Film

Undertone

21/04/26

Cineworld, Edinburgh

Undertone has been in the cinemas for a week now, but it’s been mostly restricted to a series of late-night showings – and I prefer to do my movie-watching in the daytime. Finally, here’s a rare chance to see it at 12pm and I’m glad to have the opportunity. Written and directed by Ian Tuason, this stripped-back Canadian chiller has been cleverly billed as ‘the scariest film you’ll ever hear’ and certainly what seeps into an audience’s ears is every bit as important as what they actually see onscreen.

Evy (Nina Kiri) is going through a difficult time. She’s trapped in her mother’s house in Toronto, craving alcohol and trying to deal with the discovery that she’s pregnant. Meanwhile, her mother (played by Michéle Duquet) lies in her upstairs bedroom in a comatose condition, nearing the end of her life. Luckily Evy has The Undertone Podcast to think about, which she records and presents with her friend, Justin (voiced by Adam DiMarco), who is based far away in New York. The series is devoted to all things creepy – though Evy, despite being raised a Catholic, is a staunch disbeliever in the supernatural.

Justin reveals that he’s recently received a series of ten audio files from a man called Mike. They feature his wife, Jessa, who has started talking (and sometimes singing) in her sleep. The recordings all feature unsettling details and inexplicable sounds – especially when played in reverse – and, as the podcasters work their way through them, so Evy’s convictions start to crumble…

Made for just $50,000, Undertone has grossed millions in the USA and it’s easy to see why it has notched up yet another win for production company A24, who seem to have an uncanny nose for quality horror projects.

Set entirely in one house, the film starts with a series of tiny unsettling details – a light left on, a tap left running… but, as the story steadily unfolds, so these details become more overt, more sinister, until a sense of palpable dread has me in its tenacious grip. I listen intently to every garbled soundscape that pulses from the cinema’s Dolby speakers. (Unless you have an incredibly sophisticated sound system at home, don’t leave this one for streaming.) Furthermore, Undertone subverts all the usual clichés of the genre. Moments that appear to be building towards an inevitable jump-scare never come to fruition, Tuason preferring to leave viewers in a constant state of anxiety.

As the film’s final scenes build to an almost unbearable tension, I actually find myself holding my breath… and that’s when I’m hit by a revelation that I really don’t see coming. Undertone is an ingenious little movie that makes a big impact, but it’s definitely not for the faint-hearted.

4.4 stars

Philip Caveney

Amélie

17/04/26

Filmhouse, Edinburgh

With decent new releases a bit thin on the ground, it seems a propitious time for the re-release of Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s 2001 masterpiece, Amélie, in a stunning 4K restoration. This gorgeous, swooning tale of love and intrigue is unlike any other film I’ve seen. Whimsical, wildly inventive and built around an astonishing lead performance by Audrey Tautou, it exudes charm and wonder in equal measure. It’s every bit as good as I remember and has me leaving like I’m walking on air.

When we first meet Amélie, she’s just being born – and the film speedily takes us into her childhood. She’s a complex creature, who, after the early death of her mother, longs for affection from her distant but well-meaning father, Raphael (Rufus). But the loss of his wife has plunged him into despair and he retreats into a world of his own, unable to give his daughter the affection she craves. Soon Amélie has grown to womanhood. She’s still looking for the love she’s missed out on and is now determined to create opportunities for others who may be in need of that precious commodity. She works as a waitress in a bar in Paris and it’s here that she quietly goes about the business of making magic (and sometimes mayhem) for the various people she encounters, building stories around them and quietly seeking ways to introduce some much-needed romance into their lives.

Her antics are closely observed by her elderly neighbour, Raymond (Serge Merlin), a man with brittle-bone disease, who has devoted his life to reproducing a famous painting, Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party. It’s a task he re-attempts every year, obsessed with getting it right. And what is it about one female character in the picture that so intrigues him?

