A pleasant day, Hivers! For today's blog, I'll be taking you on an extraordinary movie that I've watched last night. I guess ya'll familiar with the name "Frankenstein". But who really is Frankenstein?
This novel was authored by Mary Shelley and has been adapted so many times that each version carries its own flavor, but one thing remains constant: the story never stops haunting you. The film adaptation I watched based on Shelley’s 1818 novel and rooted in its classic themes hits differently. It doesn’t feel like a typical “monster movie.” Instead, it feels like watching two broken souls collide: one who created life without thinking, and one who was brought into life without consent. And honestly, the more I watched, the more I felt that the real tragedy was not the science but the lack of love.
Victor Frankenstein, played with obsessive intensity, begins with a kind of brilliance we often admire in movies. He’s young, passionate, too ambitious for his own good. But what the film captures so well is how obsession quietly turns into something darker. The moment he succeeds in creating life (from the dead ones) is supposed to be his victory, but the film makes it clear it’s his downfall. That shift (from his joy turning into fear and his pride collapsing into regret) felt so human. We’ve all chased something so hard that when we finally got it, it didn’t feel the way we expected. But of course, in Victor’s case, the consequences are much more horrifying.
Then there’s the creature. And honestly his character was the heart of the movie for me. Instead of being a mindless monster, he is portrayed as someone painfully aware of his own existence (which what I like from this novel). And that awareness hurts him more than anything else. One line that really struck me was when he said, “The shepherd never hates the wolves, nor the wolves hate the sheep, but violence is inevitable between them.” It’s such a heavy truth packaged in one sentence. The creature doesn’t hate Victor but he just knows that their roles in each other’s lives are destined for conflict (he longed for love from his creator but Victor himself could not give it). And that’s what makes him so heartbreaking. He wanted companionship, acceptance, and a chance to live… but the world only gave him fear and cruelty. The film makes you question who the real “monster” truly is. Is it the Chimera (the monster Victor created) who longed for love or the people who could not give it to him, judging him by his looks?.
For context, Frankenstein is widely considered one of the earliest works of science fiction, written by Shelley when she was just 18. Since then, countless adaptations have been made from the iconic 1931 film starring Boris Karloff to modern retellings but the themes never age. This particular version stays loyal to the novel’s emotional weight and moral dilemmas rather than focusing on action or spectacle.
Cinematically, the movie leans into a dark, gothic atmosphere: cold laboratories, candle-lit rooms, fog-coated forests. It’s visually gloomy, but it works. The muted tones match the sadness of the story as well. Nothing feels warm or safe and almost as if the world itself is grieving for both the creator and the creation. The pacing is steady, giving time to understand Victor’s guilt and the creature’s loneliness. If you’re someone who loves atmospheric films that make you think, this adaptation delivers.
Thematically, the film hits hard because it talks about first, responsibility because Victor runs from what he created, and everything falls apart because of his denial. Second, judgment since the creature is hated instantly because of how he looks. Third, loneliness because across the movie, this was the major emotional thread, portrayed in a way that’s painfully relatable. And fourth, the consequences of unchecked ambition because this serves as a warning that still applies today, especially in a world obsessed with innovation.
By the time the movie ended, I felt more sympathy than fear. The creature wasn’t terrifying and it's normal for him to longed for love. And Victor wasn’t a hero either but he was a cautionary tale. This is why Frankenstein remains such an important story: it reminds us that sometimes the monsters we fear are the ones we create through neglect, cruelty, or irresponsibility. But honestly for me, monsters don’t exist on their own; they are born from the prejudice we bring into our seeing. And that's the truth.
So if I could rate the movie, I would rate it 9/10 because there is so many wisdom we can take from it but at the same time, the ending from the movie felt like a cliffhanger to me. So if you enjoy classic literature, moral conflict, and films that stay with you long after the credits, this one is definitely worth watching.
That's all for this blog. And I thank you! Have a nice day everyone.
