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Rating: 7/10
Warner Bros.
Let’s get one thing straight: “The Bride!” is an exhilarating experience. Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, this film presents a whirlwind reinterpretation of the “Bride of Frankenstein” tale, infused with a fierce dose of feminist energy. It bravely balances on the thin line between audacious and overbearing, but even when it stumbles into the latter, its ambitious swings make it easy to overlook. Featuring electrifying performances from Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley—both seasoned at embracing the unusual—”The Bride!” remains a captivating watch, even if its storyline occasionally falls short.
- Excellent performances from Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley
- Top notch makeup and costume design
- Fascinating take on Frankenstein
The film kicks off with Mary Shelley, played by Buckley, the renowned author of “Frankenstein,” as she begins penning a sequel to her legendary horror novel from beyond the grave. The narrative introduces us to Ida, also portrayed by Buckley, a beautiful young woman from 1930s Chicago who is resurrected after an untimely demise. Loneliness drives Frankenstein, played by Bale, to seek the help of a local mad scientist, Dr. Euphronius, portrayed by Annette Bening, to create a companion. When Ida awakens in the lab with no recollection of her past, Frankenstein is instantly drawn to her, setting off on a turbulent journey reminiscent of “Bonnie & Clyde” and a more polished version of “Joker: Folie à Deux.” The film is a chaotic blend of violence, frenzy, and a twisted sense of romance, delivering monsters that shamelessly embrace their nature.
- Convoluted narrative
- Attempts to tap into feminist rage often miss the mark
One of the most striking aspects of “The Bride!” is Gyllenhaal’s visual prowess, particularly in makeup and costume design. The Bride’s disheveled appearance is spot-on, with chemical smudges resembling dark lipstick around her mouth and electrified curls of dyed blonde hair. She is both enthralling and unmistakably flawed, perfectly capturing the impulsive and unconventional essence of her character. Set against a shadowy 1930s Chicago backdrop, she and her pieced-together partner dive into a crime-ridden life, melding horror with the finest elements of classic noir.
On paper, the concept is intriguing—who wouldn’t be drawn to a modern feminist reimagining of “The Bride of Frankenstein”? However, the execution wavers, and at times, the narrative teeters on the edge of incoherence. The tangled storyline, complete with mob dynamics, police corruption, and a voice from the beyond, often overshadows the performances and struggles to manage its ambitious premise.
The film shines brightest when Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley are given the space to perform without distractions. However, when Gyllenhaal attempts to weave in profound themes, the effort sometimes falls flat. The dual role of Buckley as both The Bride and Mary Shelley introduces a level of chaos, and despite Buckley’s adeptness, it occasionally feels reminiscent of a Helena Bonham Carter portrayal. With a title like “The Bride!,” more focus on the character’s quest for identity beyond her relationship with Frankenstein would have been a welcome addition.
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.
