This ‘Bride!’ is a feral reinvention of a horror classic

2026-03-07 - 01:44

Jessie Buckley delivers an electrifying performance that swings between mania, vulnerability and defiance in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s ‘The Bride!’. (Warner Bros Pictures pic) PETALING JAYA: How do you retell, reimagine, and breathe new life into an already popular classic film? The 1935 “Bride of Frankenstein” expanded the monster lore with the introduction of another creature, becoming an instant hit for its exploration of companionship. So why take the risk of reinventing the wheel? And as far as retellings go, Hollywood rarely gets it right. The badly miscast and indulgent “Wuthering Heights” by Emerald Fennell comes to mind. Thankfully, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Bride!” ticks all the boxes and delivers electrifying results. Dare we say it – an unapologetically raw tale of love, identity, and horror like this is hard to find. So much so that “The Bride!”, which stars “Hamnet’s” award-winning actress Jessie Buckley as the titular character and Christian Bale as the monster, could arguably be the best film of 2026 so far. Gyllenhaal, who also wrote the script, unleashes a primal and animalistic tale of female agency and empowerment that feels both timely and deeply cathartic. In an era of renewed fascination with Mary Shelley’s creation – Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” arrived late last year – “The Bride!” injects a bold new serum into an all-too-familiar monster story. Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale unleash the film’s raw, rebellious energy in one of ‘The Bride!’s’ most striking moments. (Warner Bros Pictures pic) What emerges is a deeply character-driven film that is playful, darkly humorous, and brimming with rebellious energy. Set in 1930s Chicago, “The Bride!” reimagines the classic Frankenstein myth from the perspective of the creature created to be his companion. After a lonely Frankenstein’s monster (Bale) seeks help from an eccentric scientist (Annette Bening) to build him a partner, a woman (Buckley) is brought back from the dead. But when she awakens – at times seemingly possessed by the sinister spectre of Mary Shelley – she refuses to accept the role chosen for her. Instead, she escapes into the city with the monster and begins discovering who she truly is. As she navigates a strange world of gangsters, outsiders and misfits, she gradually transforms from an experiment into a fiercely independent figure. Bale’s monster is gentle and restrained, a lonely creature searching for love and companionship. (Warner Bros Pictures pic) Meanwhile, the monster who longed for her must confront his own expectations of love, companionship and freedom. Blending gothic horror with dark humour and social commentary, the film explores identity, autonomy and what it means to truly be alive. In many ways, “The Bride!” feels like what “Joker 2” could have been. And it doesn’t help that Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, who scored the “Joker” films, weaves her dark, resonant musical magic in “The Bride!” as well. Buckley, who starred in Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut “The Lost Daughter”, is a force to be reckoned with in this film. The way she shifts between mania, anger, despair, and something close to possession is a masterclass in acting. So electrifying is Buckley’s presence that it becomes almost impossible to take your eyes off her. Like Gyllenhaal, Buckley unleashes something visceral in her performance. Bale, on the other hand, plays a more restrained monster – soft-spoken, gentle, and shy, only occasionally bursting into his infamous fits of rage. His portrayal is deeply human: a creature simply seeking love and companionship, who ultimately finds a kind of catharsis with the Bride. Buckley and Bale bring tenderness and tension to their tragic partnership on the road. (Warner Bros Pictures pic) The yin-and-yang energy between Buckley and Bale is what makes the film work. One scene in particular – a dance and music number in the middle of the film – perfectly captures “The Bride!’s” raw energy. Buckley and Bale slip into a trance-like state that feels feral, powerful, and unsettling, even as they dance and mock those around them. But at its heart, the film is a sad and tragic love story between two opposing forces with the entire world against them. Amid the chaos, both the monster and the Bride find fleeting moments of joy, levity and love, keeping the audience on edge as a sense of impending doom looms. Ultimately, “The Bride!” is the kind of film that justifies the big screen – a bold, imaginative work that reminds us of the enduring magic of cinema. As of press time, ‘The Bride!’ is screening in cinemas nationwide.