Not What I Expected.

Rating: 5/10 (12 July 2019)

Midsommar is this years 'It Comes At Night' in my opinon. (Another outing from A24 )That film was promoted as being a dark, terrifying venture into a post apocalyptic world, with some horrific monster unveiling at some point. It instead was a slow-burn that dealt more with human relationships and expectations than really much else. The audience reaction to that was not unfavorable, and I see Midsommar having the same problem. Its being billed as this years scariest movie and likened to last years Hereditary, but I disagree. Ari Aster is definitely a very talented director and showed that when he busted onto the scene with 2018's Hereditary. I don't think he kept the pace with his sophomore outing though, deciding to try his hand with folk horror and producing very mixed results. Midsommar is beautifully filmed, with bright vibrant colors filling the screen in every shot. Ari really captured the essence of the midsummer festival and elevated it. The movie borrows heavily from 1973's The Wicker Man, so much so that I think this movie could be considered a remake or re-imagining of that film. There are scenes that are literally pulled straight out of that movie, and slightly changed to add a different feel. The cult here feels real and authentic, which adds to the effectiveness of what actually transpires on-screen. But that's really all that's memorable about it. Despite a very inspired performance from Florence Pugh and some perfectly executed comedic lines from Will Poulter, this movie just didn't do anything that other films haven't. Its also VERY light on visual horror (a lot of the violence happens off screen) instead relying on tension building and setup for the majority of the scares. This is effective at first, keeping the viewer feeling uneasy and on guard, but becomes increasingly stale near the end. Overall the movie is enjoyable in spurts, but ends up feeling empty and forgettable. Go see it, you may love it and apparently its getting rave reviews. Its just not a movie I would see again.