Everyone knows the tale of Victor Frankenstein and his monster, and those who are even more interested in that story probably know about what came next, The tale of the Bride of Frankenstein. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s 2026 film, “The Bride,” marks the latest adaptation of both of these iconic monsters.
“The Bride” throws the audience into 1930s Chicago, where Frankenstein’s Monster, Frank, seeks out a scientist he believes can do what Victor Frankenstein did to him to someone else, creating a lover for him. After much convincing, she begrudgingly agrees, and the 2 work together to reanimate a woman who recently died. Because she has no memory of her previous life, Frank deceives her into believing that they were a married couple before she died, going as far as to feed her false stories of their life together.
This is a story that relies heavily on strong chemistry between the leads, and sadly, Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale do not possess that necessary chemistry. The two Oscar winners are obviously capable of delivering strong performances, as they have in the past, but the material they were given did not allow them to act to their full potential. This is an example of the film’s largest shortcoming—the writing.
Jessie Buckley is tasked with playing multiple roles in the film, these being Ida the woma who becomes the bride, Mary Shelly the author of Frankenstien, and obviously The Bride. However, her two smaller roles are of far less importance and scope than her role as the title character. She still must differentiate the three characters. While she succeeds in making them feel like distinct individuals, she fails to make the three intriguing. Combined with the lackluster writing, this makes these characters far less interesting than they have the potential to be.
Christian Bale’s portrayal of Frankenstein’s monster fails to distinguish itself from the many other interpretations that have come before. He lacks the depth and complexity that typically make the character so compelling. The film’s plot lends itself well to an interpretation exploring themes of loneliness and a desire for connection, but instead, it uses these ideas for comedic effect, squandering the drama they could have provided. Bale’s performance is flat, coming across as shallow and superficial. The character is not sufficiently developed for these traits to be understood or even perceived as charming, so by the end, he feels as if he has not undergone any real arc.
While the two leads leave much to be desired in terms of character development, the secondary plot and its characters are some of the film’s standout aspects. When not following Frank and the Bride, the film follows detectives Jake Wiles and Myrna Malloy as they investigate Frank and the Bride’s antics. The duo has strong chemistry, and their banter feels authentic and natural, more so than any other pair in the cast. Unlike the leads, Wiles and Malloy have clearer character arcs compared to the main couple.
Aside from the lackluster performances from the leads, the writing falters again when it comes to crafting realistic, strong dialogue. The overuse of overly mature language feels out of place for the time period and subject matter, making the dialogue often seem laughable and cheesy, despite that not being the intention. While the film occasionally employs comedy intentionally, those moments often fail to land and do not add much substance. More often than not, the humor the audience encounters is unintentional rather than purposeful. Although there are some enjoyable comedic sequences, they are far rarer than the unintentional humor.
Pacing is another area where the film encounters issues. The start-and-stop rhythm can be jarring at times, leaving parts of the film feeling incomplete while other sections seem pointless.
Director Maggie Gyllenhaal and Cinematorgrapher Lawrence Sher work together to give the film a slightly distinct and overall pleasing visual style. The visuals do a good job of blending the film’s overall look with the tone of the scene. While many scenes may feature lackluster writing and performances, the distinct visuals do allow for scenes to not feel completely pointless.
“The Bride” adapts an iconic story that blends horror, humor, and romance, but it removes many of the best parts of these elements. The film struggles to decide whether it wants to be an adventure romance, a horror period piece, or fall into other genres, leaving it unfocused. While it features interesting side characters and striking visuals, these positives are not enough to outweigh the numerous negatives. At best, “The Bride” feels like a slightly enjoyable but poorly made film, at worst, not unlike the 2 creatures themselves, it comes across as a failed experiment.