Co-written by Jeunet and Guillaume Laurant, beautifully filmed by Bruni Delbonnel, this is an object lesson in how to create memorable screen imagery – there are countless iconic shots here that wouldn’t look out of place on the walls of an art gallery. The story is wonderfully labyrinthine and the complex machinations that Amélie goes to in her quest to help friends and neighbours are delightfully offbeat. The protracted ‘will they, won’t they’ courtship she engineers with Nino (Matthew Kassovitz) could so easily be unbearably cute, but somehow Jeunet manages to inject everything with a Gallic edginess that keeps it all on track. Furthermore, not all of Amélie’s elaborate schemes go quite to plan.

Be warned. Watching Amélie comes with the distinct danger of falling hopelessly in love with it. If you didn’t see it first time around, then here’s your chance to catch one of the most original movies ever made. Miss it and weep.

5 stars

Philip Caveney

California Schemin’

06/04/26

Cineworld, Edinburgh

There have been a lot of ‘based on a true story’ movies lately, but California Schemin’ is one of the most appealing I’ve seen in quite a while. Originally filmed as a documentary (2013’s The Great Hip Hop Hoax), the real-life events provide the basis for the directorial debut of actor James McAvoy. It must be said, he makes a compelling and thought-provoking transition to the other side of the camera.

It’s the early Noughties and Gavin Bain (Seamus McLean Ross) and his best friend, Billy Boyd (Samuel Bottomley), are working in a call centre in Dundee, where Billy’s flair for adopting different accents makes him the leading salesman. But the boys devote all of their spare time to creating rap songs, written by Gavin and performed as a duo, though Billy is clearly the more confident performer. Like a lot of kids, they dream of making it big in the music industry – but their approaches to record labels keep bumping up against the issue of their Scottish accents. When they travel to London to attend an open call for ‘new bands’ they are summarily dismissed as ‘the Rapping Proclaimers’ after performing just a few lines.

Then Gavin comes up with an audacious plan. Since everyone they speak to extolls the virtues of American rappers, why not become American? Fired up by the idea, the pair re-record their demos with their best attempts at US accents, even devising a backstory for themselves as Californians. Miraculously, the record labels they approach now show much more interest in ‘Silibil and Brains’ – and the next time they’re in London, the boys manage to blag their way into a rap club, where they perform an impromptu song onstage, which goes down a storm. Luckily for them, ambitious talent scout Tessa (Rebekah Murrell) happens to be in the crowd and invites them to come in to her office for ‘a chat.’

Almost before they know what’s happening, they’re signed for a hefty advance and are being lined up for some prestigious gigs, as well as a TV appearance. Billy suggests that they reveal their true identities to the world live on TV, exposing the music industry’s anti-Scottish bias, but Gavin is enjoying his newfound stardom a little too much and is not quite ready to blow the whistle…

There are strong performances from the two leads, while McAvoy provides a cameo as Anthony Reid, the no-nonsense head of Neotone Records, ironically a Scotsman himself. Lucy Halliday is appealing as Mary, Billy’s partner, who, stuck back in Dundee, can only watch in bemused wonder as the whole enterprise hurtles out of control.

As well as the sheer fun of the central premise, California Schemin’ also makes some interesting observations about prejudice, and the way so many people have preconceptions about the limitations of national identity. Why can’t somebody with a Scottish accent be a talented rapper? And why did the record company act in such a hostile way when the truth was finally uncovered? Co-written by Bain and Boyd, with Elaine Gracie and Archie Thompson, this is a whole ton of fun, best watched in amped-up Dolby stereo in the movie theatre of your choice. If you prefer streaming, you’d probably better warn the neighbours. It’s gonna get loud…

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go. I think I feel a song coming on…

4.2 stars

Philip Caveney

The Drama

04/04/26

Cineworld, Edinburgh

Charlie (Robert Pattinson) and Emma (Zendaya) are a successful young couple based in Boston. The story begins with a flashback to their first meeting – an endearingly bumbling meet-cute in a coffee shop – but they have been together for two years now. They share a nice apartment, are both in secure jobs and clearly love each other deeply. So naturally they decide that it’s time to officially tie the knot. Like so many couples before them, they set all the wheels in motion: classes with a choreographer for that all-important first dance, test photographs to make sure they actually know how to smile convincingly, sample menus just to ensure that every bite on the big day will be perfect… and wine of course. Don’t forget the wine!

