There have been about a bajillion adaptations of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, and in fact, Guillermo del Toro’s version has racked up several Academy Award nominations for next week’s ceremony. Already, however, we’re turning our attention to the next iteration, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride!, which promises to be something completely unique, as the monster, "Frank," seeks a companion creation. Critics screened the film ahead of its release on the 2026 movie calendar, and they have strong — but divisive — opinions.
Jessie Buckley — an Oscar nominee this year herself — portrays the titular creation, with Christian Bale playing Frankenstein’s monster and Annette Bening as Dr. Euphronious, the scientist tasked with creating life from the body of a murdered woman. That’s not where the talent or the surprises end, either as CinemaBlend’s review of The Bride! calls it “a masterpiece on every level.” Nick Venable rates it a perfect 5 out of 5 stars, writing:
Really, everything about this movie works for me. Buckley's hair and black-stained makeup are instantly iconic. The choreography and dance numbers are energetic and never out of place.… From the first second to the last, however, the biggest share of the accolades have to go to Maggie Gyllenhaal. From bringing the Riot Grrrl energy to showcasing the unflinching violence to spinning a remotely plausible love story with these two misbegotten souls, the filmmaker pulls off a tour de force with her second feature that won't easily be replicated.
Tomris Laffly of RogerEbert gives it 3 stars out of 4, calling it “a fantastical creative explosion you can’t look away from.” It’s fun to see Jessie Buckley go fully unhinged, but it may be even more satisfying to see Maggie Gyllenhaal follow up The Lost Daughter with such a big swing that shows her operating with no limits. Laffly says:
The Bride! is more a film to feel than to explain. It is a movie lover’s movie that disarmingly worships cinema, a cacophony of ideas (some invigorating, some half-realized) that playfully mines Mary Shelley’s gothic classic, a romantic turn-on, and a rightful feminine scream all in one. And it shares something fundamental with The Lost Daughter, even though it lacks its cohesion: the earned anger of an uncontainable woman yearning for something more. You know, those of us (more likely, all of us, including perhaps the filmmaker herself) who the society somehow labels as ‘a difficult woman,’ even today.
Luke Hicks of AV Club gives the upcoming horror movie a B+, noting that Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jessie Buckley are intentionally making the audience uncomfortable, as the latter portrays her character with a brilliant, vile, vigorous, take-no-prisoners attitude that Frankenstein never had. Hicks continues:
There is no doubt that The Bride! understands its own divisive nature. Some will find its crass approach and overt feminist messaging garish, even if they agree with it. At its worst, The Bride! can indeed be heavy-handed. But its indelicate vulgarities and in-your-face politicking are all part of its construction, meant to push viewers’ buttons.
To that end, there are indeed some less-than-complimentary reactions, with IGN critic Hanna Ines Flint giving it a "Mediocre" 5 out of 10 and calling Maggie Gyllenhaal’s movie a “gaudy feminist reimagining.” The critic writes:
The Bride! is guilty of overindulging in feminist buzzwords and girl power imagery; it even has Buckley's Bride jarringly screaming ‘Me too! Me too!’ in the final act. But it never lives up to the radical display of female autonomy it promised. And therein lies the real tragedy.
Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post straight-up calls it “one of the worst movies I’ve seen in this job,” and awards it zero stars. The script, Oleksinski says, feels like something scribbled down at 4 a.m. in a dream journal. The critic continues:
Leave her at the altar! ‘She’ is The Bride!, one of the absolute worst movies I have had the displeasure of watching in this job. It’s a struck-by-lightning shocker to see a big Hollywood studio’s riff on a story as old and overexplored as Frankenstein — starring an Oscar winner and two nominees, no less — be so slathered in ineptitude. Yet, only seconds in, I regretted leaving my trusty torch and pitchfork at home.
With critics’ ratings ranging from 0 to 5 stars, you’ll have to use your judgment — with the help of these opinions — to decide if Maggie Gyllenhaal’s second directorial effort is one you want to partake in. The best part is, you don’t have to wait. The Bride! hits theaters on Friday, March 6.
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