pretty real and pretty incredible.
And can we talk about the gore, the blood, the body parts, all
that? Pretty much not like real real,
but like they made those and they crafted all that stuff.
They're not real body parts, butman, it's, it's gross.
Can we talk about the grossness of this film?
Because it's. Pretty the most anatomically
correct movie in history, as Guerra del Toro has called it.
(28:39):
Yeah, it's like going to, you know, to a science class or
whatever. What do they call that subject
when it's? Biology.
Biology. Yeah.
If you're looking for, like, subtle horror but a lot of gore,
this is it. That's, like a lot of lot of
grossness. There's one scene where Oscar
(29:01):
Isaac is this cleaning after allthe parts he used.
And I'm like, it must smell. That must smell.
I could like smell it through the screen.
This goes to show you how messedup my brain is because I'm like,
Oh yeah, there's some gore in the movie, but there's nothing
that really made me like squirm or look away.
But now I'm thinking about some of the things in the movie,
(29:23):
especially with the leading to the creation of the monster, and
I'm like, no, I think my brain is just broken.
And I'm so desensitized with allthe horror movies I watch
because there's some pretty grody stuff here.
Well, you're pretty much Victor Frankenstein if you're
desensitized. You know?
None of it. None of it bothers you, you
know, like it doesn't bother himgoing into a war zone to pick up
parts. It's just wild. 1 actor we
(29:45):
didn't kind of mention, which does have a really prominent
role is Christophe Waltz. Really good on the role, but
it's it's for me just I don't know what it is.
He kind of plays not the same role every time, but it's just
like his performance is always similar, but not in a bad way.
His delivery is always the same.He's kind of like, oh, what is
that one actor that said that was just in Dune.
(30:06):
He wants more cowbell the other.Oh, Christopher Walken.
The other Christopher, yeah, they have the similar just way
of delivering their lines and itworks in the films and so.
I think Christophe Waltz has a little bit more range, but I do
agree with you that like when he's doing a banger performance,
(30:28):
he's incredible and he is great in this, but he is for sure
doing the Christophe Waltz thingat this point.
Which is not bad thing. This is not a way to say it's
bad thing. It's just.
Yeah, it's not bad, but it's. But yeah, you're it's not a
stand out necessarily. Did you like the sound of of in
the film and, and and the the music and just everything tied
(30:50):
together? Because I thought, I thought.
Like I said, the whole package is pretty darn good.
Yeah, I thought it sounded really good.
There were a few times in my theater where the monster,
sometimes when he was speaking, I don't know if it was just me
or the sound, it was sometimes hard to make out what he was
saying because it's like that deep kind of baritone.
Well, he's also learning to speak.
(31:12):
Drew, don't. Don't.
Come on. Right.
Don't seize. The creature for just learning
his words and you're not understanding him all the time
when I'm. Yeah.
There's actually another performance I just want to point
out because it's probably not somebody that we would talk
about otherwise, but David Bradley is in this movie and I
(31:35):
think most people would know himfrom like in the Harry Potter
movies, he plays Filch, the the groundskeeper, caretaker,
whatever he is. And and he's in Game of Thrones.
I think he plays, see Walter Frey in Game of Thrones.
I'm pretty sure he. I'm not a Game of Thrones, so
you want to know, but yes, DavidBradley does have play such a
unique role in in a sweet role in my eyes.
(31:58):
He I thought was really incredible and I just want to
give it. We don't have to go too much
into it, but it just when he does pop up for this little arc
in the movie, I thought he was really great.
Well, it helps the story, it helps you kind of not feel for
the creature, but it's it's, it's, it's an arc for both of
them. It's he for sure.
(32:20):
And it's not a sport. I'm going to say a friendship.
It is a friendship that was created and so that's the the
beauty of their them together isthis friendship and it's very
touching and amongst more thingsand and yeah, everyone in this
film serves a purpose and reallyhelps move the story forward and
(32:40):
make you feel certain things forcertain characters, which which
is really fabulous. 2 hours and 30 minutes is the runtime.
Did it bother you? I think that that's my biggest
complaint about the movie. I really liked it.
I do feel like I felt the lengthmultiple times in the movie
where I wouldn't say it was necessarily dragging, but the
(33:03):
movie just felt long. I was with it the whole time.
It didn't really bother me, but I do feel like that was, if
there's anything that's a potential weakness of the movie,
I do think it's maybe a little bit over long.
I that's the only thing I worry about when it comes to the
Netflix release. And people who watch these
movies while having distractionsis like, yeah, there's some
(33:26):
parts of this movie that are a little bit quieter and slower
and, and drawn out. And I hope that that doesn't
turn people off. Yeah, I, I don't think it will.
And I wonder if this is like Guillermo's, like final cuts,
like this is like his director'scut version, which it seems like
it is. I don't think there is much
missing from what he wanted. And you know what he what he
(33:47):
said during the press conference, where I love it.
He was like being emotional is the new punk.
And I really think this movie, where's where's that proudly
like this movie has a lot of emotion tied to that two hours
and 30 minutes runtime because you go through a lot, you
experience a lot. And I think it's kind of for a
reason why it's that long. You're on this journey for a
while and you feel all the painsfrom everybody that they're
(34:08):
going through and and you, you got to set everything up.
That's that's for sure. I guess that is kind of the
Netflix MO is like giving creators kind of the ability to
do what they want with little oversight.
And I'm glad that it looks like Guillermo got to make the movie
that he wanted to make. And I'm not saying that there
(34:29):
should be some sort of studio interference, but like if there
was any note to give, it'd be maybe trim it down a little bit.
But I'm not really complaining about it like that's that's a
nitpicky thing. Yeah.
