Last year, we had Frankenstein, Guillermo del Toro’s sweeping gothic epic. It largely stayed true to the themes of Mary Shelley’s much-loved 1818 novel of the same name, but almost completely erased the story’s subplot of the Creature’s desire for a companion. This year, the companion takes centre stage in The Bride!, actress-turned-director Maggie Gyllenhaal’s gothic romance riff on the 1935 film The Bride of Frankenstein. 

The Bride! feels, fittingly, like the work of a mad scientist, brimming with unrestrained mayhem and surrealist chaos.

Set in 1930s USA, the film explores the exploits of its titular Bride (a barnstorming Jessie Buckley), who is raised from the dead by reanimation-obsessed scientist Dr Cornelia Euphronius (Annette Benning) at the behest of Victor Frankenstein’s lonely monster, appropriately nicknamed Frank (Christian Bale). A romance begins to form as the unlikely, undead pair wreak havoc across America. The Bride’s rallying cry of ‘Brain attack!’ inspires some and horrifies others, sparking both a radical feminist movement and outraged backlash. 

The Bride! feels, fittingly, like the work of a mad scientist, brimming with unrestrained mayhem and surrealist chaos. The dance sequences are fever dreams, and the montages perfectly encapsulate the intensity and passion of Frank and the Bride’s blossoming romance. 

From Chicago to New York City, The Bride! captures the glitz and glamour of post-Great Depression America as well as its seedy underbellies. After proving her gothic soundtrack skills by composing the score for Agatha Christie-inspired murder mystery A Haunting in Venice (2023), Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score for The Bride! is the perfect companion to its bizarre visuals. 

At the heart of the madness of this movie is the Bride herself, portrayed by a delightfully deranged Jessie Buckley. In dual roles as the Bride and Mary Shelley, Buckley has once again demonstrated her acting prowess. Without her total commitment to the insanity, it feels as though the movie would fall apart. Unapologetically feral in some scenes but embodying a quiet loneliness in others, Buckley lends a humanity to the monstrous Bride. 

In dual roles as the Bride and Mary Shelley, Buckley has once again demonstrated her acting prowess.

Similarly, Christian Bale really sells the solitude of Victor Frankenstein’s original monster, and while he isn’t always able to match Buckley’s energy, he is nevertheless able to balance ferocity and compassion, reminding me of the painfully lonely Creature of Shelley’s novel. 

The strong acting performances don’t stop at the main characters. Peter Saarsgard and Penelope Cruz are compelling as Detective Jake Wiles and his assistant Myrna Malloy: a duo trying to bring Frank and his Bride to justice. Benning’s mad scientist is also just the right amount of mad without becoming a caricature. 

The least interesting characters are the villains. Crime boss Lupino (Zlatko Burić) is slimy and unpleasant, but does not have enough screentime. With a few more scenes to flesh out his character, he could have become a memorable villain. His associate Clyde (John Magaro) is swallowed up by a sea of other characters, and is disappointingly forgettable. 

Unfortunately, The Bride! suffers from having too much going on despite its 126-minute runtime and, just like the villains, the subplots are rarely given the screentime they deserve. Particularly sidelined is Jake Gyllenhaal’s Hollywood star, Ronnie Reed, who is idolised by the cinephile Frank. 

Aside from his performances in the movies Frank obsesses over, Gyllenhaal only gets a couple of scenes as the charming Reed. These scenes hint at an interesting character who could be a fascinating foil to Frank, but the cat-and-mouse chase must continue and, disappointingly, we never see Reed again, which feels like a missed opportunity. 

I hope that the message Hollywood takes from The Bride! is not to stop taking big swings for fear of missing; I want to see more movies like this one.

While the risks this movie takes do not always pay off, I have to admire its bravery. I hope that the message Hollywood takes from The Bride! is not to stop taking big swings for fear of missing; I want to see more movies like this one. Hollywood needs more movies that break moulds, and The Bride! could be one of many this year if enough directors are willing to be creative, experimental, and possibly a little bit mad. 

Verdict: 

While the surplus of subplots that surround her don’t get the chance to breathe, Jessie Buckley’s Bride is a delight to behold. With gorgeous cinematography, a stirring soundtrack, and sizzling chemistry between the two leads, this bad romance is compelling to watch unfold. Here comes the bride, indeed. 

Rating: 3.5/5

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