Books vs. Movies
In this podcast we set out to answer the age old question: is the book really always better than the movie?
Books vs. Movies
Del Toro’s Frankenstein Verdict
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We finally catch up with Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein (2025), and it’s a weird feeling: we like it, we admire it, and we still don’t love it the way we expected to. If you’ve been searching for a real “Frankenstein book vs movie” breakdown that goes beyond plot summary, we get specific about what del Toro changes, why some of it works, and why a few choices dull the emotional punch Mary Shelley built into the novel.
We talk about Victor Frankenstein as a protagonist you actively want to lose, and how the film pushes that with an added tragic backstory, overt mommy issues, and a casting decision that makes the subtext impossible to miss. We also unpack the movie’s most del Toro-coded twist: the tenderness and hinted attraction between Elizabeth and the creature, plus a sharper, uglier read on Victor that veers into incel territory. Along the way, we dig into the rewritten blind man sequence, how it reframes the creature’s rejection, and why it changes the logic without removing the heartbreak.
Then we get stuck on the ending. The creature’s forgiveness might prove his humanity, but we argue it also hands Victor a kind of closure he never earns. Add in regeneration and implied immortality, and suddenly the story isn’t just gothic horror, it’s existential dread about outliving everyone you love. We also shout out the performances that make this adaptation worth your time, especially Oscar Isaac’s expertly hateable Victor and Jacob Elordi’s surprisingly moving physical work under all that makeup.
Listen, share this with a Frankenstein fan, and leave us a review if you want more book-to-screen debates. Where do you land: does del Toro’s take beat the novel, or does Mary Shelley still win?
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Welcome And What We’re Reviewing
SPEAKER_01Welcome to Books versus Movies, the podcast where I set out to answer the age-old question Is the book really always better than the movie? I'm Yuvia, an actress and book lover based out of New York City, and I'm here once again with Orlando. We're going to talk about the 2025 adaptation of Frankenstein, directed by Guillermo del Toro.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So this film, obviously, both of us really, really love Guillermo del Toro. And I mean, we had been wanting to watch this since it came out last year, and then we're just really bad at watching things on streaming, I guess. Because like if it's in the movies, like we'll go to the movies and watch it. But streaming, I don't know, it's it's harder for us to watch, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. It's so easy to get distracted. I have so many things that I'm like, add to my list, add to my list, and the list keeps growing. And then when it's time to watch something, it's like, oh, look at Game Chow. Oh, look at this fun thing. So it just it's harder for me to watch it. I think we would have watched it sooner when it was in the movie theaters, but we got busy that week, so we couldn't.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah. Uh we also just recently watched K-pop Demon Hunters, and the hype for that is like pretty much dead. But yeah, we're getting there. We're we're catching up.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So this is gonna be kind of like the little women episode, I guess, like the catch-up episode I did a while back where it was like I rewatch I watched a different adaptation of this and I just gave my thoughts on it. So it's gonna be a little bit more like that as opposed to like a traditional episode,
First Reactions And Expectations
SPEAKER_01just yeah. It's been a while. Yeah. So that being said, I liked this movie. I didn't love it as much. I thought I was gonna absolutely love it, and that was not the case, but I still really, really liked it.
SPEAKER_00No, I I agree. Um, I was ready to love it. It's gothic, it's Guillermo del Toro being his gothy, gothy self. Um, I don't know, I don't know. I just did not love it nearly as much as I thought I was going to. And it it's not even the acting, it's not even the cinematography or anything. It just did not hit the way I was expecting it to.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, for sure. And I don't know if it's just like the changes that were made. There were some changes that I think both of us really, really liked. And then there were some changes that we didn't necessarily see the point of it. And I guess like for me, the biggest change that I was like, I don't understand why this change was made, but it is like you you pointed it out, it is like his signature, which is the woman falling in love with the creature. He has like so many like creature romance movies. So in in this adaptation, who Elizabeth, who is Frankenstein's fiance slash very brief wife, is in love, like it's hinted that she loves the creature.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, there's I mean, they definitely have their scene, like it's not explicitly said, but there's definitely that tender moment in which she's like touching and caressing him, and there's clearly some sexual tension there. Um, but that definitely she seems to be more attached to the creature than any of the two humans. But yeah, that is a Guillermo Toro signature, so it didn't catch me too off guard, but it was different from any of at least Frankenstein adaptations that I've seen.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I mean it didn't catch me off guard either, uh, in in like that sense, but it was just like, I don't know, it it did feel a little unnecessary, I guess, but yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um I I think the change, I don't know. Uh I think uh one of the things that I loved about this adaptation was seeing Victor Frankenstein be a total asshole. Like you are not rooting for him at all. Because I felt like that's how it was in the book. I wasn't rooting for him, like he's a terrible person. What I didn't like in the change is that they tried to validate why he is the way he is. They gave him the his whole mom backstory with the mom issues and attachment, and I I guess this is spoiler alert territory, but they gave him this whole backstory where the father is abusive and let's let's pretty much abuses his pregnant wife, and that's why she dies,
Elizabeth And The Creature Romance