Do you think this is the best version of Shelly's story to be
ever put on screen? And if so, do you think anyone
can ever surpass it? I feel like I can't answer that
(34:50):
as effectively as somebody who has truly seen every single
adaptation of Frankenstein, but that being said, this does seem
pretty definitive. Like obviously Boris Karloff is
always going to be a presence isn't going to be referred to.
It is iconic. But this as a modern
(35:14):
interpretation is is very good. Like I think it's going to be
remembered. I don't think this is going to
fall into some sort of obscurity.
I don't think anyone, I think everyone going forward are going
to be scared to put their own stamp on the story because I
think Guillermo de Torre did such a good job with this and I
(35:36):
don't see a reason why we would have to revisit this exact
story. But we have what The Bride
coming up next year. Which I'm really excited for
which. I'm not sure the exact take of
it. I didn't haven't dived too deep
into what that's going to be like.
And I swear I've heard maybe another project that's in this
world that might be coming. Trying to see what's the last.
(36:02):
I mean, Frankenstein has appeared in so much media, you
know, from like the Hotel Transylvania series, you know,
things. I'm just thinking of things
recently, but I'm trying to think like what's the last?
What's the most recent? Just straight up adaptation of
Frankenstein is. It.
(36:23):
When When was the Kenneth Branagh movie?
Because that was a thing. What was the one from the 90s?
Was the one with Robert De Niro?Remember that.
One that's that's the one I'm talking about.
Oh yeah, that was a double VHS tape.
That was a long one, too. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was
1994. That's the one.
(36:44):
You're talking about his. His look as Frankenstein was
very different too, was it not? It wasn't like your typical, if
I recall. Yeah, but.
I feel like this movie, not obscurity.
I wouldn't say that, man. See, it's only it's 123 minutes,
so it's this movie's longer. Yeah, but still for back then I
(37:06):
was a long, I was a double VHS or Blockbuster, I believe.
Is a 42% on Rotten Tomatoes apparently consensus Ambitious
and visually striking, but overwrought and lack of scares
totally and. Lack of scares.
I didn't know we these movies were for scares but.
Frankenstein's not really a scary story.
(37:27):
I mean, I get, well, there's there are parts of this movie
that I thought not scary, but like some of the stuff in Victor
Frankenstein's castle and experiments and things are like,
not outright scary, not going tomake you jump, but they are
striking. Yeah, there's some there's a
(37:47):
couple, maybe a couple, but I really think, you know, it's
somewhat haunting, but the movieis more like heavy, profoundly
human. It's more on that side of the
storytelling. It's not a straight up horror,
obviously. And I I really think it's the
best version of Shelly story putout there that that's for sure.
If you are are planning to see this in theaters go now it hits
(38:08):
Netflix. I don't know the exact date I'm
but I think it's November 7th ifI'm not mistaken or somewhere
around there. I thought it was pretty soon if
you can pull out of this. Pulled up but I don't let me see
here. Real quick I will look this up
to confirm but I I have that date.
Yeah, November 7th. Yes, that's embedded in my head.
(38:29):
November 7th streaming on Netflix.
Is Gamble the toes Frankenstein?Let us know what you thought you
know does that electrify your soul?
Did it drag? You know tell us your thoughts.
Make sure you follow us on letterbox.
Drew and I are both on there. Follow us on social media.
Check out neutropis.com. I'm throwing everything out
there y'all need to check out because we have a lot of great
(38:49):
stuff, a lot of reviews, a lot of interviews, a lot of fun
video content and movie talk coming your way.
But once again, I am Sean. I just want.
To say I'm sorry, Sean, I just want to say.
Final word from Drew. I understand that Netflix
subscriptions are not getting any cheaper.
I know from experience. Trust me, I am a subscriber.
(39:12):
I know how much we're all showing out per month for
Netflix and this movie is going to come to Netflix via your
subscription on November 7th. That being said, if you're able
to and if you have the access and there is a theater near you
showing this movie, do yourself a favor please and go see this
(39:33):
on a big screen. Despite being made for Netflix,
on the big screen is how it was made to be seen.
It's made for theaters, then to Netflix.
Yes, yes. I just do yourself a favor.
If not, I still think you're going to find things to enjoy
about this, watching it at home when it is released on Netflix.
But just if you can do it, you won't be upset.
(39:54):
I don't think you. I don't think you'll be upset.
If you don't see it, Drew's going to show up at your at your
door all the way to make you forced to drag you to go watch
this in theaters. We both saw it in theaters.
Both highly recommend it. But yeah, I.
Did almost try to do a bit at the beginning of this episode
where the only thing I was goingto be able to say for a long
time was Sean, Sean, Sean and I did not think that that would
(40:20):
make for very good podcasting, so I I refrained.
Well, I don't think most of the audience will get it until they
watch this movie too. It's fair.
That is it for this episode of the movie Goers Society.
Once again, I'm Sean Torgert, the mayor of Neuropolis.
And I'm Drew Mendhausen of the professional media and movie
mastermind. And we better better see you at
(40:42):
the movies.
Well, hello and welcome to another episode of the Moviegoer
Society. I'm Sean Todgeworth, the mayor
of Nurtropolis and joined as always by my Co host
Drubenhausen, the professional media and movie mastermind
himself. Hello Drew, welcome to spooky
season. It's the final week of spooky
season, right? Are you ready?
(00:32):
Ready for it to be over? No, yes and no.
Like I had Fantastic Fest in late September, so I saw lots of
horror and stuff there. So I feel like I probably did
get it out of my system early, but I have not watched enough
horror in October proper. But I also do like transitioning
to the holiday season and the holiday movie season in
(00:55):
particular and and all that. So there's pros and cons.
