Reviews have started pouring in for Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Bride!,” a reimagining of James Whale’s 1935 film “Bride of Frankenstein,” this time setting the creatures up as essentially a Bonnie & Clyde-style duo in 1930s Chicago.
The film sees Frankenstein’s monster (Christian Bale) asks Dr. Euphronius (Annette Bening) to create a companion for him. Together, they give life to a murdered woman (Jessie Buckley) known as “the Bride”, sparking romance, police interest and radical social change.
Peter Sarsgaard, Jake Gyllenhaal, Penélope Cruz and John Magaro co-star in the film that marks Maggie Gyllenhaal’s second directorial effort following the acclaimed indie “The Lost Daughter”.
Whereas that was a low-budget indie, this is a $90 million budgeted studio feature. The results however have been decidedly mixed. The R-rated 126 minute feature has racked up 60% on Rotten Tomatoes from 86 reviews, and a 55/100 on Metacritic.
The common complaint seems to be that the film, like Frankenstein’s monster itself, is a hodgepodge of different elements cobbled together that don’t really add up to something fully functional. Here’s a sampling of reviews:
“”The Bride!” is a maniacal assemblage of ’30s musicals, ’40s noirs, 19th century literature and 21st century ideology. Every wacky second, you’re well aware how perilously close it is to falling apart at the seams.” – Amy Nicholson, The LA Times
“Without Buckley, this would have been lacking; with her, it’s a very bizarre and enjoyable spectacle of married bliss.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
“The Bride! seems like it was meant to be analyzed at length, with fans seizing on different elements as the key to the whole shambling conglomeration. But like so many Frankensteinian creatures that preceded it onscreen, it’s a bit of an unwieldy monster.” – Tasha Robinson, Polygon
“There’s a playfulness there, and a real burst of imaginative thinking, but Gyllenhaal has regrettably pulled a Frankenstein herself. All those ideas, yet they haven’t quite stitched up together to make a beautiful corpse.” – Clarisse Loughrey, Independent
“Through sputtering dialogue, propulsive and repulsive visuals, and even spirited dance numbers, The Bride! comes together into a dark, campy, and romantic tapestry.” – Kristy Puchko, Mashable
“Veers off in so many exhausting directions that it ultimately amounts to little more than sound and fury. She’s alive, alive, but she can’t maintain this pace.” – Alonso Duralde, The Film Verdict
“A Frankenstein-ian cine-monster that both reinvents and pays homage with all the clumsiness and unsightliness of its fabled creature.” – Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
“It’s a howling misfire for the actress turned director Maggie Gyllenhaal who has, in this latest flashy Frankenstein reboot, abandoned all the artistic integrity she displayed in her stunning debut, The Lost Daughter.” – Kevin Maher, The Times
“If any of this were amusing or suspenseful or frightening or tender or soulful or something, it wouldn’t be such a joyless slog. But the movie becomes like a shrill Bonnie and Clyde fever dream.” – David Rooney, THR
““The Bride!” is full of rage and feeling, striking an anarchic pose against oppression. But who it’s yelling at, who it’s yelling on behalf of, remains out of focus.” – Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire
“It’s like “Joker 2” starring a grunge version of the Munsters, with dollops of “Sid and Nancy” and “Natural Born Killers.” Except that the movie doesn’t move.” – Owen Gleiberman, Variety
The film is on track for a disappointing $10-15 million opening weekend domestically, though overseas will help with a further $22 million expected from nearly 70 international territories.