SPEAKER_00and that's what creates Victor Frankenstein's obsession with death. And I I don't know, I I like a Victor Frankenstein that's just an asshole because he's ambitious, he's overly ambitious. I didn't feel like I needed a reason why he turned up, and I think that's just something we continuously deal with. I mean, there's the whole Joker movie that tried to explain why Joker turned the way he is. It's like I don't need that. Some people are just evil, and I think the Victor Frankenstein in the book is evil because he's ambitious, he's an asshole because he's ambitious. So I just felt like I didn't need all of that tragic backstory to explain why he became the scientist he became.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, for sure. He has a very severe Oedipus complex. This version does. And I did not recognize her, but Mia Goth plays his mom as well as his love interest. Yeah, I did not, I I don't know. Maybe I didn't get a good look at the mom's face, but I didn't I didn't recognize Mia Goth as the mom. But that was yeah, that and that was a very intentional choice that Guilla Madrid Toro and Mia Goth made, where it was like, well, he has some serious mommy issues and Oedipus complex, so let's have the same actress play the two roles. But I agree. It it's just like I don't know, the his backstory was it did feel a little unnecessary to me. I will agree with that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. I don't think yeah, it's just we didn't need it.
SPEAKER_01But I I do agree that I I liked that you don't root for Victor in this adaptation. Cause I feel I agree with you, Vic Victor Frankenstein is an awful human being, but I can see why I mean I don't really I I don't see why. But what I'm trying because I I was about to say, like, I can see why people might like root for him in the book. I mean, I don't personally, but at the same time, it's like, okay, like I guess there is kind of like Mary Shelley. I don't I don't think she intended for Victor to be a sympathetic character, but I can see why over the years he's kind of progressed into like a sympathetic character, and like the monster's just like evil, even though it's like I don't like if you read the book, like there's like you have so much sympathy for the creature.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So I I mean I hope that makes sense what I'm trying to say.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and I think um, as I love the movies, and I will always love them, but I think we can blame the Universal Monster movies for that. Uh they definitely created the the monster rampage that gets out of control, and poor Victor Frankenstein lost control of the creature he created. And unfortunately, we're we're a visual being, not many people read. So that's become the the Frankenstein monster that we know. So I I feel like we can blame those movies for creating that element. So it was nice and refreshing to go back to what the book intended uh for us to care more about the creature. Because I I do feel like I did care more for the creature uh than any of the other characters.
SPEAKER_01Oh, for sure. I Guillermo del Toro also, I mean, he he's said many, many times that that Frankenstein was one of his favorite books growing up. So I can understand why he he understands the the roles of Frankenstein and his creature, but Gerard Mondel also loves his creatures, so I'm not surprised that we get a more sympathetic view of the creature. But I go ahead.
SPEAKER_00No, go ahead. Um that's one of the things I love about him as a director.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And so yeah, so there in this film, you definitely sympathize with the creature, and there's
Victor’s Backstory And Mommy Issues
SPEAKER_01so much the humanity you see in the book, you see in this version. So I I did like that. Another change that I thought was a little strange, or I don't necessarily agree with, was making the monster pretty much invincible.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I am I'm not sure how I felt about that. Um because in the book, yes, he's huge, he's fast, agile, and difficult to kill. It's never explained why, it's just he's difficult to kill, and I always feel like I interpret that as you know, he is made out of death, dead tissue. You don't just kill that, but this this monster regenerates, which was a weird choice, and I was like, I never got that. I just I don't know. I I felt like he was so strong that it was hard to kill them. Not so much that he can just there's so many instances of him regenerating that I was like, that's weird, that's awesome.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. And really quickly, can going back to Victor being an a-hole, so another change they made is that his little brother, so in the book, his little brother is is a little boy, and this little boy ends up being one of the creature's victims. But in this version, his brother William is only a few years younger than him. So, and in this version, Elizabeth, instead of being Victor's fiancee, she's William's fiance. And so, yeah, there there's this this moment in which again, we're you know there's always spoilers in these things, but there is a moment in which William the creature comes in, and of course Victor tries and and he attacks Victor, and Victor tries to be like, oh, this creature attacked me, kill him, and the monster ends up fatally wounding William on accident, and William says, like, uh like Vic like the the creature flees, and Victor goes up to William and is like, brother, brother, and his brother's like, screw you, asshole. I mean, he doesn't say that, but it's just this really glorious moment where it's like, I'm glad your brother recognizes who's the actual monster.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I I wish I could quote that line because he said it so beautifully. Because that's another element that they've thrown in into Victor Frankenstein. He tosses blame to everyone else, like he ends up killing the uncle, he himself ends up causing the death of Elizabeth's uncle, but he covers it up and says, No, it was the creature, it was the creature. Um, so he keeps pointing everything towards the creature. So it was so beautiful for the brother to look him in the eyes as he's dying and be like, you are the monster, you're the one I've been afraid of. So I wish I could quote that line. It was so beautifully said.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it was it was just like Chef's kiss. And there was something else I wanted to bring up concerning Victor.
