Is Frankenstein woke?
Movie · 2025
Frankenstein has a wokeness score of 9/10, which we rate as Activist / Didactic. The story exists mainly to deliver a woke ideological lecture. Themes are heavy-handed, preachy, and feel forced or unnatural. Entertainment value is secondary, and viewers frequently feel lectured or alienated.
Key points
- Feminist reimagining centers Bride as consent-obsessed activist sparking women's revolution.
- Heavy-handed messaging with 'Me Too!' screams, riot grrrl nods, and anti-patriarchy rants.
- Mary Shelley spirit possesses Bride for preachy lectures on bodily autonomy and rage.
Wokeness analysis
Maggie Gyllenhaal's 'The Bride!' (marketed in connection with Frankenstein themes) transforms the classic horror tale into a shrill feminist manifesto, shoehorning progressive ideology into every frame at the expense of coherent storytelling or entertainment. Directed and written by Gyllenhaal, who has openly credited Donald Trump's election as her inspiration to 'say more' against sexism, the film reimagines the Bride of Frankenstein—originally a silent, brief figure in James Whale's 1935 sequel—as a rage-fueled activist possessed by Mary Shelley's spirit. Jessie Buckley plays both Ida, a murdered suffragette-type killed for speaking out, and Shelley, who channels ghostly rants about consent, bodily autonomy, and patriarchal oppression. The plot, set in 1930s Chicago, devolves into a Bonnie-and-Clyde crime spree where the reanimated Bride sparks a national women's revolution, complete with riot grrrl references and a climax of her screaming 'Me Too!' repeatedly. Critics from conservative-leaning outlets like Reason decry it as a 'lost remnant of woke culture,' heavy-handed and preachy, while even left-leaning reviews note its failure to realize feminist potential without subtlety. Christian Bale's lonely Monster becomes secondary to the Bride's 'unfiltered feminist fury,' with characters like Annette Bening's mad scientist emphasizing 'you can't make a girlfriend without consent.' Diversity feels forced amid the chaos, with plot points echoing Joker-style social rebellion but twisted into MeToo-era lectures. The $90 million production's box-office flop underscores audience rejection of its didactic agenda, where ideology dominates, alienating viewers tired of Hollywood's forced progressive lectures. Entertainment—horror, romance, or camp—is sacrificed for activism, confirming its activist core.
Plot
In 1930s Chicago, Frankenstein's Monster (Christian Bale), lonely and rejected, seeks Dr. Cornelia Euphronia (Annette Bening) to create a mate. She revives murdered activist Ida (Jessie Buckley) as the Bride, but Ida—infused with Mary Shelley's raging spirit—rejects her intended role. Instead of submitting, she embarks on a violent crime spree with the Monster, defying gangsters, cops, and societal norms. Their rebellion ignites a feminist uprising, blending punk-rock horror, romance, and gangster tropes in a chaotic, retro-futuristic romp. Buckley dual-plays Shelley as a yowling ghost critiquing her own unfinished tale, while supporting cast including Penélope Cruz, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Peter Sarsgaard fill eclectic roles. Gyllenhaal's gonzo vision mixes gore, camp, and ideology, prioritizing the Bride's fury over traditional monster-movie beats.
Analyzed by AI on March 14, 2026