{"id":1819,"date":"2025-11-12T16:47:39","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T16:47:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/?p=546892"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","slug":"the-director-of-netflixs-frankenstein-reveals-why-the-ending-is-so-different-to-the-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/filmshrine\/2025\/11\/12\/the-director-of-netflixs-frankenstein-reveals-why-the-ending-is-so-different-to-the-book\/","title":{"rendered":"The director of Netflix’s Frankenstein reveals why the ending is so different to the book"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guillermo del Toro\u2019s version of Frankenstein has finally dropped on Netflix<\/a>, and while critics are calling it one of his best films yet, some people are a little less impressed, especially with the ending.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Oscar-winning director\u2019s long-awaited take on Mary Shelley\u2019s classic gothic novel stars Jacob Elordi as the creature and Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein. It follows Victor\u2019s obsession with creating life, and the tragic fallout that follows. Anyone familiar with the book will notice a big difference in how it all wraps up.<\/p>\n

In the novel, things end on a dark note. After Victor\u2019s wife Elizabeth is killed by the creature, he follows it all the way to the Arctic, determined to destroy it. He dies there, exhausted and broken. The monster finds his body, grieves, and vows to end his own life, which is a pretty bleak finale.<\/p>\n

In del Toro\u2019s film, the ending is completely reworked. This time, Victor accidentally kills Elizabeth himself while trying to attack the creature. Later, when the two finally come face to face on a frozen ship, they reconcile instead of destroying each other. Victor calls the creature his \u201cson\u201d and asks for forgiveness, and the monster actually gives it. The film ends with the creature freeing the trapped ship and watching the sunrise, finally at peace.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Credit: Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So instead of Shelley\u2019s devastating ending, del Toro\u2019s film closes on a surprisingly hopeful note.<\/p>\n

In an interview with Man of Many<\/a>, del Toro explained that he wanted to give the story \u201ca circular structure\u201d. He said: \u201cThe movie starts with the sun rising on the captain, and ends with the sun rising on the creature. If he\u2019s going to live forever, can he still welcome being alive?\u201d<\/p>\n

For del Toro, the change wasn\u2019t about rewriting Shelley, it was about rethinking what it means to be human: \u201cImperfection is the condition of life. You will lead an imperfect life. The movie makes peace with that, with forgiveness, and with what it is to be human, to be capable of seeing the other.\u201d<\/p>\n

He even called it \u201cone of my most hopeful endings, in a strange way\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Credit: Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Not everyone agrees. Some people have called the ending \u201ctoo soft\u201d and \u201cunfaithful\u201d to Shelley\u2019s gothic tone. Others questioned why the movie closes with a quote from Lord Byron, a friend of Shelley\u2019s husband, rather than Shelley herself.<\/p>\n

In the end, del Toro\u2019s Frankenstein may not follow Shelley\u2019s story to the letter, but it keeps her spirit alive by asking the same timeless question: What does it really mean to be human?<\/p>\n

For all the latest Netflix news and drops,\u00a0<\/i>like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

Featured image credit: Netflix<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s a huge change<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1621,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[4,12,39],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-1819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-film","tag-netflix","tag-viral"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy the director of Netflix's Frankenstein changed the ending<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Guillermo del Toro\u2019s Netflix version of Frankenstein has finally dropped on Netflix, and some people are not happy with the changed ending.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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