I don't think I've indulged intospooky season as much as I
usually do. You see my go to holiday but I
feel like the month has gone by so fast.
I've been so busy all over the place I just don't know what to
do. Not much free time honestly.
(01:17):
For those that don't know, I just came back from San Antonio
doing panel hosting at Spacecon and yeah, it's been an eventful
weekend. Exciting weekend.
Pinch me moment weekend for sure.
I got you so many panels Drew. I think 9 of them.
(01:37):
That's a lot. That's a lot to prepare for,
too. It is and you can.
You're never prepared, I will say, but the WAD division panel
with Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olson was amazing.
I mean, just to show the stage with these people is mind
blowing. Giancarlo Esposito.
That's the proper way to say hislast name, Esposito, which I've
(01:59):
struggled with. I'm going to admit something
that's hard to say when you hearEsposito all the time.
It's horrible, right? That's what I say, Giancarlo
Esposito. It is not, but I it's Esposito.
We got to start practicing this as good as we have to.
George Takei. That was awesome.
It's not Takei. It is Takei.
(02:20):
I knew that one. Yes, I did Starship Troopers, so
I had Casper Van Deen, Deena Meyer and awesome Michael
Ironside. Oh man, I am drawing like I did
Wilson Bethel, who is Bullseye on a Daredevil as well.
(02:40):
I was like, I have to go throughmy pictures.
I'm like who else did I do? I oh, David Duchovny as well,
which was awesome. That was one of them.
I got to do a Fantastic Four first Steps panel with some of
my Disney publicist people. It was awesome.
They had a cool little activation there.
You can take some photos and kind of be in the Baxter
Building and stuff like that. And amongst other, I'm going to
(03:02):
start posting a bunch of stuff on my Instagram, on Neuropolis,
Instagram and my personal 1. So definitely check out that.
And I want to keep rambling on about Space Con, but it was
super exciting, that's for sure.But today, we are descending
into Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, A haunting gothic
masterpiece decades in the making.
I mentioned this before I was inLA.
Netflix brought me over to dive deep into Frankenstein, learn
(03:26):
more about it. I followed this project for a
while. I followed Guillermo de Tour's
journey for a while. I mean, he's so such a
passionate filmmaker. Every project he selects, it's
for a reason. And definitely this one was like
his destiny was finally fulfilled.
This was something he always wanted to do.
And yeah, before we dive into it, Drew, what do you what's
(03:48):
your take on Frankenstein in general and everything we've
got? And we're going to keep getting
more stuff kind of similar to it.
We have The Bride coming out next year, which is an
interesting take. But based on, you know, the
book, the original book, I personally think this is the
ultimate version. Nothing else will ever surpass
it. This is the most passionate take
(04:10):
on it, with a lot of additional creativity and just liberties on
it and stuff like that, and kindof making it his own, but also
delivering, I think would make everyone proud of a really great
Frankenstein film. Yeah, I, I'm a big fan of the
Universal Monsters in general, but I feel like of those I have
(04:30):
a lot more exposure to like Dracula and things like that,
like Frankenstein, I guess of the Universal Monsters has just
never really been my guy. Or I should say, Frankenstein's
monster has never been my guy. And I.
Always say this real quick. It's something we do in pop
culture or something that happens in this world that we
call like the monster Frankenstein, right?
(04:50):
And it's. Yeah, I make been making.
No, I make this all attractive. Everyone does this.
It's just I just bring it up because it's a funny topic
because there was an interview about that and Guillermo was
super not not problematic with Oscar.
Isaac was like, yes, Frankenstein is mean.
It's not him, it's the creature.And it's just funny though, how
we just when we think of Frankenstein, we think of the
(05:11):
creature and that's the name we kind of give him, right?
That's just how vivid everyone'smemory is, or just visuals of
the Frankenstein monster and youjust give him that name.
But that was my little. Branch right there.
Frankenstein's monster is so apparent not just in
Frankenstein adaptations, but like in all kinds of horror
(05:34):
adaptations. Like you have the Lurch in the
Addams Family and you know, things like that.
Like there's, there's just so much that comes from heck, we
just had Creature Commandos lastyear where Frankenstein's
monster is a character and member of a superhero team.
So. Well, and I just did an
interview for Stitch Head, whichis this animated film and it's
kind of like a take on Frankenstein.
(05:55):
Like Stitch Head is a creation of like a Frankenstein type
person. And so there, it's everywhere.
That type of storytelling and creatures and someone creating
something is everywhere. When you even look at the works
of Guillermo del Toro in his last movie was the animated
Pinocchio movie, which is in itself kind of a Frankenstein
story, which he has a better threat.
(06:16):
Yeah. So like, I and I watched some
interviews with Guillermo del Toro recently too, where he's
just talked about like, this hasbeen the project that he's
wanted. You know, this is his life's
work, basically. And I think not to get our head
head, head of ourselves, but like it shows on the screen and
and with what we got. And the way he talks about it,
too, he said, you know, during that press conference I was at
(06:38):
that I was able to ask a question to Oscar Isaac.
He said reading Mary Mary Shelley's novel at age 11
changed him forever. It became a kind of religion, as
he put it in his adaptations. Everything you expect a little
fun thing like they gave us, youknow, the Mary Shelley book with
like the new film cover on there.
That's cool. Yeah, and then I had him sign
(07:01):
and sign up there. So I was signed Gamer Lottoro,
Frankenstein book. I'll take it and real quick, you
know, popcorn buckets as you canprobably, I don't know if you
can. Yeah, I'm kind of hiding some of
them. But popcorn bucket craze.
There is a Frankenstein popcorn bucket.
I don't know how you get it, butGamer Lottaro had it.
