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Let’s start with the verdict: “The Bride!” earns a solid 7 out of 10. Under the direction of Maggie Gyllenhaal, this film is nothing short of a whirlwind experience. It reimagines the classic “Bride of Frankenstein” tale, infusing it with a fervent sense of feminist rage. The movie teeters between daring and over-the-top, but its audacity is commendable, especially with powerhouse performances from Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley. Despite some narrative hiccups, “The Bride!” is undeniably entertaining.
Warner Bros.
The film begins with Mary Shelley, portrayed by Buckley, who is depicted crafting a sequel to her legendary “Frankenstein” from beyond the grave. Her protagonist, Ida, also played by Buckley, is a young woman in 1930s Chicago who is resurrected after an untimely demise. Meanwhile, a lonely Frankenstein, played by Bale, enlists the help of the eccentric Dr. Euphronius, brought to life by Annette Bening, to create a companion. Ida awakens in the lab, devoid of memories, sparking an instant connection with Frankenstein. The pair embarks on a chaotic escapade reminiscent of “Bonnie & Clyde” and a superior version of “Joker: Folie à Deux.” The film delivers a frenetic, violent, and toxically romantic narrative, perfectly capturing the essence of monstrous love.
- Excellent performances from Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley
- Top notch makeup and costume design
- Fascinating take on Frankenstein
What immediately stands out in “The Bride!” is Gyllenhaal’s visual prowess, especially in the realms of makeup and costume design. The Bride’s appearance is strikingly chaotic, with chemical stains resembling dark lipstick smudges and her hair a storm of electrocuted curls. This visual representation perfectly captures the character’s impulsive and unconventional nature. Set against a shadowy 1930s Chicago, the film blends horror with the allure of classic noir as the duo embraces a life of crime.
- Convoluted narrative
- Attempts to tap into feminist rage often miss the mark
While the concept of a modern feminist twist on “The Bride of Frankenstein” is intriguing, the execution wavers. The plot, burdened with mob intrigue, police corruption, and spectral voices, often struggles with coherence. Despite its promising premise, the storyline occasionally detracts from the stellar performances, leaving the film grappling with its ambitious scope.
Let’s be clear on one thing: “The Bride!” is a wild ride. Courtesy of director Maggie Gyllenhaal, it offers up a frenzied take on the “Bride of Frankenstein” story — only this time with more rage-filled feminism. It walks a razor’s edge between being bold and being insufferable, and if it occasionally teeters into the latter territory, it’s easy enough to forgive for how thoroughly it swings for the fences. With go-for-broke performances from the always compelling Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley, both of whom can be safely relied upon to bring the weird when asked, “The Bride!” is fun to watch, even if its narrative leaves something to be desired.
“The Bride!” opens with Mary Shelley (Buckley), famed author of “Frankenstein,” beginning to craft a sequel to her classic horror tale from the great beyond. Her heroine is Ida (also Buckley), a pretty young woman in 1930s Chicago who finds new life after her untimely death. Desperate for companionship, the lonely Frankenstein (Bale) approaches a local mad scientist named Dr. Euphronius (Annette Bening) and begs her to make him a mate. When Ida awakens in the lab with no memory of her past life, Frankenstein is immediately smitten by her, and the two embark on a chaotic journey that evokes both “Bonnie & Clyde” and a much better version of “Joker: Folie à Deux” (which we also reviewed). Violent, frenetic, and romantic in a toxic kind of way, “The Bride!” gives us monsters being monsters — and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
The Bride’s design is perfect
Warner Bros.
The thing that is most immediately striking about “The Bride!” is Maggie Gyllenhaal’s flair for visuals, particularly in the makeup and costume design. The messy look of The Bride is note-perfect, with vomited chemicals leaving a dark lipstick-like smudge around her mouth and her dyed blonde hair a halo of electrocuted curls. She is captivating but unmistakably Wrong, and it perfectly evokes the impulsive, unconventional qualities of the character. Set against a dark vision of Chicago in the 1930s, she and her stapled-together paramour embrace a life of crime that blends the horror genre with notes from the best of classic noir.
The concept, on its face, is a promising one — who doesn’t want a reimagining of “The Bride of Frankenstein” through a modern feminist lens? But the execution is a little shaky (okay, maybe more than a little), and from a narrative perspective, it flirts with total incoherency at times. The convoluted storyline complete with mob action, police corruption, and a voice from beyond the grave detracts from the performances, and it often doesn’t seem to know what to do with its unwieldy premise.
The moments where Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley are left alone to do their thing are the strongest, but whenever Gyllenhaal attempts to imbue it with deeper themes, it falls surprisingly flat. Having Buckley switch between The Bride and Mary Shelley feels overly chaotic, and although we trust Buckley to handle the material, it’s hard to escape the feeling that she’s just doing her best Helena Bonham Carter impression. And considering that this film is called “The Bride!,” it would have been great to see more of her struggling to find an identity for herself outside of her relationship with Frankenstein.
We get an interesting take on both monsters
Warner Bros.
Although the heart of the film is The Bride, it actually gives us one of the most interesting interpretations of Frankenstein in a long time. We see how much his isolation has weighed on him over the century since the events of Mary Shelley’s book. When Dr. Euphronius attempts to minimize his feelings by telling him that everyone’s lonely, he quietly tells her than when they shook hands the other day, that was his first time shaking hands ever. So when he finally gets his bride (albeit by extremely unethical means), it’s hard to begrudge him the sheer joy that she brings to his life, and the utter devotion he has for her. They are two monsters, and they do monstrous things, but it is also in spite of everything a love story.
Ultimately, it’s just a shame that “The Bride!” tried to be so many other things as well. Every subplot, every self-indulgent attempt to have The Bride be a voice for a generation of rage-filled women who have been silenced, takes away from the parts of the film that do work. (Not to say that “The Bride!” shouldn’t deal with anger and feminism and agency, just that it doesn’t do anything particularly interesting with these things most of the time, especially when it tries to transpose them from the individual to the societal level with the copycat killers.) “The Bride!” may have its share of stumbles, but it also has plenty of high points, and it’s hard to be mad at a film that’s at least trying to give audiences something vibrant and engaging. Unpolished and flawed it may be, but it’s bewitching nonetheless.
“The Bride!” hits theaters on March 6.