The Bride! (2026) Film Review: A frustratingly clunky and messy monstrosity

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In 1930s Chicago, Frankenstein's monster, who has since taken on his creator's name, asks scientist Dr Euphronius to create a companion for him after a century of loneliness.

They dig up the grave of a recently murdered woman, Ida, successfully reviving her as the new Bride of Frankenstein.

What follows is a turbulent period of romance, radical social unrest and police and mafia interest as the couple wreck havok across the rife depression era American landscape.

Written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, who debuted with the critically polarising The Lost Daughter (2021), this gothic horror/romance draws inspiration from the 1936 classic Bride of Frankenstein, which was based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein.

"It's Alive!" - A deeply lonely monster, who goes by 'Frank' nowadays, craves female companionship in this darkly gothic second feature by Maggie Gyllenhaal

The film stars Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale as The Bride and Frankenstein, respectively, as well as supporting roles from Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Penélope Cruz.

Gyllenhaal presents a big, bold take on the current hyper-fixation on the monster maker trend, with the likes of Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things (2023) and Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein (2025) lingering in recent memory.

Framed by a radically Feminist lens, the film attempts to do and say a lot of things, many of which are unclear and convoluted, resulting in a baffling and ultimately disappointing cinema experience. This is a loud, audacious movie which seeks to hammer home its surface-level messaging revolving around misogyny, the patriarchy, and sexual violence against women.

It clearly comes across that Gyllenhaal is passionate about these issues; however, the way she goes about communicating them is grossly oversimplified and sloppy in its execution. Evaluations against the male gaze and toxic masculinity are base-level and largely exist to shame men, painting the other half of the population in an overly negative light, whilst highly glamorising female empowerment.

Despite being a period piece, this is a typical 'girl boss' narrative, which quickly becomes repetitive and tiresome with its constant garish and brazen self-appraisal for loose ideas which have been better explored in substantial depth elsewhere.

The movie is riddled with fascinating concepts which are not given sufficient screen time to thoroughly dive into, as it never fully commits to these and ultimately rings hollow and shallow as a result.

Gyllenhaal's rather chaotic stylistic preferences certainly make for a unique interpretation of Mary Shelley's literary work, yet multiple different genres are combined haphazardly, and any nuance or narrative restraint is left on the cutting room floor.

Christian Bale (left) and Jesse Buckley (right) star as Frankenstein and The Bride, a reanimated couple who embark on a care-free roadtrip across 1930s America whilst being pursued by police forces

The film does feature a striking visual aesthetic by taking full advantage of its setting in the ripping, roaring 1930s, with plenty of appreciated references and admirable attempts to capture the feel of this unique period in history. There is an intriguing mix of modern and vintage in the production design, with some lovely costume design and effective make-up work for the leads.

The thriving arts and entertainment culture is given much focus in the film, as Frankenstein is drawn to movie theatres, even eventually meeting and gushing over a fictional film star, played with cheeky reverence by Maggie's brother, Jake.

The movie is definitely pretty to look at and excels in exhibiting these rich, well-realised sprawling 1930s American cities, which truly came alive at nighttime. Although bizarre sequences where the film dissolves into a full-blown musical, complete with a lively dance number, appear out of nowhere and further add to the darkly offbeat vibe permeating the whole piece.

Sadly, the supposed narrative hook, which centres on the complicated relationship between The Bride and Frankenstein, does not manage to make a strong impact, either. Jesse Buckley's free-spirited, rather angry and unhinged performance is electric and mesmerising as can be expected from her, although the lack of meaningful character development severely lets her down on this occasion.

Christian Bale's Frankenstein often outshines his bride on many occasions, turning in a sensitive, expressive portrayal of the classically misunderstood monster whose initially shocking, harrowing physical appearance hides a kind, deeply lonely soul who longs for emotional connection with a significant other.

Although the movie's focus largely remains on the female perspective, it is genuinely endearing to see how overjoyed and awed 'Frank' is of his new companion.

Frank and his new wife face many challenges and threats from outside forces seeking to exert their own authority and power over this alluring odd couple

Both actors do make for a great pairing, with the lingering sense of poignant tragedy over both of their doomed fates making for a solid investable hook, yet, similar to other glimmers of potential layered throughout, the relationship and the ideas surrounding the moral ambiguities of the couple are never given enough breathing room to be properly explored.

All in all, despite an appealing aesthetic and committed performances from its leads, The Bride is a muddled mess of a movie which struggles to fully come together and form a coherent story.

It is wild and raunchy, with hints of eroticism and sexual liberation, yet this overstuffed and underdeveloped work by an overambitious director ends up coming across as a far lesser rendition of Bonnie and Clyde (1967).

An unfortunate misfire for all involved...

Check out the trailer for The Bride! (2026) below, and please let me know your thoughts in the comments!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhgcUArO3Uo