But things take an unexpected turn when, a few days before the wedding, they get drunk with their close friends, Mike (Mamoudou Athie), who is Charlie’s choice for Best Man, and Rachel (Alana Haim), who Emma has chosen as her Maid of Honour. Playing an impromptu game of ‘what’s the worst thing you’ve even done?’ Emma shares something that happened to her when she was just fifteen years old – something so shocking that it casts an immediate pall over the proceedings and starts Charlie wondering if he really does want to spend the rest of his life with this woman.

From this point, the whole enterprise begins to spin dangerously out of control and everything the couple does to try to limit the potential damage only makes it so much worse…

The Drama is aptly titled (how does production company A24 manage to unearth so many great projects?) because it focuses on the performative nature of the wedding experience and, no matter how many unexpected twists are thrown into the mix, this deliciously dark comedy never flags. Both Pattinson and Zendaya are great in the lead roles but the supporting cast also shine in their respective parts, particularly Haim, who is transformed by Emma’s confession into a sneering, vengeful version of her former self. There are some truly toe-curdling moments that actually have me wincing and offering silent thanks that my own wedding had none of the hurdles depicted here. The groom’s speech actually has me wanting to hide behind my seat.

Written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli, The Drama utilises a wonderfully fragmentary approach, cutting back and forth across Emma’s backstory, where she’s played by Jordyn Curet. That dark revelation has polarised audiences in the USA, where one newspaper has already awarded it a ‘no stars’ review – but to my mind, the way Emma’s childhood is revealed makes me totally understand what happened to make her act as she did. Also, I don’t believe in thought crime but I do believe in second chances.

We are also offered glimpses of Charlie’s dreams, and his dark imaginings as he contemplates what the future might hold for him. This is a smart, ingenious, low-budget film that delivers in just about every respect and, whatever else you think of it, I’m pretty sure you won’t be bored.

4. 4 stars

Philip Caveney

The Magic Faraway Tree

02/04/26

Cineworld, Edinburgh

If you didn’t read The Magic Faraway Tree as a child, then you really did miss out. Mention the title to anyone who encountered it in their early years, and you’ll unleash a torrent of strange words, none of which will make much sense if you’re not au fait with the fantasy series. “Moonface!” they’ll exclaim. “Silky! The Slippery-slip! Pop-biscuits! Dame Slap!”

This adaptation (written by Simon Farnaby and directed by Ben Gregor) veers wildly from the original but still retains the heart of Enid Blyton’s beloved books. In this version, Beth, Joe and Franny (formerly Bessie, Jo and Fanny) are firmly Generation Alpha, unable to imagine a world without Wi-Fi, ear pods or mobile phones. So when their mum (Claire Foy) loses her well-paid city job and their dad (Andrew Garfield) suggests moving to the middle of nowhere to set up a pasta sauce business, they’re not exactly thrilled.

Teenager Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy) is especially put out. Seriously? She’s expected to live here? There’s nothing but fields and trees. What’s she supposed to do? Middle child Joe (Phoenix Laroche) agrees with her: he’s reduced to pretending a plank of wood is a games console. Meanwhile Franny (Billie Gadsdon), a thoughtful child with selective mutism – no, that’s not in the original – is slowly starting to blossom. What’s behind her newfound confidence?