SPEAKER_00I want to bring up the incel element of his victim.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes, yes,
William Twist And Incel Victor
SPEAKER_01yes.
SPEAKER_00Like, first of all, Elizabeth is, as you were mentioning, she's set to marry her brothers, her her brother, uh, but his brother. Yeah, that's what I mean. His brother. And he doesn't want that, he wants her for him, and he really doesn't start wanting to destroy the monster until he sees that she has some sort of uh liking towards the monster. The monster repeats her name, and that's what upsets him that the woman that he wants doesn't want him back and instead wants a creature. So there's this whole incel element to Victor Frankenstein that made him even more repulsive.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and he's played brilliantly by Oscar Isaac. I have never disliked Oscar Isaac until this moment, but it's it's in this case it's well earned. So, but yeah, like the just that like that incel kind of manosphere commentary within the film, I thought was really interesting and and really and it wasn't in a way that's like hitting you in the in the over the head with it, like yeah you recognize it if you're not that, and if you are that, you're probably on Victor Frankenstein's side anyway. So, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00I I feel like if anybody watches this and they tell you it's like I just felt so much for Victor Frankenstein, that's a huge red flag waving in front of me here.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, for sure. Well, another so I one aspect, which end do I want to go with first? I guess we'll start with the one that happens chronologically first. But I will say one change that I liked, and I don't know if a lot of people would like it, but I liked it, which is when Frank and the sorry, I was gonna say Frankenstein, when the creature is staying with the blind man, and he he goes off, like he's he's taught by the blind man, and they become really good friends, and he's hoping that his that by forming this relationship with the blind man, he'll be able to eventually form a relationship with the blind man's family, and he won't be alone in the world and all that. He leaves on a journey to discover himself, and then he comes back, and the blind man has been attacked by wolves. And like he survives for not much longer, but he alive he survives long enough to to tell the creature, like, thank you for everything or whatever. And then as he's dying, the creature's holding him in his arms, and he's dying. The blind man's family comes back in, and that's what causes them to go after the creature. And the only reason I like that change is because that scene in the book is just so heartbreaking. Cause it's like it's so difficult, it's so like he's been nothing but kind and good to this blind man,
The Blind Man Scene Change
SPEAKER_01and this blind man has like they've just forged like this beautiful bond and friendship, and then his family shows up, and they're like, Oh my gosh, this creature's hideous, I'm gonna kill him because he's out to hurt my father. And it's like, but the blind man, as you're attacking the creature, is telling you, like, no, no, don't attack him. So it's like, I get that he's ugly, but weren't you listening to this man that's like telling you not? And then to just move him out of the the cottage. So I like that change just because it's like, well, I can see why coming back the family would be like, uh, this this creature just killed our father. Let's attack him in return.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and because like one of the things that they did keep the creature while he's hiding out in this barn starts to assist the family. He starts cutting the wood for them, and they start calling them their uh what is it, their forest angel or something like that?
SPEAKER_01Forest spirit, I think.
SPEAKER_00Forest spirit. Um they start recognizing that there's something there. So it makes no sense to me, and mind you, the we're also in a very different era. But if you see this creature that's chilling with your blind grandpa, to not associate that right away and automatically freak out makes no sense to me. I mean, at the end of the day, Frankenstein is hideous, but not Frankenstein, the creature. Uh the creature is hideous, um, but he's not he just still looks like a man, you know. Uh so yeah, I I agree that that always bothered me. And it made more sense this time around why the family would attack him, thinking he caused some damage. I also it's very small, very subtle, but I loved the part where the creature finally decides to introduce himself, and the blind man tells us like, I knew you were here all along. I I could hear you through the walls because yeah, it just shows the wiseless of the of the blind man and how smart he was. So I I did love that scene.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Towards the end. And this is I I've said this before in my podcast, like okay, well, before I get to what I've said before. Um Frankenstein dies at the end of this movie. Before he dies, the creature forgives him. Like they they've each told their tale, their side The story to the sea captain. And then as Frankenstein is like dying and taking his last breath, the creature says, I just want you to know that I forgive you. And I've said before, like the act of forgiving someone is a very personal decision. I'm not here to tell you you're wrong for forgiving someone who has done you wrong. I'm not telling you, I'm not here to tell you that you're wrong for not forgiving them. That's not, that's not my place. It's a very personal decision.
