Critics, put down the pitchforks pens! The first reviews for Maggie Gyllenhaal's monster movie The Bride are in – and well, they're seriously mixed.
The new horror-romance is being called everything from "a modern classic" to an "unholy mess", earning it a 60% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a ton of comparisons to DC's Joker 2 in the days leading up to its release. Initially, it debuted to 54%, though, so we'll take the slight upswing into certified "fresh" territory...
Starring Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley, The Bride sees the latter take on a dual role: the titular anti-hero and Mary Shelley, who insists she has more story to tell following her influential 1818 novel Frankenstein – despite her having died from a brain tumor over 80 years prior. With that, the author catches us up to Frankenstein's monster, who now calls himself 'Frank', as he seeks out Annette Bening's "mad scientist" Dr. Euphronious and insists she create him a companion. Sparks fly after, well, the sparks fly, sending Frank and his punky paramour on a wild, violent road trip through '30s Chicago to upstate New York.
Culture Mix's Carla Hay predicted the torn reactions in her positive write-up, stating: "The Bride! is an unconventional, stylish, and boldly feminist re-imagining of 1935's Bride of Frankenstein that will either irk or intrigue viewers. Jessie Buckley gives a sensational performance that exemplifies the film's messy magnificence."
ComicBook.com's Spencer Perry had similar praise for its lead, writing: "Buckley has to walk 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."
Nerdspin's Michael Sowell gave it an A+ ranking, arguing: "Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride! is a neon-soaked, punk-rock lightning bolt that transforms a gothic icon into a symbol of fierce, anarchic liberation. The Bride has arrived, and she’s reclaiming every stitch of her own story.
Others weren't so impressed, though, with IGN Movies' Hanna Flint claiming that it "too often veers into the ridiculous and obvious" and Flickering Myth's Robert Kojder describing it as a "Frankensteinian misfire".
"An overwrought, heavy-handed and tonally uneven slice of gothic horror with great production design and stylish cinematography," says NYC Movie Guru's Avi Offer. "Does Jessie Buckley want some cheese to go with all of that ham?"
Check out some more reactions below...
‘The Bride!’ Review: Maggie Gyllenhaal Graverobs Mary Shelley for a Wokified, ‘Joker’-fied Folie-à-Deux Zonked on Its Own Rage https://t.co/t2XnLXE67IMarch 4, 2026
‘The Bride!’ review: Jessie Buckley’s latest is one of the worst movies I’ve seen in this job https://t.co/dYoK62F8bQ pic.twitter.com/AzMIMkIaiiMarch 4, 2026
Sorry, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jessie Buckley, but I do not promise to have and to hold THE BRIDE! in sickness and in health. This laborious feminist Frankenstein spin is an unholy mess notable more for its ambition than its achievement. My @THR review.https://t.co/lc6Y9ztjnZMarch 4, 2026
Maggie Gyllenhaal's mad monster remix delivers a modern classic. https://t.co/G5AJBIm9rIMarch 4, 2026
Look, does everything in THE BRIDE! work? No, no it does not. It’s a messy movie, but I will always go to bat for movies that take big, wild swings. And I kinda loved the movie’s punk rock lunacy. Here’s my review! https://t.co/cdoCLpkUAVMarch 4, 2026
The Bride is a glorious take on Frankenstein's story that reminds us what going to the movies is all about. Our full #TheBrideMovie review: https://t.co/gQluLuCvLM pic.twitter.com/7KvPxFt95KMarch 4, 2026
The Bride releases on March 6. While we wait, check out our picks of the best horror movies or our guide to the most exciting upcoming movies still to come.