The clue is in the title. Despite warnings from a neighbouring farmer (Farnaby), Franny has ventured into the Enchanted Wood, where she’s encountered the folk of the Faraway Tree. Its trunk and branches house a multitude of wonderful characters – including Moonface (Nonso Anozie), Silky (Nicola Coughlan) and the Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns). Even better, there’s a ladder at the top, which stretches up through the clouds into a host of magical lands. No wonder Franny’s motivated to speak when she’s bursting with news of elves and pixies and the Land of Goodies. And of course, eventually, her skeptical siblings join her there…

Farnaby and Gregor have captured the essence of Blyton’s stories, the whimsical appeal of fairies, wishes and aeroplanes that get sleepy – but attempting to fit in every idea from the book makes the end result feel a little over-stuffed and it doesn’t help that there are also a lot of ideas that weren’t there in the first place. A sub-plot involving Jennifer Saunders as the children’s avaricious granny (who, for no discernible reason, boasts a dodgy German accent) feels somewhat superfluous. On the other hand, not enough is made of Rebecca Ferguson’s Dame Snap (formerly Slap) and her prison-like school. Ferguson gives this her best shot, but we’re barely in her presence for ten minutes before the adventure careers onwards.

But this is nonetheless a delightful children’s film, which littl’uns are sure to enjoy for its own sake, while their elders take the opportunity to drink a cup of acornade and revel in nostalgia.

3.8 stars

Susan Singfield

The Good Boy

26/03/26

Cineworld, Edinburgh

The title of Stephen Graham’s new film has caused some confusion. The Good Boy is known as in some quarters as Heel, mostly to avoid being confused with another recent release, Good Boy, which is about a haunted dog – though in both films one of the ‘lead’ characters gets to wear a collar. Confused? Don’t be. Suffice to say this is a fascinating watch, whatever it’s called, featuring one of the darkest, most twisted storylines I’ve seen in a very long time.

Tommy (Anson Boon) is a toxic nineteen-year-old, who revels in drugs, violence and rampant sex, delighting in filming his exploits and posting them up on social media, where he’s attracting quite a following. Unluckily for him, his excesses have come to the attention of Chris (Stephen Graham) and, all too soon, Tommy wakes up on a mattress in the cellar of Chris’s remote detached house, chained in position and wearing the aforementioned collar. In his new home, he is compelled to obey his master’s every command. Should he misbehave, Chris is more than ready to dole out savage punishment – and he makes it clear from the get-go that he intends to show Tommy how a good boy behaves.

So, who is going to come to Tommy’s help? Certainly not Chris’s pale and wan wife, Kathryn (Andrea Riseborough), who appears to be broken by something terrible in her recent past. And certainly not Chris’s young son, Jonathan (Kit Rakusen), who looks and talks like a kid from an Enid Blyton novel and is very careful not to misbehave. What about the house’s most recent addition, hired cleaning woman, Rina (Monika Frajczyk)? Could she become Tommy’s ally? Or is she too caught up with family problems of her own? Besides, surely somebody has reported Tommy’s disappearance… won’t the police be looking for him?

The beauty of this film, written by Bartek Bartosik and Naqqash Khalid, is that I’m never entirely sure where the storyline is headed, right up to its final scene. Every time I think I’m close to working things out, it swings in an entirely different direction, which only serves to make it all the more intriguing. The three leads all play their roles compellingly, particularly Riseborough, who is obliged to remain mute for many of her early appearances, yet skilfully contrives to exude a palpable air of utter misery. Director Jan Komasa keeps everything on such a tight leash (we’re back to dogs again!) that the film has me in suspense from start to finish.

But what’s it about, I hear you ask? Is it just an unpleasant tale of sadism? No. It’s much more than that. The Good Boy challenges our preconceptions about right and wrong. It is about the power of the family unit – the ways in which it can exert both good and bad influences on those who are held within its tenacious grip. So many people attribute importance to their respective families and are often prepared to go to extreme lengths to ensure that the dynamic continues to function. Chris has clearly taken this approach far further than anyone ever should, but is there something at the heart of his methods that might actually… work?

Whatever your thoughts on the matter, The Good Boy is a powerful and highly original slice of contemporary cinema. See it if you can and draw your own conclusions. I guarantee, you won’t be bored.

5 stars

Philip Caveney

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come

25/03/26

Cineworld, Edinburgh

2019’s Ready or Not was one of those plucky little films that made a big impression. It introduced Samara Weaving as Grace, a young woman who unwittingly marries a Satanist (it happens) and then spends the rest of the film playing a bizarre game of Hide and Seek with her new husband and his family, all of whom are doing their level best to murder her with an array of vintage weapons. It was a deceptively simple concept, played through with great flair and absolute precision – and it worked like a charm.