Forgiveness Ending And Missing Consequences
SPEAKER_01However, because this is a fictional story and this is a fictional characters. Frankenstein did not deserve the creature's forgiveness, and I hate that that happened. I I mean, mind you, it shows how much more of a better person the creature ever was. Like he's 10 times man that Frankenstein would ever be, but it's still like it in this movie, in this instance, I just want to end it with him not getting any of that. He deserves to die alone and hated.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I agree. There was he had no redemption. There was no redemption arc. I because that is something that I feel like the is more clear, obviously, in the book. In the book he ends up the after the creature creature's wish of creating a partner gets denied, he goes on his rampage, killing everybody that Victor loves and leads to the hunting of each other. So that I feel like was because it was missing in this one, Victor didn't get any sort of redemption. Like he didn't lose anything. Everything everything that he lost um was by his own doing. Mind you, in the book it's the same thing. It's by his own doing, but the creature was still the hand that did it. In this one, it wasn't. Like his brother died because of him. Is Elizabeth die? I don't remember. I don't even know. Yeah, she dies. That's right. She dies. But again, it's because of him. Like all of it is because of him. So it was just there was just nothing for us to say, oh man, he feels bad for what he did. Like there was just absolutely nothing. So I would agree that that moment was not it just did not happen. Like there's no reason to forgive him.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And I I know in the book there's a little bit of the captain telling the creatures, like, you've spent your whole life wishing this man dead, and now that he's dead, what are you doing with your life? And that's kind of like the creatures. That's how he ends up. He ends up in a dark place because he's like, I did spend my whole time hunting this man, and now there's nothing but the hate I felt for him. So I don't know if they were trying to like redeem that so the creature has more of a closed ending. Um, but it just it just wasn't on the on the Victor level, it was not burned in any way.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. But overall, like I said, I did like this film, and I think it's worth checking out. I rated this film three and a half stars.
Ratings And Who Wins
SPEAKER_01And I believe I still rated the book three stars, but kind of like with the the OG Frankenstein movies from the 30s, the my rating for the film is higher just based on the content of the film itself. But I think I would still recommend the book more. Check them both out. I think they're definitely both worth checking out. And as an adaptation, it's interesting to see how Guillermo del Toro brought the story that he loves so much to life and the changes he decided to make. So I think they're still both worth checking out, but I think the book is still the winner for me. What about you, Orlando?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, for sure. I'm I think um with the OGs, I feel like they always will have a nostalgia factor for me, which is why I rated them kind of separately. Because I think I also rated the I rated the movie three and a half, and I think I also rated the book three and a half or four. Uh one of those two. Um but yeah, I would recommend the book, but I still recommend watching the movie. Just I think that's the magic of some of these movies that get adapted so many times. There's a certain magic of seeing this person's interpretation or their twist on it. Um, and I do appreciate the yermaltorness of it. Like, there's a certain bodily, I don't want to say it's not body horror, but the way he's creating the pieces, um, the gothic nature of the buildings, the costumes. Um, there's just a clear love of the book, um and of the source of material. There's a clear love of it and a clear respect of it that I'd say I would I would recommend watching the movie because it's worth it for that reason. Um but I would I would say if I'm choosing a winner here, it would be the book.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, for sure. And one thing that because the creature in this version is able to regenerate, it's implied that he's immortal. And the idea of immortality always just messes with me in all the wrong ways. Like the to me, like there's some there's some topics that make people uncomfortable, whether it be like Orlando, if you don't mind my saying, but like for Orlando, it's like the idea of like what happens after death, and that just like that topic kind of like makes him really uncomfortable uncomfortable and throws him
Immortality Dread And Existential Fallout
SPEAKER_01into an existential crisis. What does that for me is immortality, just because the idea of immortality just makes me really, really sad because you like no matter no matter who the creature ends up befriending in the future, because I believe he will he's still he's like every few cycles, every few generations, he has to start over from scratch, be and and he's just gonna see people he loves die over and over again. And I just like I blame AI, the movie AI from the early 2000s, for giving me this existential crisis. Orlando knows about this, but there's a a character who's an android, I think, but he's in the form of a teddy bear. And this movie's like early 2000s, spoiler alert, but it's it's like more than 20 years old at this point, so whatever. But like Haley Joel Osman's character is reunited with his mom, and they and even though he's an AI droid as well, he and his mom end up dying together. And the last image I remember from that film is the little teddy bear droid sitting on the bed where Hailey Joel Osman and his mom died, and I'm just like, that bear is just gonna live the rest of his life alone because everyone he knows is dead, and and mind you, he's a droid, so he probably doesn't have any feelings. But I blame that movie for giving me this immortality existential crisis, and now whenever there's a a character that is implied will live forever, it just messes with me and it makes me incredibly sad. And I don't like that the creature's immortal.
