Guillermo del Toro says 'Frankenstein' "not intended as a metaphor" for AI

Washington DC [US], August 30 : Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein', starring Jacob Elordi and Oscar Isaac, follows a brilliant but egotistical scientist who brings a monstrous creature to life, only for the experiment to lead to the destruction of them both.

The Oscar-winning director emphasised that his new movie is not a warning about the proliferation of AI, reported Variety.

"It's not intended as a metaphor for that," del Toro said at the film's official press conference, adding, "We live in a time of terror and intimidation, certainly. And there's no more urgent task than to remain in a time where everything is pushing towards a bipolar understanding of our humanity. The movie tries to show imperfect characters and the right we have to remain imperfect, and the right we have to understand each other under the most oppressive circumstances."

He continued, "I'm not afraid of artificial intelligence. I'm afraid of natural stupidity."

Mary Shelley's work has been adapted for the screen many times, most notably in 1931's "Frankenstein," directed by James Whale and starring Boris Karloff. In del Toro's version, Elordi plays the creature locked in a deadly feud with his creator (Isaac). But instead of a standard horror film, the director imagines the story as a layered family drama. For del Toro, putting his own cinematic spin on "Frankenstein" is the culmination of a lifelong dream.

"I've been following the creature since I was a kid. I waited for the movie to be done in the right conditions, both creatively in terms of achieving the scope to make it different, and to make it at a scale that you could reconstruct the whole world," he said. And now that he's completed the film, he joked, "I'm in postpartum depression," reported Variety.

Based on the theme of the film, when Elordi was asked who in society represents a monster to him the actor was quick to reply: "Men in suits."

Del Toro said, "Very well-tailored ones."

Meanwhile, Isaac recalled the early conversations with del Toro that led to his casting as the monster's maker, Victor Frankenstein.

"I can't believe that I'm here right now. I can't believe we got to this place from two years ago, sitting at [del Toro's] table eating Cuban pork and talking about our fathers and our lives, to him saying, 'I want you to be Victor,' then not really being sure if it was true or if I was just dreaming," Isaac said. "It just seemed like such a pinnacle," reported Variety.

Since Netflix is releasing "Frankenstein," the film will have a limited three-week theatrical release before being made available on the streaming service. But del Toro isn't concerned about a shorter theatrical window, "Look at my set, I always want more of everything," he said.

"...So you never know what is affordable. What I do know is that to reach over 300 million viewers [on Netflix], you take the opportunity and challenge to make a movie that evokes that cinema, and then you provide theatres in the beginning. That makes, for me, a very creative experience," reported Variety.

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