When people think about a Frankenstein book or movie, they normally envision a scary monster who instills fear. Yet, the movie, “The Bride!,” directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, shifts away from the traditional portrayal of Frankenstein by focusing more on his bride and the bond between them. The movie approaches Frankenstein’s story with an angle more about love and feminism rather than horror, unlike the earlier film, “Bride of Frankenstein,” where the bride immediately rejects Frankenstein leading to killing them and everyone around. Although the plot feels overloaded and bold, the movie succeeds in exploring self-identity and female empowerment.
The film opens with the spirit of Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, ranting about her literary works. She then possesses a woman in 1930s Chicago, who is later killed and revived to become Frankenstein’s bride. Frankenstein seeks out Dr. Euphronius, a mad scientist who helps him exhume the woman’s body and resurrect her as his intended companion. When she wakes up in the laboratory, she has no recollection of her past. Frankenstein takes advantage of her confusion and lies about their relationship. Despite this, the spirit of Shelley pushes her to reject him and leave to find herself. A confrontation at a bar leads to the death of two men, beginning their journey of crime as they flee from the police.
Frankenstein, knowing nothing about the woman, continues to deceive her and manipulate her along the way. The woman only remembers her real name, Ida, and her past after encountering a detective, Jake, whom she knew previously. After several run-ins with the police, Frankenstein is shot by a mobster, and Ida rushes him back to Dr. Euphronius in an attempt to save him. Tragically, the police storm the laboratory, shooting and killing her for the second time.
In the film, Shelley’s spirit influences Ida’s thoughts and actions, encouraging her to speak freely and to stand up for herself. Her defiance — such as speaking up against a mob boss and ultimately causing her first death — inspires other women to speak up against unfair treatment, sparking a feminist movement where women would dress up like her and commit crimes. This addition to the movie made her actions seem more impactful; however, the moment was very brief and definitely could have been a bigger part of the movie, especially for such a long movie with so many filler scenes.
The theme of discrimination and sexism is further explored through assistant detective Myrna, who works with Jake to track down Frankenstein and Ida. Despite having assisted in many difficult cases, she is repeatedly disregarded by other officers. Myrna perseveres and does not let the mistreatment deter her from being a detective. Eventually, she becomes the lead detective after Jake steps down from his position, forcing the others to acknowledge and follow her orders.
Though the movie portrays Ida as someone who is her own person and disregards societal expectations, she frequently relies on Frankenstein to get her out of trouble. Ida also easily forgives Frankenstein after learning about the truth, which seemed almost out of character for someone who is known for being rebellious and self-confident.
In general, the movie was chaotic and messy, with many plot lines piling on top of each other. Trying to follow each character and their backgrounds made the movie hard to understand during certain scenes, especially during the confrontation between Ida and Jake since the movie did not clearly state their relationship. At the same time, the film spends too much time on scenes that add little to the story, like the unnecessarily long intimate scenes, making the pacing come across as sluggish but rushed in more important scenes. More time should have been prioritized on expanding on the motives behind each character and how it led up to the events that ensued.
For example, during Frankenstein and Ida’s run from the police, they were also being pursued by the mob boss that previously killed Ida. The movie includes a short scene where the mob boss threatens his goons to hunt her down, but does not offer much detail on why he sees her as such a significant threat as their relationship was only explored briefly in the beginning of the movie.
The movie would not appeal to Frankenstein fans since the movie centers around Ida and her experiences as a woman. However, the film’s strange characters and visual style still make it intriguing, as themes of feminism and misogyny are sprinkled throughout the story. While the movie contains many good ideas and visual elements, it ultimately struggles to bring them together into a cohesive narrative.
Rating: 3.5 Viking helmets out of 5