And then I have it too because they were giving it to us when
(07:23):
we were at Netflix. And this is a little popcorn
bucket for the Frankenstein movie.
So I got to just show that off alittle bit.
But part of that, I like this one a lot.
That's pretty cool. Really, really creepy that
that's for sure. But yeah, his adaptations,
everything you'd you'd expect. And I'm glad, Drew, that you got
(07:46):
to see it in a theatre. I got to see at the Netflix to
to Doom theatre, but it is coming to Netflix next month,
but it is doing a limited not aslimited as you think.
They're adding theaters non-stop, it seems like, but
it's hitting theaters right now.It's your local theaters should
have it something that nearby because Guillermo is on top of
it, making sure everyone can catch it in theaters.
(08:08):
But talk about where you you sawit up.
Yeah, like I think a lot of the big chain theaters maybe are the
ones that kind of hold back fromit.
Like I don't think AM CS are going to be showing it, but I I
do have some other smaller chains around me.
I haven't looked into if Regal or Cinemark are going to be
showing it. But you know, it's funny, Full
disclosure, the last conversate conversation Sean and I had had
(08:31):
about doing an episode, we had talked about doing the the new
Springsteen movie, right? What does it deliver me from
from nowhere? And that's what I had intended
to see this weekend. And when I started to look up
times, I saw some of my local theaters nearby were showing
Frankenstein already in limited release.
And I started thinking and I waslike, man, these Netflix movies
(08:56):
don't always show in theaters. And when they do, it's usually
for a pretty limited time. And if the new film by Guillermo
del Toro, if I have the opportunity to see it in a
theater, I feel like I should take advantage.
And plus, I wanted to see Frankenstein more anyway like
that. It's me like this, that's more
my thing. So I did.
(09:18):
So I went, I went and saw it in a theater and it was a, a Sunday
evening screening, pretty good crowd there for the screening I
was at. And so it just makes me think
like I, it's a whole other conversation to talk about
Netflix and their strategy. And I know that they're like
pretty against theatrical releases in general, but they'll
(09:40):
make some compromises when it comes to the talent involved.
Especially when they're doing Oscar pushes too honestly.
And it depends on the film on the grand scale.
And honestly, this is a film looking at this shot here that
it needs to be seen on a grand scale.
I mean, it's to be great watching it at home and comfort
your couch and all that stuff. But I mean, the set designs, the
(10:02):
attention to detail, the locations it needs to be seen in
a theater if you're able to, but.
Well, not to mention it's a 2 1/2 hour movie.
And you know, if you're watchingit on Netflix at home behind
your phone, you know, however you choose to watch Netflix,
that's just not it's it's not going to do it justice.
(10:26):
Yeah, I, I'm, I'll, I'll say this.
I'm really glad that I got to see this in the theater.
Like I can't imagine now in hindsight just watching this on
my TV at home. Yeah, this one you can't because
like I said, the grand scale of it, you know, Oscar Isaac has
Victor Frankenstein, Jacob Laurie as the creature of the
Mia, Goth as Elizabeth and more,you know, great cast in here as
(10:47):
well. But you know, Drew, knowing Del
Toro's history with monsters, how do you think this
Frankenstein kind of fits into this filmography?
You think this is one of his strongest kind of more.
It is one of his most personal films.
If he didn't make another film after that, after this film, I'd
be like, he's had a great Arcticcareer, but he's not done
(11:08):
obviously. But you know, does this feel
like more like a Pan's Labyrinthstyle film or a Crimson Peak?
Like where does this fit in thisfilmography you think?
Yeah, it's probably somewhere between Crimson Peak and Shape
of Water. Like it, I think it's a little
bit more blockbustery than like The Shape of Water is probably
(11:32):
also a little bit more, what's the right word accessible maybe
for a bigger audience. But still like I do think that
if this was playing in theaters,like if this got a traditional
wide release, I think it would do really well.
That's not going to happen and you have to kind of seek it out,
(11:54):
but I think this is going to do well on Netflix.
I think that the reception that I've seen from the festivals
that it's played and everything,I've seen reviews kind of all
over the map. Which makes no sense because if
there's I hate to say this, there's a lot of films that
maybe deserve some of the negativity score.
(12:16):
But if anyone says this is any like, imagine how Rotten
Tomatoes. If I see anything rotten about
this film, I'm like how it's a quality film and maybe just
having a bad day or you just hate Frank the Frankenstein
story or you don't like Gamer Latoro.
That's the only reason. But this is actually overall a
fantastic film even if you don'tlike the story or not.
(12:39):
It is so well done and so much passion and there should be
nothing really truly rotten about it or harshly negative
about it. I think general audiences are
going to like it. And I, I think that it actually
has a good chance of penetratingthe 10 best picture nominees
this year in the Oscar awards race because you want those kind
(13:02):
of more mass appeal movies to bein there.
And this movie being on Netflix,you know, this isn't a like AJ
Kelly or some of the other Netflix releases that are going
to be in the awards conversationthis year that will have a more
niche audience. This is something that I think a
lot of people are going to watchNetflix, I'm sure will be
promoting this a lot at release.I'm sure they'll have different
(13:23):
themes as you're logging into your account, maybe like kind of
a like a sepia tone or you know,the, they, they have a custom
Netflix logo that starts at the beginning of the movie.
That's more Frankenstein theme. Like they're, they're, they're
putting a lot into this and theyknow what they have with the
movie. And regardless of what you and I
(13:43):
think, I think this movie's going to do well.
Luckily you and I, I think both really liked this movie and and
we can dig into it a little bit more.
Yeah, I want to start off with Oscar Isaac.
Great actor, great person. Before we dive into further,
I'll drop this. Jim, I love this candid photo of
(14:03):
us too talking. This is awesome picture.
