- Primary Subject: The Bride!
- Key Update: Initial reviews reveal a polarizing gothic romance that has deeply divided critics despite a transformative performance by Christian Bale.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: March 5, 2026
- Quick Answer: Critics are split on Maggie Gyllenhaal’s ambitious reimagining, praising Jessie Buckley’s electric lead performance while others find the film’s chaotic, multi-genre tone highly uneven.
The first reviews for Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride! are now in, and critics appear to be divided with the wife of Frankenstein’s story.
Drawing inspiration from the 1935 classic Bride of Frankenstein, which was based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein, the film follows Frankenstein (Christian Bale) as he asks Dr. Euphronius (Annette Bening) to create him a companion.
From there, they brought a murdered woman to life, known as “the Bride,” putting the title character in the spotlight after being sidelined in the original film. So, is The Bride! worth watching?
What Do Critics Say About The Bride!?
There’s more to The Bride! than fans might expect. In addition to being a gothic romance, the film features plenty of surprises, ranging from themes of sexual violence to playful song-and-dance numbers, as well as a Bonnie-and-Clyde-style partnership between the lead characters.
However, while many critics appreciate the film, others find it questionable. In fact, it currently holds a 61% critic score on the movie and TV aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, showing the critics' divided response.
For Heaven of Horror’s Karina Adelgaard, the film “encompasses dark comedy, dark romance, horror, sci-fi, and even psychological drama,” making it perfect for fans of those genres.
“You won’t be truly ready for The Bride!, but she’s ready for you,” she wrote.
The Curb’s Codie Allen also praised the film, calling it “alive, irreducible, and unforgettable,” adding that seeing the Bride’s “awakening is a gift the world has long waited for.”
ComicBook.com’s Spencer Perry likewise had high praise for the movie, particularly for lead star Jessie Buckley, who plays the Bride. He noted that she walks “the line of being a woman who is at war with the world around her, but also her own mind.”
“She’s captivating in nearly every scene and endlessly entertaining,” he continued.
However, not everyone is fond of The Bride!, as the film has also drawn a number of negative reviews.
Cinefilia’s Yasser Medina described it as “bland and incredibly dull.”
The Nightly’s Wenlei Ma also questioned the two-hour film, puzzling over what it is and “what it was meant to be.”
Lastly, Filmink’s Anthony O’Connor called it a “noisy, uneven, and chaotic” movie – a “misfire that takes huge, ambitious swings but, sadly, rarely connects.”
How Did Christian Bale Transform for The Bride!
Once again, Christian Bale has proven he is one of the most versatile actors in the industry with his dramatic transformation as Frankenstein in The Bride!.
With staples across his forehead and a misshapen nose, Bale revealed that he spent a painstaking six hours in the makeup chair to achieve the look.
“I would scream like crazy every day, just to [release the] despair – all of that restraint that you have to display when you’re sitting still for that long,” he told Entertainment Weekly, explaining it helped him avoid “going insane.”
However, the actor said he avoided doing it while driving or when he was alone, as he worried it might cause an accident or make people think he was losing his mind.
“Oh man, I’m telling you, the whole crew got involved by the end because people would hear us screaming,” he continued. “We would open the doors, and gradually, a bit like the Bride’s revolution, a few people started going, ‘Can we do it too?’ And then by the end, there were like 30 people who would hear us, run to the makeup trailer, join in, and scream as well.”
This isn’t the first time Bale has undergone a dramatic physical transformation for a role. To recall, he famously bulked up for American Psycho and emaciated himself for The Machinist, showing he is willing to do almost anything for a film if needed.
The Bride! hits theaters on February 6.
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