THE BRIDE! Movie Minute Review

This is Paul Salfen with your KLAK Movie Minute. In theaters this weekend is The Bride!, the big, wild, and messy Bride of Frankenstein reimagining from Maggie Gyllenhaal starring Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale, is almost a pieced together Frankensteined movie in itself. It has some brilliant ideas but ultimately needs a zap. With an incredible cast that also includes Annette Benning, Penelope Cruz, Peter Skarsgaard, and Jake Gyllenhaal, the story follows Frankenstein, who goes to a doctor to create a bride. They do so with a troubled murdered woman. In their wild and unpredictable romance, they become Bonnie and Clyde-style outlaws who create a social movement in this punk rock feminist tale. While it swings for the fences, it doesn’t quite electrify enough to give the viewer a jolt. They bring her back using the power of streetlights, not lightning, which is the perfect energy comparison here. Despite the great production design, makeup, effects and performances, it’s a little too loud and flashy, which makes the ideas a bit more convoluted. And it’s certainly not for everyone. Horror fans and monster movie enthusiasts won’t get the shock and it’s not likely one you’d recommend to people of a certain age that grew up on the Frankenstein films – or even *Young Frankenstein*—to which it has a great nod, for that matter. It’s definitely different and fresh in its own way but just not the creature you expected. That’s it for this week. Join me next week and every week for another Movie Minute right here on 97.5 KLAK, AMFM MAGAZINE, and RECRD.