I just got this like right before I jumped on.
I saw it like I did not have this photo until just like we
jumped on here. I was like, whoa, I love this.
I love candid photos, so I had to share this one.
It was a great little quick conversation with him, but I
really think he delivers. I haven't seen every performance
(14:24):
of his. There might be some I've missed
that are really great, but I really think this is his best
performance. He's like all in just everything
he goes, you know, goes through as victor.
He's a man that's kind of possessed.
He has his journey is all over the place.
He's consumed by his own need tocreate.
He's also fearful of the creature that Jacob Laurity
plays. And I do want to give, you know,
(14:47):
Oscar Isaac all the praise because I think he's so great in
his role and everything he's in is really good.
But I really I couldn't just take my eyes off him and amongst
other as well as Jacob Allordy, he's awesome as the creature,
but something that Oscar Isaac in this film very commanding and
really helps tell the story. And Drew, I want you to talk
(15:08):
about this, the storytelling in this.
And the way it's told is great because it's told, you know,
from different lenses. But when it is on Oscar Isaac,
it's really fantastic. So what do you think about his
performance in this? I'll say this, I've always loved
Oscar Isaac and I feel like he was really put on my radar back
(15:30):
with like when he works with theCohens with Inside Llewyn Davis
and even Ex Machina, the Alex Garland movie.
And I was like, this guy is going to be a big deal is how it
felt. And then it's kind of a shame
that the blockbuster projects hestarted to choose just were
like, you know, playing Apocalypse in the X-Men series
(15:52):
didn't really work. He is in the new Star Wars
trilogy. But PO of the three is kind of
like, I like him in those, but PO just kind of has the least to
do. It is the least rewarding of
those. It's just like, I feel like his
attempts to get over as like a blockbuster star have been just
(16:13):
a little bit more difficult thananticipated.
That being insane. That being said, like something
like Dune where he's, you know, like a lot of his supporting
roles I think are really, reallygood.
And in this, he really holds themovie on his shoulders for I'd
say probably what like about the1st 40 minutes or so.
It's like really a lot of him and he's wonderful in it.
(16:36):
And Guillermo del Toro has even said like it, it's the eyes, you
know, you get brilliance, you get you get insanity, you get
love, you get passion. You get all of those in his
eyes. And for playing Victor
Frankenstein, it's essential. And he, he is so good in this
and the different layers he, he even as the film goes on and he
(16:59):
becomes not to spoil like, but like maybe becomes a little bit
less likable at times. You're still just, you've been
with him for this journey up to this point and you're going to
stick with him. You know, I, I really, I, I
think that it's probably the best thing that I have seen him
in maybe since Dune Part 1 wherehe played Leno tradies or, you
(17:24):
know, but this is one of his, one of his best roles, I'd say
if this, this to me, probably gets quickly put on the Mount
Rushmore of Oscar Isaac performances.
I think easily he's a little electric in this.
He really shows how versatile heis and he is pretty much the
main character of the film most of the time and you're following
(17:46):
him until then, until we get introduced to the creature Jacob
O Lordy interest. The creature design was the most
interesting thing because it's agood looking Frankenstein kind
of, if you think about it, you know, here it is right here,
(18:07):
like look at the chiseled jaw, like right.
That's the thing about the Frankenstein creature.
He wanted to find some type of beauty with all what he was
doing as well. He wasn't trying to put
something that was unable to look at like we're used to for
the Frankenstein creature. So we have a very unique take on
it which I really thought was brilliant and a Lordy, I think
(18:28):
was a great pick. I forgot who was originally
offered. It was supposed to be Andrew
Garfield. Yeah, and I don't see it.
First of all, a Lordy is tall. I remember previously I shared a
photo with him and he's toweringover me at me being 61.
So you need someone super tall. I know, I know Garfield is tall
but it what is he like 6? Three.
(18:49):
I have no idea how tall. He is.
He's maybe 6263, but a Lordy is just like basketball giant,
right? But go ahead.
I was just going to say like with the appearance, because
like Jacob Lordy is, is a very attractive man.
Like he, he is. And and that's, you know, he's
played Elvis. He's.
(19:09):
Played he's Elvis and. In Euphoria, he's like a
football star and and some of these other projects and here
he's playing a monster. But even in Mary Shelley's text,
like he's described as having beautiful features.
The monster has beautiful features, but it's just the way
that it all comes together. But with his like the sickly
colored skin and and black lips and and watery eyes, like it's
(19:33):
like horrifying, despite the beauty behind it.
And I feel like that comes across here.
Yeah, you know, his take is he gives a physical and emotional
performance. The physicality of his his
performance is amazing. And you can see all the pain and
wonder, you know, from becoming this creature.
(19:53):
The Torah said that he didn't want to see like the typical
Frankenstein creature with patchwork monster that just, I
don't know, it's all these pieces that don't fit together,
you know, want to be like a piece of art in which is this,
you know, being born perfect butbroken by the world.
You know, it's what he wanted. And I, I just love the way he
approached this. It was perfect.
(20:14):
So what did you think? I know you talked about this,
but were you happy seeing a creature design like this?
There's a. Beat kind of like the classic
stitched up bolts look that we're so used to and other
versions we've seen. Yes, and we're kind of in an age
of trying to find new looks of the classic monsters.
(20:36):
I think of even at the end of last year, you know, we had
Nosferatu come out, which is a remake of an old, old film, but
they completely redid the look of Cal Orloc with the Bill
Skarsgard performance. Or even there's the Dracula
movie that we saw together. Dracula spin off the the
remember the voyage of the Demeter, that movie.
