Published March 30, 2026
BY OLIVIA FORT
With its stacked cast and wild Bonnie-and-Clyde-meets-Frankenstein vibe, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Bride!” should have come alive in theaters, but a script that feels more like a scrappy indie film draft than an $80-million studio production—paired with the undeniably odd choice to release an R-rated gothic thriller in early March instead of October—will keep it from becoming a real success.
courtesy of WARNER BROS. PICTURES
The film opens with Mary Shelley (Jessie Buckley), a spectral narrator who essentially goes on to haunt the narrative. It’s set in 1930s Chicago, where Frankenstein’s monster, aka Frank (Christian Bale), seeks out a scientist to help him create a companion. The result is a newly risen Bride (also Buckley) who awakens with no memory, forced to confront a world she doesn’t recognize, a body she didn’t choose and a future she’s determined to shape on her own terms.
Gyllenhaal’s direction comes off as intentionally chaotic. The setting is perfect, grounding the story in a world that feels dark and uncannily familiar. The costuming, sets and hair and makeup are expressive and visually alive.
Buckley is phenomenal as the Bride, delivering a performance that’s unhinged in the best possible way. Bale juxtaposes with her well, and together they create a dynamic that’s volatile, tender and strangely magnetic. Their chemistry is the film’s anchor, even as the plot throws constant curveballs.
But here’s the twist: The movie itself is…complicated.
If the film were to be judged on craft alone, it would be doing far better at the moment. There’s a fine line between messy and messy, and “The Bride!” has a hard time balancing that. But the script is where things really seem to unravel.
The entirety of the two hours is overflowing with different plot lines, but the writing struggles to hold them together. Scenes whip between tones and subplots so quickly that it feels as if things get lost, so rather than feeling layered, the story is cut up, like several movies stitched into one.
The movie is busy. There is always something happening—thematically, visually, narratively—and the pacing can feel exhausting. And that’s not even mentioning the fact there are some (very well) choreographed musical numbers. The ending also leans a little too hard into a “you go, girlies!” brand of empowerment. It’s not egregious, but it does feel somewhat forced.
Beneath all the chaos, the film is clearly reaching for something feminist, and sometimes it lands. Gyllenhaal fills the story with women who are unruly, brilliant and sometimes, simply furious. The movie focuses on women who won’t stay in their assigned gender roles.
In the end, “The Bride!” is bold, strange and visually stunning, but its script keeps the film from becoming what it clearly wants to be.
7/10
