Joey Magidson
Guillermo del Toro is a one of a kind filmmaker. You don’t even have to like his films to appreciate the craftsmanship and vision that he put forth, though it certainly helps. When you watch a movie from del Toro, there’s a joy for creation and creativity that just exudes from every frame. As one of his big passion projects in Frankenstein is now streaming on Netflix after a strong festival run, looking at his career and putting forth a ranking feels appropriate. So, that’s exactly what I did.
In my review of Frankenstein back at the Telluride Film Festival (here), I said the following about del Toro:
Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has finally made his passion project, so it’s no surprise the care put into it. The look and tactile feel of things is superb, with cinematographer Dan Lausten crafting some memorable visuals. The score by Alexandre Desplat is reliably excellent as well. On a technical level, del Toro’s direction, as well as the overall craftsmanship on display, is top notch. His screenplay, adapting the classic novel, is solid, yet lacks in too many new ideas. This is Frankenstein alright, just done through del Toro’s unique lens, which ends up being mostly in regards to scope, size, and visual language. It’s also probably the goriest and most violent take yet, which makes sense given del Toro at the helm.
Below, you can see how del Toro’s flicks stack up for me. I’ll admit to only occasionally being blown away by his work, though I always find a lot worthy of discussion, while never outright disliking anything he’s made. So, outside of Pan’s Labyrinth, which is likely his masterpiece, I’m sometimes on the lower end with his movies, yet always appreciative of what’s being put out into the world. Still, there are great films here, spanning all sorts of genres (plus a Best Picture winner in The Shape of Water, winning him Best Director in the process). Where does Frankenstein appear on this list? Find out next…
Here now is my ranking of the films of Guillermo del Toro. Behold:
13. Pacific Rim
12. Mimic
11. Crimson Peak
10. Nightmare Alley
9. Cronos
8. The Devil’s Backbone
7. Hellboy
6. Frankenstein
5. Blade II
4. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
3. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
2. The Shape of Water
1. Pan’s Labyrinth
What are your favorite Guillermo del Toro films? Let us know!
I’m also not as big on Guillermo del Toro as everyone else in Hollywood seems to be. And I think one of his biggest issues right now is that he’s been given too much for his recent projects. Too much money, too much creative control, too much “stuff” to play around with. There’s no discipline in his filmmaking.
I am convinced that both Frankenstein and Nightmare Alley would have been much better movies if their runtimes were trimmed by at least thirty minutes and their budgets were reduced by ⅓.
The running time of late has been a bit of an issue, even when there’s really good stuff within, I agree.