(20:57):
I I don't know if anybody remembers that movie at this
point. That was that's truly one that
seemed to kind of come and go, but the the Dracula creature
design and that is like very sickly and crawling around and
things. And then now you have
Frankenstein's monster and you're doing a version that
really goes through a transformation in himself and
the way that he looks and the way that he dresses and the way
(21:17):
that his hair grows and the way that he's styled.
And I, I really liked the designof the monster because like I
do, I had seen some memes already of like Frankenstein's
monster is hot in the new movie.And like, I don't know if I'd
say that because he's he's. Very.
I know someone that wouldn't saythat and we'll talk about her in
a little bit, but I would say someone would think so a little
(21:39):
bit in some way internally. Like and I, I get it, but he
also is gross looking at the same time.
I like it's it's a pretty fascinating design.
I think that the team behind it,behind the creature effects and
Guillermo de Torres vision, likereally kind of nailed it.
Yeah, and I love this shot of them kind of collaborating
(21:59):
behind the scenes. Jacob took this role very, very
seriously. I just love the brute force of
Frankenstein, right? And then also, he's very soft at
times. It's pretty wild.
And obviously Jacob Laurie's complimented very well with the
with Mia Goth as Elizabeth, who is, you know, Victor
(22:24):
Frankenstein's brother, soon to be bride.
And I really thought she was perfect for this world.
First of all, the outfits, the dresses, the costumes,
everything. I just love how she was the most
vibrant standout character in this film.
And it was on purpose, obviously, and it made sense.
(22:45):
And she saw through the creatures.
I don't know, I don't want to say it, not disgust, but like
just seeing something that she hasn't seen before and really
understanding. It's kind of like a child,
right? Someone that's new to the world
doesn't know what's going on. And then teaching him a little
bit and just showing him kindness.
Kindness he does not know. And I think that's what this
(23:07):
movie is about, also, showing kindness to people.
That kind of comparison to a child for the monster is is so
spot on. That's how it felt watching it.
And as a parent, it's tough because you see Victor
Frankenstein and Oscar Isaac's performance take this almost
like abusive parent type stance when he's like frustrated.
This child isn't learning as as quickly as he wants to or isn't
(23:30):
isn't responding the way he wants it to.
And as somebody with, with smallchildren that don't always do as
they're told or don't always listen, like, yes, you know, you
can be frustrated as a parent. Obviously the, the Oscar Isaac
part takes this. It's cruel.
It's very cruel, I must say, butI think Mia balances that,
(23:51):
brings this maternal yet fiercely spiritual energy to the
film. And she was great to talk to you
when I did a round table with her.
And she brings, you know, so much love and passion to
everything she does. Del Toro even said that
Elizabeth represents Mary Shelley and himself, right.
She's the film's voice of understanding and forgiveness
(24:11):
and, and, and just kindness in general.
So I mean, I, I love that. And I think she's a very crucial
part of the story in the storytelling.
She's made for this role. She's made for this world.
I mean, Mia Goth, obviously, she's become like the newest
horror darling, Like just put her in everything.
She's got such a striking look and I, I really do like her.
(24:35):
I would say that of the role, like, it's just hard because the
role of Victor Frankenstein and the role of Frankenstein's
monster, just such meaty roles in this story.
And the role of Elizabeth is probably the most thankless of
those. But I think that she brings to
it a lot and, and has a presence, but it's I, I almost
(24:57):
wish that I could have seen her get to do a little bit more.
And I don't even mean that as aninsult.
I'm just like, there's just, there's a lot of movie here and
at times things have to take, you know, have to be put aside
to give time to the monster and to Victor.
Well, when she shows up, when she is, she's there for a
reason. And it's like to kind of be like
the fairy godmother at times, right?
To kind of kind of guide a situation to be better or kind
(25:19):
of get an understanding where Victor's at or deal with the
creature and some aspects and just, you know, there's there's
a reason for her popping in and out.
I think because obviously the focus are on the the two main
characters. What do you think about the the
narrative and splitting the movie up into different parts
and just sing it from their lens?
(25:40):
I mean, I, I wasn't expecting that at all.
This is the whole breakup of thefilm.
I thought it worked really great.
I don't know if you necessarily needed the title cards to even
show that. Like, I feel like you could have
just done it, but no, I thought it worked.
I mean, for the most part, there's there's some stuff that
happened. I don't want to give it all
away, but like there's a big chunk of the movie that's from
(26:02):
Victor's perspective and a big chunk of the movie that's from
the monster's perspective. But those are really only the
two cards you get, despite therebeing some other things.
I take it, I take it back. There's a prelude card.
Yeah, because we kind of start. I mean, it's not really a
spoiler, it's just the break of the film.
So we won't, we won't dive into it.
We'll give some time, some people to breathe and figure it
out themselves. I guess you can say that, but
(26:24):
drew from a craft standpoint, this movie is definitely a love
letter to practical filmmaking. Del Toro hates overuse of CGI,
definitely hates AI, likes practical filmmaking and real
sets, tangible prosthetics, lighting, everything.
And he has a great team behind him, you know, and especially
(26:45):
with the cinematographer that heuses every time, the composer he
uses all the time. How do you think all that came
together? It kind of worked in unison to
you. You think so?
Yeah, I mean, well you can see here in the image you have on
screen, like the costuming and the things that they have, you
know, for the period are pretty incredible.
Especially the costumes that Miagots character gets Elizabeth
(27:08):
are some some incredible dresses.
And yeah, Victor's style is likepretty, pretty significant, too.
I do think that if you're reallylooking at like, the awards race
this year, this movie, as far ascostuming and like hair and
makeup goes, seems to, you know,be a sure bet for at least
nominations in some of those categories.
