There are moments in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Bride!” that feel like they’re trying to get at something revelatory about the female condition. For the most part, unfortunately, the film is much like Dr. Frankenstein’s monster – haphazardly stitched together.
“The Bride!,” which is inspired by the 1935 film “Bride of Frankenstein” and, by extension, Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein,” feels a bit like 2019’s “Joker” – but this time, for girls! Not only does the world Gyllenhaal has built feel like Gotham, but the film also makes similar thematic choices and mistakes – namely, throwing a bunch of ideas at the wall without sticking any of them.
“The Bride!” begins with Shelley herself (Jessie Buckley) – dead, bathed in black and white and shrouded in shadow, telling the audience she has another story yet inside of her. And this time, it’s a love story. Shelley’s spirit then shoots over to 1930s Chicago and possesses the body of Ida (also played by Buckley), a gangster’s mol type who quickly dies by way of tumbling down a staircase. Meanwhile, Frankenstein’s monster (Christian Bale) – or Frank, as he calls himself – has found a new mad scientist in Dr. Euphronius (Annette Bening) and wants her to help him create a companion.
Read Sammie’s full list on Rough Draft
The post ‘The Bride!’ is a convoluted, hollow exploration of violence against women appeared first on SaportaReport.
