Oscar Isaac’s Latest Netflix Film Rockets to a High Rotten Tomatoes Score

Guillermo del Toro took a swing at Mary Shelley and, surprise, critics are into it. His Netflix-backed Frankenstein is rolling into select theaters on October 17, and the early chatter is very much thumbs up — both for the look of it and for the performances, with Oscar Isaac front and center.

The setup

This is del Toro doing full-on gothic: an adaptation of the classic novel, led by Oscar Isaac as Dr. Frankenstein, with Jacob Elordi as the creature. It is a Netflix film, but it gets a limited theatrical run first. The reaction so far is exactly what you would expect from an Oscar-winning filmmaker who loves monsters — it is lush, meticulously designed, and apparently a lot more emotionally loaded than your average horror piece.

Early verdict: strong across the board

"A gargantuan, grotesque, and grief-stricken opus."

That is The Daily Beast's Nick Schager on del Toro's take, and the rest of his review stays in that key: towering visuals, a story driven by fathers-and-sons tensions, hubris vs. humility, and the push-pull between control and free will. He also singles out Isaac's commanding turn as the doctor and Elordi's creature, saying the whole thing feels unmistakably alive.

• The Daily Beast (Nick Schager): Raves about the visual opulence and emotional weight; frames the film as a tortured saga about power, responsibility, and the messy bonds between creator and creation. Calls out Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi as standouts.
• Empire (Jamie Graham): Says the cast is rock solid across the board and the film wears its creator's passion on its sleeve. Praises the obsessive gothic detail and calls it a big movie with an equally big heart.
• Rolling Stone (David Fear): Talks up the style and the mesmerizing imagery — even the blink-and-you-miss-it stuff, like a frozen soldier still mounted on his horse, sticks with you. But beneath the bravura, he says it stays a simple, direct story about a man and the being he brings into the world, with the monster played as a scared, curious, affection-starved newborn.

Rotten Tomatoes snapshot

As of October 16, 2025, Frankenstein sits at 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 107 critic reviews. The audience rating is not up yet.

Bottom line: if you want del Toro going all-in on tragic beauty and monster feels — with Oscar Isaac steering the ship and Jacob Elordi giving the creature a beating heart — this looks like the real deal. It hits select theaters October 17.