I'm a bit lost for words I won't lie. Admittedly, hands up, I knew exactly two things about this movie: It had Christian Bale in it and was some kind of Bride Of Frankenstein movie. Now I will also admit that's all it really took to get my ass in a theater seat but what I got was such a bizarre movie that I don't think I can call it objectively good and yet I respect it and rather like it. This review will utterly fail to sum up this movie and do it justice because it's all over the place. You'd think it would be this reanimation love story but it goes waaaay beyond that! When the movie starts, begins, with the body of a woman possessed by the spirit of Mary Wollstonecraft Shirley you kind of can already guess this is going to be out there! And I'll say it right here right now, I wasn't digging it at first and it took me until the dance club scene for it to kind of start clicking for me and even then it had moments where it was this off putting strange movie, but I simultaneously appreciate and even respect the artistry of it. The movie has themes of identity, feminism, acceptance, and challenging the world around you and those themes do indeed work. But it also kind of goes on tangents that don't amount to all that much in the main story that is told. Oh I certainly will not blame Maggie for this in her directorial debut, this script needed a smidge of ironing but her direction is decent and needless to say bold given the material. You have to walk in with an extraordinarily open mind to not walk away hating it, I certainly don't cause the movie has a lot I do genuinely like and even it's more wacked out moments has appeal. Could I really hate a Frankenstein movie that almost turns into this Bonnie & Clyde type story with dance sequences and actually decent romance? Helllllll naw! Performance wise Jessie Buckley has to juggle a lot and has to stand on an uneven script yet she does very well, affecting a split personality with a penchant for independence that is likeable and you can sympathize with. Christian Bale also is very strong with one of the best physical interpretations of this character in the 21st century, it really is a stellar design in my opinion mixing movie monster with inspiration from The Shadow. The personality is what really struck me most, he's well spoken, cares deeply about the Bride and supports her independence, has a liking for cinema, and has no problems curb stomping a rapist. Good solid man right there, even if he does still tell white lies. The romance is more of a slow burn between them with the Bride after being reinvigorated wanting really nothing to do with Frank which he does accept even if he wants her super bad to be his wife, and after he stops her from being assaulted they slowly grow closer to the point where they are ready to love each other to the end of time. Pretty damn happy ending if you ask me and I'm so conflicted on final scores here. The production for the most part is very good, the story has some kinks and shortcomings but I don't hate it, it's just this mixed bag of quality to where I'm stumped. If I really had to give it something I'll give it 2.5 stars, 7/10, and hopefully this is just the beginning of more new movies to hit the schedule. I'll see you sooner rather than later.
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