Movie Review - Frankenstein (2025 Netflix and Guillermo del Toro)

I loved the original novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelly. I thought it was an excellent story well told. I always wondered why adaptions strayed so far from the source. None of the changes improved upon the story or even came close to equaling it.

Frankenstein is a 2025 gothic romance monster movie directed by Guillermo del Toro. It is rated R for violence, mild gore, nudity, and is appropriate for older teens and up.

Analysis

Story. Film is a different medium than prose, so a direct adaption is not going to be as good as a translation, and the filmmakers did an amazing job translating the book. This film was very true to the original novel. Several changes were made, but they were all for the best. The story was solid, had a great pace, and never dragged or felt rushed except for one small part (but it was probably best to get it over with and move onto the main story).

Visuals. This film was gorgeous to look at! Everything from the costumes to the sets to the cinematography was well thought out and fit together perfectly to create a truly unique vision very appropriate for the story told. I loved the way the Creature was portrayed--very close to the book version while being horrifying and beautiful at the same time.

Sounds. The music and sound effects very perfectly crafted to convey the emotion of the story and action. I didn't even notice it most of the time, and yet I felt what I was supposed to feel the entire film, which is the highest praise you can give the score and sound effects.

Acting and Casting. Oscar Issac and Jacob Elordi were perfectly cast for this film. Both delivered masterful performances. Both truly carried the movie. The other cast members were all very well cast and delivered great performances that also added to the story.

Overall

Frankenstein is a 2025 gothic romance monster movie directed by Guillermo del Toro, and is a perfect film. This film was very true to the original novel. Several changes were made, but they were all for the best. The story was solid and had a great pace. This film was gorgeous to look at! Everything from the costumes to the sets to the cinematography was well thought out and fit together perfectly to create a truly unique vision very appropriate for the story told. I loved the way the Creature was portrayed--very close to the book version while being horrifying and beautiful at the same time. The music and sound effects very perfectly crafted to convey the emotion of the story and action. Oscar Issac and Jacob Elordi were perfectly cast for this film, and both delivered masterful performances. I highly recommend this film and give it 5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn. 

    

Movie Review - Tron: Ares

I remember being awed by the visuals of the first Tron movie and astounded by the visuals and sounds of the second. 

Tron: Ares is the a 2025 science fiction action movie. It is appropriate for most ages.

My Thoughts

Story: The story was okay. It's basically a chase for a McGuffin trying to beat the clock. The first half was way too much exposition and explanation. Seriously, Disney, your audience isn't that stupid (okay, maybe those in college and recent graduates are). It would have been much better to begin with less dialogue and narration and start with Ares emerging from the grid and going on a mission and follow him as the world and stakes are revealed. The second half was a fun chase, but nothing we haven't seen before and weren't expecting.

Characters: The characters were little more than plot devices and generic caricatures. They had great actors that occasionally acted. But no one stood out or made me care that much for them.

Visuals: This movie felt like a medium budget direct-to-video sequel. The visuals were good, but not as groundbreaking as the first two films. Tron: Legacy hit perfection and still looks breathtaking to this day.

Music: The music by Nine Inch Nails was really good, fit the movie, and sounded like Tron while still being its own original thing.

Overall

This movie is entertaining to watch, but won't be beloved like the first two. This movie felt like a medium budget direct-to-video sequel. The visuals were good, but not as groundbreaking as the first two films. Tron: Legacy hit perfection and still looks breathtaking to this day. The story was okay. It's basically a chase for a McGuffin trying to beat the clock. The first half was way too much exposition and explanation. Seriously, Disney, your audience isn't that stupid (okay, maybe those in college and recent graduates are). The second half was a fun chase, but nothing we haven't seen before and weren't expecting. The characters were little more than plot devices and generic caricatures. They had great actors that occasionally acted. But no one stood out or made me care that much for them. The music by Nine Inch Nails was really good, fit the movie, and sounded like Tron while still being its own original thing. I give it 3.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.

     

Movie Review - Superman (2025 film) by James Gunn

I love Superman, and I have my entire life. He is one of my favorite superheroes. I love his Golden Age comic book and comic strip appearances and the John Byrne Post-Crisis run. I love the Max Fleischer Superman cartoons and the Hanna Barbera SuperFriends version. I love the Old Time Radio version and the Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman version. And the Christopher Reeve films are still classics.

Superman is a 2025 superhero action movie based on the character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. It is rated PG-13 for language and violence and is appropriate for most ages.

The Good

Lois and Clark. David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan were perfectly cast as Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane. They capture the comic book version of the characters perfectly and have great chemistry together on screen. Whenever these two are on screen together, the movie works so well and I was totally engrossed in it. And fortunately, they have a lot of screen time together.

Guy Gardner. Nathan Fillion somehow perfectly captures the misfit of the Green Lantern Corps. He looks and acts the part perfectly. If only the costume were comic book accurate I'd have nothing but praise.

The Bad

Sloppy Writing. This movie feels like a direct-to-video sequel to the 1978 Richard Donner Superman film. The story was a lot of sound and fury with little substance. Nothing had time to develop. The problems were solved too quickly and too easily. The characters were pretty shallow except for Lois & Clark. There were way too many current fads inserted into the movie (social media, politics, etc) that won't age well.

Lex Luthor. Nicholas Hoult is a great actor. Unfortunately, the way the character was written was not good. Luthor was too controlled by his ego and too short-sighted to be a real threat or accomplish anything very large.

Perry White. Perry White is the generic token minority in power every movie has. And as such, he is completely superfluous to this film. If his character were removed, I doubt anyone would noticed. This was a missed opportunity to create a memorable character.

Justice Gang. Other than Guy Gardner, the other superheroes were uninteresting and unnecessary. Mr. Terrific was used as a plot device to solve impossible problems quickly and easily. Sloppy writing.

Action and Special Effects. The action and special effects were the generic video game action and special effects you see in every movie from the past 20 years. Poor cinematography, uninteresting choreography, and nothing memorable or special. I found the scenes to be kind of boring. This is Superman--the special effects and action should be mind blowing making me go "Wow!" every five minutes. But instead it looks like just another action movie.

Overall

Superman (2025 film) feels like a direct-to-video sequel to the 1978 Richard Donner Superman film. The story was a lot of sound and fury with little substance. Nothing had time to develop. The problems were solved too quickly and too easily. The characters were pretty shallow except for Lois & Clark. There were way too many current fads inserted into the movie (social media, politics, etc) that won't age well. 

David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan were perfectly cast as Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane. They capture the comic book version of the characters perfectly and have great chemistry together on screen. Whenever these two are on screen together, the movie works so well and I was totally engrossed in it. And fortunately, they have a lot of screen time together.

The action and special effects were the generic video game action and special effects you see in every movie from the past 20 years. Poor cinematography, uninteresting choreography, and nothing memorable or special. I found the scenes to be kind of boring. This is Superman--the special effects and action should be mind blowing making me go "Wow!" every five minutes. But instead it looks like just another action movie.

This movie is entertaining to watch, but won't be a classic. I give it 3.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.