---
title: "The Bride! (2026) review"
description: "This reminded me of Joker: Folie Deux. Lots of singing and dancing, the Bride's violence inspiring masked vigilantes to follow her lead, heavy face makeup..."
url: https://www.joekarlsson.com/reviews/the-bride-2026/
---

![A still from The Bride! (2026)](https://www.joekarlsson.com/images/reviews/the-bride-2026/backdrop.webp)

# The Bride! (2026)

Apr 26, 2026 | Rated 2.5 out of 5 | Dir. Maggie Gyllenhaal

This reminded me of Joker: Folie Deux. Lots of singing and dancing, the Bride’s violence inspiring masked vigilantes to follow her lead, heavy face makeup, insane protagonist, shaggy plot. The comparisons are hard to avoid.

There are some really striking visuals though. Maggie Gyllenhaal has a strong vision and a huge commitment to the idea. You can feel her going for something ambitious and weird.

But the central framing - Mary Shelley possessing a random woman and turning her into the Bride - was a strange choice that never fully clicked for me. It adds a layer of meta-textual commentary that feels more clever than earned.

I respect the swing. I’m not sure it connects.

Also on [Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/joekarlsson/film/the-bride-2026/)

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Karlsson

I write about my homelab, AI tools, databases, and the weird stuff I build on the side.

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