Rumours of a sequel started soon after its release and now here it finally is, bigger, louder and (inevitably) bloodier than its predecessor. It picks up right where the last film finished off with a wounded and dishevelled Grace stumbling from a blazing building and being rushed to hospital. She’s had a close call but it’s all over now. Except, of course, it isn’t (that incredibly redundant 2 in the title is the clue).

She is soon informed that, because she’s managed to despatch an entire family in the Satanist hierarchy, she must now play the same game all over again, this time pitted against the heads of several different households. Whoever manages to kill Grace will be the new Satanic leader, taking over from Chester Danforth, played by esteemed horror director David Cronenberg. He’s glimpsed only briefly before he’s erased – as the rules dictate – by his two children, Titus (Shawn Hatosy) and Ursula (Sarah Michelle Gellar). And naturally, Chester’s twin kids both feel that they should be the one to inherit the kingdom.

To further complicate matters, Grace is now accompanied by her estranged younger sister, Faith (Kathyryn Newton), who has turned up at the hospital because she’s still listed as Grace’s next of kin. Now the two of them, handcuffed together, must take on seemingly insurmountable odds…

The old rule of sequels is as reductive as ever. Directors Guy Busick and R Christopher Murphy give it their best shot, working from a screenplay by Radio Silence (Marc Bettenelli-Olpin and Tyler Gilett), but they’re in a game of diminishing returns, no matter how much gusto they employ. Most of the running time features that kind of Sam Raimi-esque slapstick horror, where the impulse is to laugh out loud as people quite literally explode. The problem with that is that the reasons for Satanists exploding are quite convoluted and I’m still unclear about a couple of examples – but maybe that’s just me.

Both Weaving and Newton are strong in their roles and their habitual bickering as they flail from one disaster to the next is often more entertaining than the carnage. Elijah Wood gives the film one of its strongest cards as ‘The Lawyer,’ managing to stay straight-faced and erudite as the bodies pile up around him. The film itself runs out of steam long before its ridiculously protracted conclusion and the old adage about ‘less is more’ has rarely felt more apt.

This isn’t terrible, but neither is it a patch on it’s leaner, meaner progenitor. There’s already talk about a third instalment, but I sincerely hope that everyone has the good sense to leave it here. There are only so many exploding Satanists a fellow can take.

3 stars

Philip Caveney

Project Hail Mary

15/03/26

Cineworld, Edinburgh

Science fiction movies come in all shapes and forms. They can be epic widescreen showcases. They can be intriguing ‘what if’ commentaries on uncertain futures. They can be wildly funny, gently heartwarming. They can be tales of triumph over adversity. They can be suspenseful, ironic, prophetic and surprising. Project Hail Mary somehow manages to be all of these things in the space of a couple of hours and, trust me, that’s not intended as a criticism.

Based on the novel by Andy Weir and adapted by Drew Goddard, the story begins aboard the titular space probe with Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) waking up from a very, VERY long sleep. He’s long-haired, bearded and extremely confused. What’s he doing on a freaking space ship? He’s a junior high school teacher for Christ’s sake! And why are the only other people aboard the probe both dead?

Memories from thirteen years ago gradually start to come back to him. He remembers being approached by Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller), an administrator for the European Space Agency. She’s looking for a molecular biologist, something that Ryland worked at before he became a teacher. Eva delivers some bad news: the sun is dying, its power being gradually consumed by single-celled organisms called ‘Astrophage.’ If nothing is done about the situation, it will mean that humanity is going to face ‘total extinction’ within just a few short years. Will Ryland help her to find a solution for the problem?

He agrees to join her huge team of scientists, but makes it very clear from the outset that he’s really not interested in going into outer space himself. He’s a homebody, not a hero. On no account will he ever don a spacesuit and venture out of Earth’s gravity. Eva tells him it’s not a problem. So… how did he get here? And now he is here, what’s he supposed to do?

