Maggie Gyllenhaal Tried to Reinvent 'Frankenstein', but 'The Bride!' Ended up a Beautiful Disaster

After her triumphant directorial debut with The Lost Daughter, Maggie Gyllenhaal took on a project that seemed like a sure thing.

The ambitious fantasy drama The Bride! brought together a star-studded cast: Christian Bale, Jessie Buckley, Annette Bening, Penélope Cruz, and Peter Sarsgaard. At its core was a bold idea: to give voice to a character who was silent in Mary Shelley's novel and the classic film.

However, The Bride! crumbles before our eyes, suffocating under its own weight.

What Is 'The Bride!' About?

Frank suffers from unbearable loneliness. Watching black-and-white movies in dark theaters is his only solace. He travels to Boston to see Dr. Cornelia Euphronious, the only scientist capable of creating a companion for him.

After much persuasion and ethical debate, they dig up a recently deceased woman. Frank convinces the amnesiac Bride that they were engaged and that she was revived after an accident.

In reality, the Bride's former name was Ida, and she was a detective who died at the hands of criminals due to Detective Jake's negligence. After a bloody showdown, Frank and the Bride go on the run. Jake and his secretary, Myrna, are hot on their trail.

'The Bride!' Is Choked by Performative Feminism and a Lack of Irony

Maggie Gyllenhaal had the idea while rewatching the original Bride of Frankenstein. She noticed that the character only appeared for a few minutes without saying a word. The director decided to give her a voice, which was wonderful.

However, the execution is disappointing – The Bride! is so focused on conveying its feminist message that it forgets to be something more.

We are repeatedly shown a cruel, patriarchal world in which the intelligent Myrna can only be a secretary and where a series of murders of women remain unsolved due to societal indifference.

The Bride becomes a powerful symbol, igniting the suffragette movement – otherwise, the message would likely be unclear. This hyper-seriousness ruins everything – the movie is essentially a fantasy about the questionable love between two undead beings and a mad scientist's experiments.

Without humor and self-irony, The Bride! becomes unbearably heavy. Gyllenhaal tries too hard to justify every decision she makes, rather than simply telling the story.

Even Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley's Powerful Performances Can't Save This Sinking Ship

The acting is the only thing that saves The Bride! from being a disaster. Christian Bale, playing a monster howling in loneliness, is a sight to behold. Jessie Buckley, who previously worked with Gyllenhaal on The Lost Daughter, gives it her all, convincingly portraying confusion and growing rage.

However, their talent is overshadowed by the chaotic script. The Bride! oscillates between a vibrant fantasy setting with musical numbers and a painfully conservative tone.

Ultimately, The Bride! falls apart, reminding us that even a stellar cast and good intentions don't guarantee success. Gyllenhaal must learn to trust herself and not justify every idea – as her male colleagues do.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'The Bride!'?

• The Bride! has 62% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 6.2/10.

• On Letterboxd, The Bride! scored 3.1/5.0.

Where to Watch 'The Bride!'?

The Bride! is currently playing in theaters.