Frankenstein

The movie changes the original story to fit modern ideas about victims. Instead of a cruel killer, the monster is a gentle outsider who is hated because he is different. The film also focuses on gender roles. It portrays all the father figures as cruel and abusive, while the mother figures are shown as perfectly loving and caring.

The film attacks traditional family setups and male authority. Victor's father is shown as a harsh, old-fashioned man whose cruelty ruins his son. Victor's own science work is funded by a greedy weapons dealer. This frames his genius as a selfish, toxic male ego trip. It mocks traditional ideas of male ambition and leadership.

The film heavily alters Mary Shelley's classic book. The monster is turned from a thinking, cruel killer into a helpless victim of society. Elizabeth is changed from a minor character who dies into a motherly figure who tries to save the monster. Victor is changed from a tragic hero into an abusive, spoiled child.

Conservative critics disliked how the movie softened the monster to make him a victim of prejudice. They also complained that the film ruined a classic story to attack traditional fatherhood and push a soft liberal message. However, the online backlash was not huge because many viewers still liked the great gothic style.

Director Guillermo del Toro has a long history of making movies where monsters are the good guys. Former Netflix boss Scott Stuber has a record of supporting diversity programs. Other crew members have strictly professional, non-political careers. This creates a mild to moderate political background for the movie.