Review by Jon Donnis
Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride! is not a quiet reinterpretation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein myth. It is loud, strange, ambitious and often chaotic, a Gothic romance that jumps between horror, crime drama, social satire and something closer to dreamlike fantasy. Inspired by the 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein and Shelley's original novel, the film pushes the story into unexpected territory. It opens with Mary Shelley herself speaking from the afterlife, determined to tell a story she never managed to write while alive. From there the narrative leaps into 1936 Chicago, where possession, mob violence and scientific resurrection quickly collide.
The plot centres on Ida, a woman murdered by the henchmen of mob boss Lupino, only to be dug up and revived through experimental reanimation by scientist Dr. Cornelia Euphronius at the request of Frankenstein's monster. The monster, who soon earns the nickname Frank, hopes she will become his companion. Ida awakens with no memory of her life, though flashes of knowledge spill out in strange bursts. Frank convinces her that she is his lost bride. What follows is a bizarre road story across America, as the pair drift from Chicago to New York, leaving bodies behind them while discovering an awkward kind of companionship.
Jessie Buckley dominates the film from the moment she appears. Her performance is huge, fearless and completely committed, shifting between Ida, the reborn Bride and the ghostly presence of Mary Shelley herself. Buckley devours every scene with a kind of theatrical intensity that suits the film's strange tone. Christian Bale matches her with a surprisingly tender take on the monster, playing Frank less as a creature of rage and more as a lonely figure desperate for connection. Their chemistry is unusual but compelling, and it anchors a film that often threatens to spin off in several directions at once.
Gyllenhaal's direction leans heavily into visual spectacle. The film is packed with striking imagery, bold costume design and elaborate set pieces that blur the line between Gothic horror and surreal fantasy. Some sequences, such as the nightclub dance that spirals into a trance like frenzy, are mesmerising to watch. The film constantly shifts genre and mood, mixing gangster storylines with monster movie mythology and moments of dark humour. At its best, this wild mashup of influences gives The Bride! a distinctive energy that feels refreshingly unpredictable.
That same ambition also creates problems. The film tries to juggle so many ideas that it occasionally loses its footing. The pacing becomes uneven, jumping from one concept to another without always giving them room to breathe. Certain stylistic choices feel excessive, particularly the heavy use of handheld camerawork which can become visually exhausting. The tone also drifts in and out of focus, with scenes of Gothic romance sitting awkwardly beside sudden bursts of violence or social commentary.
The running time of two hours and six minutes does not help matters. While the performances remain strong throughout, the story begins to feel overstuffed as it moves toward its conclusion. By the final stretch the narrative pushes toward an ending that feels forced, as if the film struggles to tie together the many threads it introduced earlier. It is not disastrous, but it does underline the sense that the film is reaching beyond what it can comfortably hold.
Even with its flaws, The Bride! remains an intriguing piece of work. Beneath the madness sits a clear theme of empowerment and identity, reframing the Frankenstein myth through a different lens. Gyllenhaal's film is chaotic, bold and defiantly strange. It does not always succeed, yet it is rarely dull, and the performances from Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale alone make the journey worthwhile.
The Bride! is ultimately an imperfect but fascinating film. It reaches high, sometimes stumbles, yet more often than not it lands on something memorable. For all its tonal chaos and structural issues, the film hits more than it misses.
Score: 7 out of 10.
Out Now in Cinemas
