Blink Twice

First off, for a first time director, Zoe Kravitz has done very well. The film keeps everything interesting and goes along at a good pace.

Channing Tatum (being on the poster) is the draw for the audience. Especially, one that without him may not ultimately get a look in. He does a very competent job.

The sexual violence - there is a disclaimer at the start. That disclaimer, from what I saw in another review, is apparently a hint at what you should expect and the reviewer seemed disappointed that the sexual violence wasn't more graphic.

To address the issue, I personally didn't need to see that. For a few reasons, primarily this is NOT a film locking your head in position to confront you with the ugly reality of how sexual violence is perpetrated. We can gather that it's not good. We know.

What this film is primarily about psychological thriller. And we have seen films (not necessary addressing the issue at hand) like this across the decades. Pacey thrillers where you want the goody to outwit the evil baddy. And to that end, this does a very good job. It reveals the plot at a reasonable pace.

I don't want to spoilt the plot so I haven't talked about it. The trailer tells you what you need but ideally go into this not knowing anything.

You may even figure out the ending but even then it produces a twist to it all (albeit one that may counter the issues at hand).

This a metaphor for societies' ills with men who abuse women. And as such, we know in real life the awful things that happen. This film is simply packaging that as a thriller and providing a possible way to mitigate these ills even if the final turn is a little...imo....problematic.

You will enjoy this if you after a good night in and looking for a pacey thriller.

It is a lot better than some other thrillers I have seen recently.

If you're after extreme violence and horror, I suspect you will be disappointed.

Think more "Get Out" than say "Irreversible". Both great films, just different levels of violence.

Anyway, personally, I enjoyed it and it wasn't too overlong.

This film was good. Enjoyable but hard not to keep thinking about the "client list" of Epsteins island. Imagine who's on it. This movie gives insight to that.... Anybody and everybody...people are truly sick and this movie does not land far from many truths. See it for yourself. I enjoyed the slower pacing as you watch the story slowly unfold like a blooming flower. I usually don't care for Canning Tatum but he wasn't bad in this. I think Zoe's first effort was solid but hopefully she will continue to hone her craft. Curious to see what she does next. This film isn't perfect but was not a waste of time.

I was excited to watch a new original movie I knew nothing about, going in without watching a trailer. Overall, it's a mostly a solid movie, but never reaches the highs it could have. It doesn't seem to maximize the potential created by the setup. This could be for a few reasons.

It starts with an interesting premise that had me mildly intrigued. We get to the island quickly, but we sort of meander in the island party life for far too long. We know something fishy is going on, but the plot does not progress. It's almost a full hour into the movie before anything big happens.

I found myself getting impatient, and that's without watching the trailer. Now after seeing the trailer (which gives away SO much), it was likely significantly worse for anyone who watched it beforehand. They already knew what was coming and had to wait the majority of the runtime for it to get to that point.

By comparison, Midsommar is a full hour longer (Director's cut is double the runtime of Blink Twice). And it also has a scene of them enjoying some drugs, which is much funnier. Yet it has several creepy scenes building tension, even in the first 30 minutes. That's how you keep your audience invested and in suspense, even for a 3-hour movie.

Another reason I feel like this misses is the dark comedy aspect. I LOVE dark comedies (Beau is Afraid omg). But I only laughed a few times in Blink Twice, and it wasn't for lack of trying. Several other attempts fall flat.

I think Zoe Kravitz is a highly talented actress. I'm also basically in love with her and watch most movies she's in. But directing is a vastly different skill set, as is writing. It probably wasn't wise to take on both in her directorial debut. It's solid for a first effort, and she may have a future in this field. But it does feel off in many ways, which made sense when I found out it was a directorial debut.

But why not focus on acting? She should be getting major lead roles in top-quality movies with elite directors. Very few actors stay relevant in their older years. That's when you can write and direct. And in the meantime, continue gaining valuable experience while maximizing your time as a star actress.

One other note that has zero bearing on my rating. Was anyone else distracted by the lead actress's teeth gap? I couldn't stop looking at it, lol.

I can see some people liking this. But I think most will find it underwhelming.

(1 viewing, opening Thursday 8/22/2024)

A waitress meets a rich elitist while being clumsy and making mistakes who then takes her and her friends to a secluded island with other people, all is good for a short time until it isn't without spoiling what happens. Zoë Kravitz wrote and directed this so probably knows all about this stuff being a child of the industry. They even make a joke about human sacrifices, which I found very interesting.

Is it well directed? I'd say yes for Zoe's first film but the characters in these movies when there is a group of people and their interactions are kinda boring and generic, what you have seen a million times before until initially two characters get on the same wavelength with what's going on and all hell breaks loose.

Not sure what else I can say without spoiling the film, all is well acted and shot.

The impressive parts of BLINK TWICE do not add up to a satisfying whole. This is a visually appealing film filled with solid performances by accomplished actors. It also is a weird film devoid of thrills, tension, frights, or emotions. Though the performances are good, the characters are undefined. Without improving on them, the script cribs from GLASS ONION, THE MENU, and other limited location thrillers.

When tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) meets cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) at his fundraising gala, sparks fly. He invites her to join him and his friends on a dream vacation on his private island. It's paradise. Wild nights blend into sun-soaked days and everyone's having a great time. Nobody wants this trip to end, but as strange things start to happen, Frida begins to question her reality. Something is wrong with this place. She'll have to uncover the truth if she wants to make it out of this party alive.