'Midsommar' translates to 'Missing Some Air' - some fresh air, that is.

Rating: 3/10 (24 February 2020)

Too much time, too little everything else.
This is 'Wicker Man', down to the maypole. There is a small difference in that the main character is broken into 4 stereotypes, but beyond that it is a script already written, several times over.
I can see in several instances how this writer/director was trying for the horror genre, though, with three distinctive horror cliches. But, the fact that an audience can recognize these attempts says something in and of itself. Add to this, that each attempt made in this film failed.
Dig, if you will, mes amis:
First; the filmmakers gave us the aforementioned teen stereotypes that have become trope. However, the original concept behind having a group of characters in peril, that this horror trope has butchered for the last 40 years, is that one has to have LIKABLE characters. Whereas, too many modern horror films (this one included) are filled with people you're sick of after an hour and wish would either die or suffer. Sometimes, within the first 5 minutes, but I digress...
Second; to the filmmakers' credit, they didn't pile on the jump-scares but opted for the long, drawn out scenes leading to something "horrible". This is refreshing. In theory. However, for these long scenes to be suspenseful, you have to not be able to tell what's coming. Such as in "The Exorcist" - what was going to be behind Regan's door after that long dolly down the hallway? In this film, we knew what was going to happen EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. So, the drawing out of such scenes bordered on either excruciation, nappy time, or a chance to show off your riffing skills, depending on your nature. Without spoiling anything, one famous scene prompted my audience to begin a chant of "Go 'SPLAT'!!"
(OK, I hear some people saying, 'Oh yea? Well, there were long pans in 'Halloween', but we knew there'd be a killing. So there!' True. But, did you know when? Or how? Or who would be first, or next? Not the first time you saw it, and this proves the point. Suspense needs mystery. And again, in this film, there was 0% mystery to anything that occurred. Just loooooooooooooong build-ups to the predictable.)
And third; the damned last-minute-twist moment. Which is by now so old hat that we've almost stopped noticing. It's just accepted. There was absolutely no reason for it, nothing to hint at this, nor was it in the character's nature whatsoever - the opposite would have been true to her character. As it was in the film, it was just a desperate tack-on.
(OK, I hear you again - yes, the unexpected can be jarring and effective. But, only if you can believe it. With this last shot, I didn't buy it one bit. She had been acting the polar opposite for almost 3 hours, up to 2 minutes prior to the last shot. What happened in those two minutes - did the elderberries & oat straw finally kick in or something??)
The Directors Cut of this film is three hours.
The theatrical cut is 2 1/2 hours.
The original content is 35 seconds.
See the original 'Wicker Man' instead.