I love the way this complex tale is told, the background to the story gradually released via out-of-sequence recollections. Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller seem to relish multi-faceted storylines (see Into the Spider-Verse if you want further proof) and while PHM takes its own sweet time laying out all the pertinent details, it never loses momentum. Around the halfway mark, Ryland has a chance encounter with an alien starship and subsequently meets up with its only surviving crew member. He’s an Eridian, a strange many-limbed creature that appears to be made from lumps of stone and who Ryland immediately dubs ‘Rocky.’ Once they have devised a way to communicate, Ryland discovers that Rocky is on a similar mission to him – trying to find a way to save his own planet, Erid, which is also being ravaged by those pesky astrophages.

The two of them resolve to work together, though that isn’t a straightforward process…

The relationship between the two mismatched travellers is at the heart of this goofy and unapologetically sentimental tale. Rocky is a deceptively simple creation, devised using old-school puppetry rather than digital effects – and Gosling has rarely been more engaging than he is here, as a kind of super-nerd discovering that he’s capable of more than he ever imagined.

Best watched on an IMAX screen – some of the special effects sequences are eye-popping – this is an enchanting and thought-provoking tale that keeps me hooked throughout and delivers an intricate storyline with extraordinary skill.

4.6 stars

Philip Caveney

Crime 101

14/03/26

Cineworld, Edinburgh

There’s something delightfully old-fashioned about Crime 101, a sense of quality that harks back to the classic cop thrillers of the 70s and 80s. Directed and written by Bart Layton and based on a novella by Don Winslow, the film moves smoothly through its initial set-up to a pulse-pounding conclusion, prowling confidently along like the proverbial tiger on vaseline. Pretty much all of its characters are beautifully drawn and have very good reasons to be where they are.

A highly-disciplined jewel thief has arrived in LA. All of the million-dollar hits to date have occurred at some point along Route101, a fact that has not escaped the attention of LAPD detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo). But his attempts to get this across to his fellow cops seems destined to get him nowhere. They are much more interested in ticking boxes and ensuring they’re left looking good, even if that means bending the rules.

We know from the get-go who Lou is looking for. It’s Mike Davis (Chris Hemsworth), a highly-principled villain, who leaves nothing to chance. So, when he doesn’t like the set up for his next job in Santa Barbara, he tells his fence, Money (Nick Nolte), that he’s going to give this one a swerve. Money, more interested in making big bucks, hires motorbiking thug Ormon (Barry Keoghan) to handle the heist instead. Orman is an undisciplined agent of chaos and his messy attack on a jewellery store threatens to completely derail everything.

Meanwhile, insurance broker Sharon (Halle Berry) is getting sick and tired of her bosses passing her over for a long-promised partnership. She is beginning to realise that something is going to have to change. And then Mike is quite literally run into by a stranger called Maya (Monica Barbaro) and he too begins to ask himself if it might be time to get out of the risky career he’s currently embroiled in…

If the story sounds complicated on paper, have no fears on that score. The narrative is beautifully handled and I’m never in any doubt about the many twists and turns the story takes. There’s much to admire along the way, not least Erik Wilson’s stunning cinematography, which depicts LA in all of its neon-drenched glory. Hemsworth, too often fobbed off with roles that don’t actually require him to do much more than stand around and look handsome, actually gets to flex his acting skills here. There are some beautifully-handled car chase sequences (when Lou asks Mike which is his favourite Steve McQueen movie, it’s no surprise that he chooses Bullitt) and I love the scene where Sharon tells her boss exactly what she thinks of him.

On the nitpick side, Nolte’s dialogue is hard to follow, Jennifer Jason Leigh is wasted in a tiny cameo role – and quite why Keoghan keeps playing characters that would be better suited to a teenage actor is quite beyond me.

But these are minor niggles. I am swept up in the story until we get to a slickly-orchestrated final heist where the suspense builds to a thrilling climax. In a story this earthy, it’s rare to find a redemptive conclusion, but somehow Crime 101 manages to achieve one. I am late getting to this, but I’m really glad I’ve managed to catch it on the big screen before it moves to streaming.