(27:29):
The visual effects, the practical effects are some of
them are incredible. There's one early on in the
movie that's a demonstration that Victor Frankenstein is
doing and all of that I thought was incredible.
And I've seen some interviews with Guillermo del Toro.
They're actually, there's one really good one from CBS Sunday
Morning that aired this past weekend where he's showing off.
(27:52):
He's basically has like a museumset up with a lot of the props
and things from this movie and that that physical prop I'm
talking about. What is there?
And I thought all of that was amazing because you could tell
it was real. The only time that there's any
CG in the movie that really sticks out is when there's
animals on screen and. For obvious reasons.
Right, right. But everything you know, monster
(28:14):
and horror related is pretty real and pretty incredible.
And can we talk about the gore, the blood, the body parts, all
that? Pretty much not like real real,
but like they made those and they crafted all that stuff.
They're not real body parts, butman, it's, it's gross.
Can we talk about the grossness of this film?
Because it's. Pretty the most anatomically
correct movie in history, as Guerra del Toro has called it.
(28:39):
Yeah, it's like going to, you know, to a science class or
whatever. What do they call that subject
when it's? Biology.
Biology. Yeah.
If you're looking for, like, subtle horror but a lot of gore,
this is it. That's, like a lot of lot of
grossness. There's one scene where Oscar
(29:01):
Isaac is this cleaning after allthe parts he used.
And I'm like, it must smell. That must smell.
I could like smell it through the screen.
This goes to show you how messedup my brain is because I'm like,
Oh yeah, there's some gore in the movie, but there's nothing
that really made me like squirm or look away.
But now I'm thinking about some of the things in the movie,
(29:23):
especially with the leading to the creation of the monster, and
I'm like, no, I think my brain is just broken.
And I'm so desensitized with allthe horror movies I watch
because there's some pretty grody stuff here.
Well, you're pretty much Victor Frankenstein if you're
desensitized. You know?
None of it. None of it bothers you, you
know, like it doesn't bother himgoing into a war zone to pick up
parts. It's just wild. 1 actor we
(29:45):
didn't kind of mention, which does have a really prominent
role is Christophe Waltz. Really good on the role, but
it's it's for me just I don't know what it is.
He kind of plays not the same role every time, but it's just
like his performance is always similar, but not in a bad way.
His delivery is always the same.He's kind of like, oh, what is
that one actor that said that was just in Dune.
(30:06):
He wants more cowbell the other.Oh, Christopher Walken.
The other Christopher, yeah, they have the similar just way
of delivering their lines and itworks in the films and so.
I think Christophe Waltz has a little bit more range, but I do
agree with you that like when he's doing a banger performance,
(30:28):
he's incredible and he is great in this, but he is for sure
doing the Christophe Waltz thingat this point.
Which is not bad thing. This is not a way to say it's
bad thing. It's just.
Yeah, it's not bad, but it's. But yeah, you're it's not a
stand out necessarily. Did you like the sound of of in
the film and, and and the the music and just everything tied
(30:50):
together? Because I thought, I thought.
Like I said, the whole package is pretty darn good.
Yeah, I thought it sounded really good.
There were a few times in my theater where the monster,
sometimes when he was speaking, I don't know if it was just me
or the sound, it was sometimes hard to make out what he was
saying because it's like that deep kind of baritone.
Well, he's also learning to speak.
(31:12):
Drew, don't. Don't.
Come on. Right.
Don't seize. The creature for just learning
his words and you're not understanding him all the time
when I'm. Yeah.
There's actually another performance I just want to point
out because it's probably not somebody that we would talk
about otherwise, but David Bradley is in this movie and I
(31:35):
think most people would know himfrom like in the Harry Potter
movies, he plays Filch, the the groundskeeper, caretaker,
whatever he is. And and he's in Game of Thrones.
I think he plays, see Walter Frey in Game of Thrones.
I'm pretty sure he. I'm not a Game of Thrones, so
you want to know, but yes, DavidBradley does have play such a
unique role in in a sweet role in my eyes.
(31:58):
He I thought was really incredible and I just want to
give it. We don't have to go too much
into it, but it just when he does pop up for this little arc
in the movie, I thought he was really great.
Well, it helps the story, it helps you kind of not feel for
the creature, but it's it's, it's, it's an arc for both of
them. It's he for sure.
(32:20):
And it's not a sport. I'm going to say a friendship.
It is a friendship that was created and so that's the the
beauty of their them together isthis friendship and it's very
touching and amongst more thingsand and yeah, everyone in this
film serves a purpose and reallyhelps move the story forward and
(32:40):
make you feel certain things forcertain characters, which which
is really fabulous. 2 hours and 30 minutes is the runtime.
Did it bother you? I think that that's my biggest
complaint about the movie. I really liked it.
I do feel like I felt the lengthmultiple times in the movie
where I wouldn't say it was necessarily dragging, but the
(33:03):
movie just felt long. I was with it the whole time.
It didn't really bother me, but I do feel like that was, if
there's anything that's a potential weakness of the movie,
I do think it's maybe a little bit over long.
I that's the only thing I worry about when it comes to the
Netflix release. And people who watch these
movies while having distractionsis like, yeah, there's some
(33:26):
parts of this movie that are a little bit quieter and slower
and, and drawn out. And I hope that that doesn't
turn people off. Yeah, I, I don't think it will.
And I wonder if this is like Guillermo's, like final cuts,
like this is like his director'scut version, which it seems like
it is. I don't think there is much
missing from what he wanted. And you know what he what he
(33:47):
said during the press conference, where I love it.
He was like being emotional is the new punk.
