The Bride! review: Punky, feminist Frankenstein is a Gothic monster mess

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The Bride! (15, 127 mins)

Jessie Buckley is receiving major Oscar buzz for her incredible performance in Hamnet. She’s a remarkably talented actress – I’d watch her in any role! This is especially true for ‘The Bride,’ a bold and unconventional take on ‘Frankenstein‘ that truly relies on her captivating presence to succeed.

Mary Shelley first published Frankenstein in 1818. Since then, it’s inspired countless sequels and adaptations – none of which were written by Shelley herself. A famous example is the 1935 film, The Bride of Frankenstein, a beloved campy classic where the Bride only appears on screen for two minutes and remains completely silent.

The Bride! aims to fix a common problem: often, characters lack a fully developed voice. However, the way it tries to do this is a bit complicated, giving the main character two voices, which ends up being confusing.

Here’s the gist of the story: Mary Shelley finds herself stuck between worlds. Somehow, she ends up inhabiting the body of Ida, a woman involved with gangsters in 1930s Chicago. Ida is quickly killed, but a scientist (Annette Bening) resurrects her as a companion for Frankenstein’s monster, nicknamed ‘Frank’ (a very good-looking Christian Bale), who has been desperately lonely for over a century.

Frank names his new wife ‘Penelope,’ and together they embark on a rebellious adventure – though without the crime. Penelope’s bold, liberated, and anti-traditional personality sparks a cultural shift, inspiring women everywhere to embrace her signature look – black lipstick and a rejection of conventional expectations.

This movie is ambitious, to say the least! It throws everything at the wall – romance, thrills, action, horror, comedy, fantasy, and even musical numbers – and while it’s a bit chaotic, you have to admire its boldness.

Maggie Gyllenhaal, an actor who’s now a filmmaker, created The Bride! Her first film as a director, The Lost Daughter (from 2021), earned an Oscar nomination and featured actress Jessie Buckley, whom Gyllenhaal considers a close friend. This new movie is a family project, with Gyllenhaal’s husband, Peter Sarsgaard, playing a detective, and her brother, Jake Gyllenhaal, portraying a charming movie star. Penélope Cruz appears as the detective’s colleague, though her role feels underutilized. The character Frank greatly admires Jake Gyllenhaal’s character, modeled after Fred Astaire.

Gareth Bale delivers a touching performance as ‘Frank,’ clearly the standout supporting character. Apparently, Jake Gyllenhaal had to convince the studio to cast Buckley, and that decision is looking brilliant now with all the Oscar talk surrounding her performance. This positive attention will definitely help the film’s success in theaters.

The Irish actress delivers a performance just as bold and daring as Emma Stone’s in Poor Things. However, she infuses the role with a unique and touching sense of humanity.

Even if you don’t enjoy ‘The Bride,’ it’s good that a movie like it was made. With Hollywood playing it safe these days, it’s admirable that an original film, directed by a woman, dared to be ambitious, even if it doesn’t quite succeed. It’s similar to ‘Wuthering Heights’ in that way – and it shares that novel’s tendency to overuse punctuation.

Okay, let’s be real – it wasn’t a total catastrophe, but it felt… disjointed. Think of it like trying to combine vintage finds with modern pieces and borrowed ideas, but without a unifying element to really pull it all together. It had potential, but it just didn’t quite stick.

Mother’s Pride (12A, 93 mins)   

This gentle comedy-drama, from the team behind Fisherman’s Friends, tells the story of a struggling pub in the West Country and a family finding solace in brewing their own beer. It’s a heartwarming, if predictable, tribute to traditional rural life in England, filled with beautiful scenery, familiar faces like Josie Lawrence and Mark Addy, and a somewhat stereotypical villain. The film was inspired by the concerning rate at which pubs are closing in the UK – four a day.

Honestly, what really makes this show work is Martin Clunes. He’s absolutely having a fantastic run – everyone’s talking about his recent ‘Wuthering Heights’ performance, and rightly so! He’s a genuinely talented actor, and he brings a level of quality to the project that really elevates everything.

However, it can’t compensate for a written-by-cliches script that delivers Sir Thomas

It’s amusing to hear people repeating Sir Thomas Beecham’s old joke – ‘Try everything once, except incest and Morris dancing’ – as if it’s a fresh observation.

Dolly (18, 83 mins)

Dolly is a disturbing and gritty horror film that doesn’t pull any punches. Filmed with a raw, vintage look on 16mm film, the story follows Chase (Seann William Scott from American Pie) as he takes his future wife (Fabianne Therese) for a hike in a secluded forest.

Just as he’s about to propose, the couple find themselves threatened by a terrifying serial killer—a striking first performance from wrestler ‘Max The Impaler’. This killer is particularly unsettling, wearing a delicate lace dress, a broken porcelain doll mask, and carrying a rusty shovel.

Okay, let me tell you, this is a really interesting find! It’s got a quirky balance – genuinely funny moments mixed with some surprisingly dark and edgy stuff. Honestly, if you’re a fan of something like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and ever thought, ‘You know what this could really use? More miniature dollhouses!’ – then this is absolutely for you. It’s got that weird, specific appeal that could build a dedicated fanbase.

All films are in cinemas now.

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2026-03-06 03:53