Mary Shelley’s classic novel, “Frankenstein,” has inspired countless reimagining since its publication date in 1818. With Guillermo del Toro’s 2025 remake of “Frankenstein” still fresh on audiences’ minds, “The Bride!”, released on March 6, emerges from the cultural shadow of its recent predecessor to carve an identity of its own. When Frankenstein’s monster, played by Christian Bale, stumbles into Dr. Euphronious’s, played Annette Bening, lab desperate for someone to love, Ida, played by Jessie Buckley is not quite the bride that he expected. Brash and vibrant, promiscuous yet full of heart, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Bride!” is anything but recycled — it is unabashedly and decisively, ALIVE!
At the film’s center is, expectedly, The Bride herself, played by Buckley. After going through a handful of names — Ida, then Penelope — she settles on calling herself The Bride. (Not The Bride of Frankenstein; just The Bride). With a nest of curly blonde hair and her signature smirk marred by a splash of black blood, The Bride is uninhibited and promiscuous: the Harley Quinn archetype. Buckley delivers a spectacular performance — having just been nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars for her performance in “Hamnet,” she plays the character with a tenderness that can melt the heart of a monster.
The “monster” in question is Bale’s Frankenstein. Opposite of The Bride and at the heart of the film, Frank is an endearing gentleman: he dances awkwardly in movie theaters, is overly polite and fangirls over film stars. While an unlikely pair, Buckley and Bale’s chemistry makes it easy to see how the couple is perfect for each other. As Frank and The Bride go driving off into the sunset, Bonnie and Clyde style, we are reminded that this is, in fact, a love story.
Parallel to love is the motif of rebellion; perhaps these are one and the same. After an accidental murder comparable to that of “Thelma and Louise,” the couple hits the road. In an almost liberating way, the monsters embrace the identity that they were given by society. Frank curb-stomps rapists and The Bride literally bites off a tongue as they work their way through the bigoted men they encounter. Together, they hold up a massive middle finger to the status quo and live their best lives in each others’ company. Already dead, The Bride and Frank have nothing left to do but to live — because in a world where it feels like everything is against them, sometimes the real revolt is to be human.
Watching “The Bride!” on the big screen felt somewhat like a fever dream. As The Bride dances through a sea of bodies, the camera creates a claustrophobic yet dreamlike effect, as the audience can’t quite make out what they are seeing on the screen in front of them. In spaces like a smoky club restroom or the lab of a mad scientist, conventional film rules don’t quite apply, creating an unpolished feel. The editing hits the audience with migraine-inducing flashes of black and white that represent a rift in the constructed reality, giving a sense that the characters are puppets of Gyllenhaal and Shelley and all of the creators that came in between.
Adding to the fever dream aesthetics is the film’s pacing, feeling somehow slow and fast at the same time, with some scenes not quite making sense in context. Although set in the 1930s, the film felt distinctively modern, making “The Bride!” feel like it had been suspended in time. While disorienting and blinding at times, the structure and cinematography of this movie is exactly what the film is meant to be — messy.
Furthermore, the score of the film beautifully encapsulated both the reckless attitude and emotional vulnerability of the film. Much of the music was in a punk-rock style to accompany the pair’s abrasiveness. In stark contrast, one emotionally charged scene had a single violin melody, soon joined by a second violin countermelody, indicating a duet between the two central characters in an otherwise lonesome world. Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score tonally orients the film by planting it in an absurdist feel, melancholy yet not lonely.
To be completely honest, I did not expect to like this movie. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself hooked in the theater: I was mesmerized by the characters, invested in the romance and even shed some tears towards the end. Perhaps it was seeing the characters anything but carefree, yet somehow free; or in the compassion and humanity despite all odds. Nonetheless, “The Bride!” is a fun time at the theater.
4/5