And I really think this movie, where's where's that proudly
like this movie has a lot of emotion tied to that two hours
and 30 minutes runtime because you go through a lot, you
experience a lot. And I think it's kind of for a
reason why it's that long. You're on this journey for a
while and you feel all the painsfrom everybody that they're
(34:08):
going through and and you, you got to set everything up.
That's that's for sure. I guess that is kind of the
Netflix MO is like giving creators kind of the ability to
do what they want with little oversight.
And I'm glad that it looks like Guillermo got to make the movie
that he wanted to make. And I'm not saying that there
(34:29):
should be some sort of studio interference, but like if there
was any note to give, it'd be maybe trim it down a little bit.
But I'm not really complaining about it like that's that's a
nitpicky thing. Yeah.
Do you think this is the best version of Shelly's story to be
ever put on screen? And if so, do you think anyone
can ever surpass it? I feel like I can't answer that
(34:50):
as effectively as somebody who has truly seen every single
adaptation of Frankenstein, but that being said, this does seem
pretty definitive. Like obviously Boris Karloff is
always going to be a presence isn't going to be referred to.
It is iconic. But this as a modern
(35:14):
interpretation is is very good. Like I think it's going to be
remembered. I don't think this is going to
fall into some sort of obscurity.
I don't think anyone, I think everyone going forward are going
to be scared to put their own stamp on the story because I
think Guillermo de Torre did such a good job with this and I
(35:36):
don't see a reason why we would have to revisit this exact
story. But we have what The Bride
coming up next year. Which I'm really excited for
which. I'm not sure the exact take of
it. I didn't haven't dived too deep
into what that's going to be like.
And I swear I've heard maybe another project that's in this
world that might be coming. Trying to see what's the last.
(36:02):
I mean, Frankenstein has appeared in so much media, you
know, from like the Hotel Transylvania series, you know,
things. I'm just thinking of things
recently, but I'm trying to think like what's the last?
What's the most recent? Just straight up adaptation of
Frankenstein is. It.
(36:23):
When When was the Kenneth Branagh movie?
Because that was a thing. What was the one from the 90s?
Was the one with Robert De Niro?Remember that.
One that's that's the one I'm talking about.
Oh yeah, that was a double VHS tape.
That was a long one, too. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was
1994. That's the one.
(36:44):
You're talking about his. His look as Frankenstein was
very different too, was it not? It wasn't like your typical, if
I recall. Yeah, but.
I feel like this movie, not obscurity.
I wouldn't say that, man. See, it's only it's 123 minutes,
so it's this movie's longer. Yeah, but still for back then I
(37:06):
was a long, I was a double VHS or Blockbuster, I believe.
Is a 42% on Rotten Tomatoes apparently consensus Ambitious
and visually striking, but overwrought and lack of scares
totally and. Lack of scares.
I didn't know we these movies were for scares but.
Frankenstein's not really a scary story.
(37:27):
I mean, I get, well, there's there are parts of this movie
that I thought not scary, but like some of the stuff in Victor
Frankenstein's castle and experiments and things are like,
not outright scary, not going tomake you jump, but they are
striking. Yeah, there's some there's a
(37:47):
couple, maybe a couple, but I really think, you know, it's
somewhat haunting, but the movieis more like heavy, profoundly
human. It's more on that side of the
storytelling. It's not a straight up horror,
obviously. And I I really think it's the
best version of Shelly story putout there that that's for sure.
If you are are planning to see this in theaters go now it hits
(38:08):
Netflix. I don't know the exact date I'm
but I think it's November 7th ifI'm not mistaken or somewhere
around there. I thought it was pretty soon if
you can pull out of this. Pulled up but I don't let me see
here. Real quick I will look this up
to confirm but I I have that date.
Yeah, November 7th. Yes, that's embedded in my head.
(38:29):
November 7th streaming on Netflix.
Is Gamble the toes Frankenstein?Let us know what you thought you
know does that electrify your soul?
Did it drag? You know tell us your thoughts.
Make sure you follow us on letterbox.
Drew and I are both on there. Follow us on social media.
Check out neutropis.com. I'm throwing everything out
there y'all need to check out because we have a lot of great
(38:49):
stuff, a lot of reviews, a lot of interviews, a lot of fun
video content and movie talk coming your way.
But once again, I am Sean. I just want.
To say I'm sorry, Sean, I just want to say.
Final word from Drew. I understand that Netflix
subscriptions are not getting any cheaper.
I know from experience. Trust me, I am a subscriber.
(39:12):
I know how much we're all showing out per month for
Netflix and this movie is going to come to Netflix via your
subscription on November 7th. That being said, if you're able
to and if you have the access and there is a theater near you
showing this movie, do yourself a favor please and go see this
(39:33):
on a big screen. Despite being made for Netflix,
on the big screen is how it was made to be seen.
It's made for theaters, then to Netflix.
Yes, yes. I just do yourself a favor.
If not, I still think you're going to find things to enjoy
about this, watching it at home when it is released on Netflix.
But just if you can do it, you won't be upset.
(39:54):
I don't think you. I don't think you'll be upset.
If you don't see it, Drew's going to show up at your at your
door all the way to make you forced to drag you to go watch
this in theaters. We both saw it in theaters.
Both highly recommend it. But yeah, I.
Did almost try to do a bit at the beginning of this episode
where the only thing I was goingto be able to say for a long
time was Sean, Sean, Sean and I did not think that that would
(40:20):
make for very good podcasting, so I I refrained.
Well, I don't think most of the audience will get it until they
watch this movie too. It's fair.
That is it for this episode of the movie Goers Society.
Once again, I'm Sean Torgert, the mayor of Neuropolis.
And I'm Drew Mendhausen of the professional media and movie
mastermind. And we better better see you at
(40:42):
the movies.
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