Few people remember that the titular Bride only appears in the last few minutes of James Whale’s The Bride of Frankenstein. And even then, she doesn’t actually utter a word, just a deafening screech upon seeing the monster that is her groom-to-be. Crestfallen at being rejected by the only other being like him, Frankenstein’s monster declares, "We belong dead," before destroying himself and his Bride. But despite such short screentime (which barely clocks in at 5 minutes), Elsa Lancaster’s Bride, with her electric-shock hair and wide-eyed stare, casts a long shadow in pop culture. She’s been the subject of many reimaginings and reboots (including one 1985 flop starring Sting and Jennifer Beals), but none are as radical — or radically disappointing — as Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride!

The Bride! is a strange metatextual ghost story, a science-fiction horror sequel, and a 1920s mob thriller all in one. It’s a hodgepodge of wild ideas and huge swings, and you kind of have to admire it for that. But it’s also a huge tonal and stylistic mess.

'Boba Fett' star Temuera Morrison has been "shelved," but might get to return to the Star Wars galaxy eventually.

A charismatic young politician campaigning for the New York Senate has a chance encounter with a ballet dancer. The attraction is immediate; they banter as though they’ve known each other for years. For a man so resigned to having his personality, anecdotes, and attire focus group-tested for mass appeal, here’s a stranger who instinctively understands exactly who he is, and can call him out when he’s pretending to be someone he’s not. Their meet-cute is short-lived, yet indelible. He’ll wake up the next morning thinking of her. He’ll spend far longer hoping to run into her again. He will.