SPEAKER_00It's and and I feel like that's we've seen it now twice with Guillermo del Toro.
SPEAKER_01Yes, oh my gosh, the other one messed with me too. Go on.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, um, I feel like that one's a little bit sadder. It is, it is the Pinocchio.
SPEAKER_01Oh, I wasn't gonna spoil it. Which film was the one that contains the immortality, but okay.
SPEAKER_00Never mind.
SPEAKER_01Well, you already said it, I'm not gonna edit that out.
SPEAKER_00Okay, well, spoiler alert. Um, I'll just leave it at that. The Pinocchio leaves that has a similar um theme of immortality uh for the little creature thing. Um but uh especially like in this one, I mean the creature will never doesn't have anything left. Like is he gonna keep on living up in the frozen world? Yeah. Sorry.
SPEAKER_01It's okay. Just I don't like immortality. It screws me up really, really bad just thinking about it. So needless to say, if anyone like I'm one of those people, if like if you have the choice to live forever, I'm not taking it. I'm okay that I'm gonna meet my end one day, and I'm okay with that. Anyway, I cannot tell you how much like just thinking of being alone like that just messes with me. Okay, anyway. Is there anything else you would like to add?
SPEAKER_00Um, I will like we already talked about Oscar Isaac's uh amazing acting
Jacob Elordi Surprise And Casting Luck
SPEAKER_00because you hated him. Um I am not as familiar with Jacob Elordi, I'm only know him through Southburn, which I have strong opinions about that movie, which apparently uh the world disagrees with me, but I do not like that movie at all. But that's my only reference for Jacob Elordi. So seeing him as the creature, I was really impressed. I was very impressed by his acting, um, even though he has all of this makeup on, like so many feelings with so little words. Because obviously the creature doesn't start learning to talk until later on, but he managed to make such a heartwarming character uh with just his physicality. And I I was really impressed by his acting.
SPEAKER_01No, I agree with you. I I've only seen Jacob Bellordi in Saltburn, which I also am not a fan of, so agree there. And I'd seen him in one of the kissing booth movies, which is not he's good in that, but it's not like a cinematic masterpiece that shows off like his acting chops to the highest of his ability.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So yeah, I agree that watching him in this was he would he was great.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and it's I was also finding just so because I know Guillermo del Toro was at one point interviewed because the role was originally Andrew Garfield, and Andrew Garfield for Lord Knows Why he had to step down. I think there were scheduling conflicts or something like that. Um when he was asked about his thoughts, he was just like, it's just a happy accident. Some things are meant to be in film, or and I love that as a theater person, as a director and writer, the happy accidents are so beautiful, and some things make pieces so much more amazing. So now I'm not saying Andrew Garfield would have done a terrible job, but we wouldn't have seen how great Jacob Alordi would have been in this role if not for that happy accident. So I I thought that was really cool.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I agree.
Edinburgh Plans And Frankenstein Pub
SPEAKER_01And I guess that's it. We said who we we said our thoughts, we said who wins, in our opinion, and I guess now we're just really excited because at the end of August we are going to Edinburgh. I've mentioned this. I'm a production of I'm In of Lys Estrata is going to be a part of this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe. And so it's our first time going to Edinburgh. We're both super excited, and because it's only fitting, Orlando found a Frankenstein-themed bar or pub. An Frankenstein-themed pub in Edinburgh. So, of course, we're gonna check that out, and we're super excited to check that out. And apparently, like the creature comes to life every night, so that'll be really, really fun.
SPEAKER_00Yes, I'm so excited. I just hope because it's Edinburgh French, that it's not so packed that we can't go in, but it's on my list.
SPEAKER_01We have a few days after.
SPEAKER_00That's true, that is very true.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. So that is it for this little bonus episode, I guess. And thanks for tuning in. We'll see you next time. Bye.
SPEAKER_00Bye.