Ari Aster just solidified his place as one of the new masters of horror

Rating: 10/10 (4 July 2019)

Hereditary was no accident. Ari Aster is a visionary filmmaker and he's just proven that and surpassed himself with Midsommar.
It is the 4th of July today and this movie was released yesterday - this is not only my favorite film of 2019 thus far, but one of the greatest horror films of this CENTURY, at this point.
I grew up on 70's, 80's, and 90's horror. I perceive contemporary horror to be, for the most part, brainless, regurgitated, formulaic garbage. Midsommar is a rare gem for the genre, in this day and age. It journey's far, far out from the played-out possessions in haunted houses that make up 90% of the U.S. genre output. It is a breath of fresh, multi-colored air in a chamber full of suffocating ghosts. Within the first 24 hours of Midsommar's release, I saw a multitude of people post "I loved it, but...it's not really a horror movie". After viewing, this made me LOL pretty hard. I can't figure out what people would be perceiving this as if not horror. This is one of the GREATEST horror movies I have ever seen. It is pure and utter horror... it's just...a UNIQUE horror film, something we rarely receive nowadays. This seems like further proof that people have been so conditioned to the brainless formula of contemporary horror that anything that falls outside of it's own cliches is then perceived as "not belonging in the genre". That's actually horrific, in itself, if you ask me.
With Hereditary as it's predecessor and a very promising trailer as it's backbone, I was chilled to the core of my soul just 5 minutes into the film. I knew I was in for something very special. Florence Pugh puts in a revolutionary performance and goes on to carry this film 10x better than a grip of A-listers ever would stand a chance of doing. Simply put, the movie delivers from all angles... cinematography, acting, writing, atmosphere, environments, set pieces, wardrobe, pacing, casting, sound design, sound editing, concepts, scares, violence, mystery - it ALL hits right on the money, and it's FULL of surprises. There is not a dull moment on this utterly terrifying ride. The film has no weaknesses.
Though aesthetically there are only a few films that come off as comparable (like The Wicker Man, for example), I perceive this movie as a beautiful monster completely of it's own. There is only one other movie that I found it's eerie tone reminiscent of for moments at a time, and that's Kubrick's EYES WIDE SHUT. In fact, Aster's work as a whole, especially after viewing Midsommar, is now reaching a Kubrickian caliber of craft. It's that immaculate of a creation. I was teary eyed during the finale and it wasn't even a plot-based sadness - I was simply tearing up because I'd just witnessed such a visionary masterpiece, and I was in love with it.
I don't want to say much more, but I will say that Ari Aster is a new savior to the genre, and thus, to film. I imagine I will be seeing this in the theater more than once. I...have to. I can't believe he pulled this off. It's...just...phenomenal. It's legendary. Thank you Ari Aster, and thank you to everyone involved. You came when we needed you most.