The Bride! is a 1930s crime spree with a heartbeat. Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale are electric in this stunning, stylized rebirth.
Right from the very first frames of The Bride!, I knew I was in for something divisive, bold, and utterly spectacular. This is a ground-up reimagining that turns a silent horror icon into a roaring force of nature.
The stylization of this film is unmatched. It is a true work of art. It’s a stunning technical achievement that deserves every bit of praise it’s destined to receive come awards season. The cinematography is moody and evocative, capturing a 1930s Chicago that feels both historical and hallucinogenic. When you combine that with the meticulous production design, the costumes, and the transformative hair and makeup, you get something that you will never forget – no matter how you feel about the story itself.
At first, the film feels a bit all over the place, particularly as we navigate Ida’s (Jessie Buckley) fragmented identity. But it eventually settles into a groove that is impossible to look away from. It takes a while for things to settle in, but once they do, the ride is unforgettable.
What truly elevates The Bride! is how it subverts typical horror tropes by dropping these monsters directly into the bloody, organized chaos of 1930s Chicago. This is partly why the Bonnie and Clyde vibes come off strong. This is a world of guns, smoke-filled rooms, and men who think they control everything in the cities that these monsters are exploring.
There is something electric (pun intended) about seeing Frank and the Bride navigate the criminal underworld when in reality, they just want to live their (after)lives. They aren’t hiding in the shadows of a castle as we have seen before, but rather they are tearing through the city, leaving a trail of beautiful, stylized wreckage in their wake.
As for the lead, Jessie Buckley, I know she’s been scooping up all the Best Actress awards for her role in Hamnet, but the Bride is her best role to date if you ask me. She does something truly spectacular on screen. Alongside her, Christian Bale delivers a performance that reminds us why he’s a chameleon of the craft and one of the best actors still working today. Together, they bring chaos to the screen that will absolutely take the audience’s breath away.
This relationship is undeniably toxic, but you still cannot help but root for them. Bale and Buckley lean all the way in, bringing a humanity to Frank and the Bride that we have never seen before. Frank just wants to leave his loneliness behind and love her – no matter what he has to do to get there. Even though this isn’t an original IP, it feels like a completely fresh story because of how these two actors inhabit their roles and the twists and turns this story goes through.
In the original 1935 story, the Bride never speaks. This time, she sure has a lot to say, and everyone better listen. She is a powerful woman who cannot be told what to do, say, or think, which is exactly why I love her so much. She stands up for wronged women, including herself, in a timeframe where women were so often overlooked. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind, and she does so on numerous occasions. And each time, the whole theater cheered.
I cannot talk about The Bride! without mentioning the dance sequence that occurs in the second act. It is, without exaggeration, one of the best of all time – a moment of pure, unadulterated cinematic magic that perfectly encapsulates the movie’s spirit. It is right up there with “Thriller” in 13 Going On 30.
Ultimately, The Bride! is a work of art that begs to be seen on the big screen. It takes a character who was originally designed as a secondary companion and gives her the crown. While the 1935 original gave us a monster, this version gives us a woman who has found her voice and isn’t afraid to use it to burn the old world down.
It won’t be for everyone, but for those who appreciate bold, dialogue-heavy, and highly aesthetic cinema, it is a triumph.
About The Bride!
In 1930s Chicago, groundbreaking scientist Dr. Euphronious brings a murdered young woman back to life to be a companion for Frankenstein’s monster. What happens next is beyond what either of them could ever have imagined.
The Bride! comes to theaters on March 6th.
NEXT: Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights Is a Sultry Masterpiece
The Bride! is a 1930s crime spree with a heartbeat. Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale are electric in this stunning, stylized rebirth.
-
9
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.