Blink Twice review

BLINK TWICE: 

ZOË KRAVITZ MAKES A KILLER DIRECTORIAL DEBUT WITH A CHARMING YET CREEPY CHANNING TATUM GUIDING THE WAY! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

MGM

Channing Tatum in Blink Twice

 

            Zoë Kravitz (X-Men: First Class, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Batman) unleashes her crazy side in the psychological thriller film, Blink Twice which is also her directorial debut. I was looking forward to this movie though it wasn’t a super anticipated movie of mine this year like Dune: Part Two, Furiosa, or Deadpool & Wolverine, but I was certainly intrigued by the film especially after seeing the trailer numerous times in theaters and I had to know what was going to happen in this chaotic-looking movie. 

            Coming out of it and at the start this review, I’m still trying to rack my head around what I just experienced. This might have even dethroned Cuckoo as the craziest film I watched this year which is saying a lot because Cuckoo was insane as fuck. 

            The film follows Frida (Naomie Ackie-Master of None, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, I Wanna Dance with Somebody), a woman who is invited by billionaire tech mogul, Slater King (Channing Tatum AKA The Gambit-Magic Mike trilogy, Fly Me to the Moon, Deadpool & Wolverine) to join him and his friends at a private island for a vacation. But when a series of horrific and mysterious events start occurring, Frida begins to question her reality and will have to uncover the truth if she wants to make it out of this party alive.

            The film also stars Alia Shawkat (Ruby Sparks, Green Room, 20^th Century Women) as Jess, Christian Slater (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Interview with the Vampire, Bobby) as Vic, Simon Rex (Scary Movie 3-5, Superhero Movie, Red Rocket) as Cody, Adria Arjona (Pacific Rim: Uprising, Andor, Hit Man) as Sarah, Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense, Pay it Forward, A.I. Artificial Intelligence) as Tom, Levon Hawke (Wildcat, The Crowded Room) as Lucas, Geena Davis (Beetlejuice, Thelma & Louise, Stuart Little 1 and 2) as Stacy, Kyle MacLachlan (Dune, The Flintstones, Inside Out 1 and 2) as Rich, and Saul Williams (Slam, K-PAX, Today) as Emcee. 

            Overall, Blink Twice is a chaotic and wildly entertaining trip that’s definitely worth taking and a bold directorial debut for Zoë Kravitz. It’s also a worthy addition to a category of films I like to call “Fuck the Wealthy” in the same boat as Ready or Not, Triangle of Sadness, Get Out, and The Menu where it revolves around rich and powerful people doing horrible and frightening things and getting their comeuppance by the end. 

            It’s basically another one of those movies but with a more psychological approach which is especially unique for these types of films. I like how it keeps a lot of what’s really happening a mystery to the point where even the characters themselves are just as clueless as we, the audience. 

            Is something truly wrong with this place or is Frida having some kind of mental breakdown? I guess it is pretty obvious that something sinister is happening, but I love how it builds up the suspense and that it isn’t always crystal clear. 

            This movie is also home to quite possibly the best Channing Tatum performance ever and I mean that with all seriousness. He is freaking amazing in the film and does a stellar job going back and forth between being incredibly charming and genuinely creepy often in the same scenes; plus, an enjoyably hammy performance in the final act. 

            Naomie Ackie is also a huge standout in the film as Frida though she isn’t quite a scene-stealer like Tatum is here. She is essentially the outsider who notices things are really off in this island and goes to investigate what’s really going on, but she plays the part very well and does a great job as the audience’s surrogate into this island of insanity. 

            The production design is both appealing and foreboding at the same time with lots of reds being used for Slater’s mansion as if the walls are literally bleeding and a yellow snake standing out as it slithers through the brightly colored grass. Almost like a vibrant dreamlike world that’s slowly transforming into a nightmare and looks incredible on the big screen. 

            I guess a minor issue with the movie is that it loses control in its last act and isn’t quite as interesting as the earlier acts. I wouldn’t call it bad, but we’ve already seen and figured out what was really going on and now it’s starting to overstay its welcome a little, still it gave us that incredibly hammy and over-the-top Tatum moment that I dare not give away. 

            Blink Twice is definitely a movie that’ll have a much bigger impact if you come in somewhat blind or if the only knowledge you have is the trailer because it will get some amazing reactions out of you as you’re watching it. This is a crazy, fearless, and above all entertaining psychological thriller and an exciting first directing effort for Zoë Kravitz that will hopefully lead to more films directed by her in the future, Blink Twice if this turns out to be a complete lie.