4. 8 stars

Philip Caveney

The Bride!

10/03/26

Cineworld, Edinburgh

Maggie Gyllenhaal’s previous film, The Lost Daughter, seemed to be loved by all and sundry – despite being, in my opinion, a bit slight. The Bride! couldn’t be any more different if it tried. This is a film so sprawling, so packed with bonkers invention, that it almost feels as if it’s about to burst off the screen and into the auditorium. It’s also one that embodies the term ‘divisive.’ It’s had some critics clutching their pearls and reaching for two (and even one) star reviews, while many viewers have denounced it in no uncertain terms. How dare Ms Gyllenhaal defile the genius of Mary Shelley in such a way? Doesn’t she understand that Frankenstein is a great work of art that needs to be treated with respect? 

We open with Mary Shelley herself (Jessie Buckley) in close-up monochrome, berating the fact that she didn’t live long enough to continue her famous story, and proclaiming that she will create a sequel by hook or by crook. Somehow, she manages to home in on Ida (Buckley again), a woman misbehaving in a Chicago bar in 1936. A quick case of possession occurs, which has Ida acting lewdly and shouting abuse (in a variety of voices) at Lupino (Zlatko Buric), the gangster who runs the city. For this misdemeanour, Ida is promptly pushed down a flight of stairs to her death. Bye bye, Ida… or is it?

Shortly thereafter, ‘Frank’ (Christian Bale) arrives in the city in search of Dr Cornelia Euphronious (Annette Bening), a scientist famed for her experiments with reanimation. Frank has been around since the 1800s and is starting to feel a crippling sense of loneliness. Would Dr Euphronious be prepared to animate a female corpse for him, so he can finally enjoy a meaningful relationship? The good doctor understandably has some doubts, but luckily she acquiesces (otherwise this would be a very short movie) and Ida’s freshly-buried body and Shelley’s spirit are zapped into something larger than life. 

‘Penny’ – as Ida/Mary is now known – and Frank start to get to know each other and they go out nightclubbing in a sleazy part of the city. After Frank kills a couple of guys who attempt to rape Ida, the couple are forced to go on the run…

And yes, on paper, it does sound ridiculous – but then, so does Mary Shelley’s original story to be fair – and what my words can’t adequately convey is the sheer exuberance with which this is all done, a degree of WTF invention that leaps out of every frame. The Bride! is quite literally a fearless monster mash-up of epic proportions, with knowing nods to Bonnie and Clyde, Mel Brooks and the Hollywood musicals of the 1930s. Frank, it turns out, is a major fan of song-and-dance man, Ronnie Reed (Jake Gyllenhaal), and never misses the opportunity to catch one of his films at the cinema. In doing so, he unwittingly leaves a trail for detectives Jake Wiles (Peter Sarsgaard) and his much cleverer partner, Myrna Malloy (Penélope Cruz).  

I’ll be the first to admit that not everything Gyllenhaal attempts here quite comes off – she wrote the screenplay, as well as directing – and there are rough edges to some of the scenes of mayhem and bloodshed. Furthermore, if you’re one of those people who hates coincidences, be warned – there are a lot of them here. But overall, The Bride! offers such a wild, unpredictable thrill-ride that I quickly throw aside my qualms and  have a great time with it. Buckley is every bit as mesmerising as she is in Hamnet, while Bale’s interpretation of the Monster as a hesitant, apologetic creature, worn down by decades of travails, makes him strangely endearing. Lawrence Sher’s cinematography is stunning and there’s an intriguing score by Hildur Guõnodóttir. The whole enterprise is underpinned by a powerful feminist subtext, which reflects the era in which it’s set.

So, my advice would be to disregard the bad word-of-mouth and watch The Bride! with an open mind. The film’s opening weekend suggests that it’s going to lay a great big egg at the box office, but those who admire audacious creativity will find much to admire here.

4 stars

Philip Caveney