Takes An Awfully Long Time To Get To Where It's Going

Rating: 7/10 (5 July 2019)

I have nothing against longer films. I really don't. If it's a story that needs to be told in over 2 hours, I'm all for it. Unfortunately, Midsommar is under the impression that it has a bigger, deeper story to tell that it really does and that hurts the film. The odds are, if you've seen more than a handful of horror movies in your day, you'll know where Midsommar is going within the first 30 minutes of the movie.
Granted, this isn't always a bad thing. Entire franchises (such as the Friday the 13th series) have been founded on the principal of "let's give them what they expect with a little something different." The difference is - these movies know they're not exactly high art and keep things short and sweet before the audience has the chance to catch on that what they're offering up isn't anything terribly new or interesting.
Midsommar starts off well with a solid 1st act in which Dani (a terrific Florence Pugh) still grieving over an incident that robbed her of her entire family. She weasels her way into a Sweden trip with her boyfriend, Christian, and his friends so that they can check out a strange cult-y commune. Once they arrive, they start to get the feeling that things aren't quite right with the people there. Well, I shouldn't say it happens immediately.
In Midsommar's most drawn out act, the audience catches on that this cult is iffy as the lead characters take another 40/50 minutes to figure it out. That said, once the film really gets going, it's great, but it seems like so much time is wasted on silly things (who cares if two friends are trying to do a thesis on the same subject and why do we need to see every single cult ritual in full?)
Ari Aster still has a knack for creating unbearably dark, depressing, and dread-filled horror out of thin air and it's a genuine gift. Hereditary at least had it's old dark house to generate tension, but Midsommar is perhaps the brightest film of the year, so there's nowhere for the terror to hide. In some ways, it's an even greater feat that he managed to create so much apprehension out of otherwise beautiful, scenic views.
All in all, it's an interesting, if frustrating viewing experience. It's recommended.