Great premise, weak characters.

Rating: 6/10 (1 February 2019)

Gone Girl is broken up into two parts, as the twist of the story happens right in the middle. Having never seen that before, It's hard to deny that I was very engaged and interested to see the story flip in on itself. What I found most impressive was the way the film radically changed my perception of it's characters several times through my first watch.
Unfortunately, I do think this film is held back by some seriously lack luster performances. It shines in it's ability to tell you just enough to be invested in the protagonist, whilst saving his flaws for fascinating reveals. However, Ben Afflecks relaxed schlub is highly forgettable and fails to deliver any convincing emotion, and Rosamund Pikes blank faced sociopath is equally uninspired.
Overall, Gone Girl offers an interesting plot ripe for inspiration. However, the characters were either written or performed in a way that they themselves were not as interesting as the things that were happening around them. If you find a story more important than compelling performance, I would highly recommend Gone Girl.