Chris Stuckmann reviews Midsommar, starring Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Will Poulter, William Jackson Harper, Vilhelm Blomgren, Archie Madekwe, Ellora Torchia. Directed by Ari Aster.
As a swedish person I can tell you that the most unrealistic thing about this movie is probably the weather being so nice, the weather is always shit on midsommar
"I struggle to understand exactly what the first 20 minutes has to do with the rest of the movie except for the themes of grief." The first 20 minutes set up the fact that Dani is completely alone in the world. Her family is gone, her boyfriend is distant and she really has nobody else to rely on. The cult is the family that she longed for and for the first time, she finally belongs. The entire rest of the movie serves as a solution to the problem the first 20 minutes set up. The first 20 minutes is absolutely integral to the finale of this film. Not sure how you thought it was random and never addressed as it's the whole point of the movie.
(Spoiler) Right! Why does he think Dani smiles at the end of the movie? Because she’s high?! No, it’s because she has found her place and her peace within this community as it’s the perfect solution to all of her problems
@@timdagerman2538 Precisely! Dani's problem is abandonment, first by her family and then by her boyfriend, and acceptance into the cult. Having said that, I have to admit that I didn't like the film.
The first 20 minutes held me captive more than the entire rest of the film. Dani, a young woman, is consumed by an ominous email from her only sibling. A sister. Dani sends numerous emails, trying not to be frantic. Emails go unanswered. Dani calls parents and the audience is led to believe the parents are sleeping. No response. Dani calls her bf and the reassurance she was so desperate for is replaced by hollow nothing words. Dani calls her bestie and I gotta day, I totally related, but Dani still isn’t consoled. Dani then is faced with her worst fear. Not only has her sister offed herself, she killed the parents as well. The ominous email wasn’t bullshit after all. And here we have our heroine alone, despite her relationship status
So Dani was a psychopath who's answer to overcoming grief is to enjoy the fact that your friends were brutally murdered and boyfriend burned alive by a cult. Yeah I'm not seeing the beautiful message here. Seek help.
@@puma59graciefighter Unless it's not meant to be taken literally. As a metaphor for overcoming grief, trauma, finding the strength to leave a dead relationship and also finally feeling like you have a home where you can express yourself for who you are (as exemplified by how everyone in that community echoes each other's screams and moans as if they're sharing their emotions communally), it works perfectly. Also, if you wanna take it literally, yeah it's plausible and doesn't make her a psychopath. If you've been genuinely traumatized and are in immense grief that you can't seem to escape no matter what yes, you might end up finding joy in literally watching the last remnants of what was once your horrible life burn down to ash. Atleast that's what the last scene seemed like to me in a literal sense, she wasn't glad her friends and boyfriend were all murdered (or even thinking about that per se), she was happy that she could start anew, almost as if her prior life had never existed. Not a healthy coping mechanism I'd say, but it's perfectly understandable in that sense.
Don't worry. Its only similarity to The Wicker Man is on the most superficial level. The people who think it's a Wicker Man story (like Stuckmann) completely missed the actual story of the movie, which takes place between the main character and her boyfriend. This movie is basically a breakup drama that happens to be set in the midst of a cult ritual. It's really driving me crazy how some of these professional critics don't get such an obvious thing. The movie makes it very, very clear, so it's like these people are just refusing to accept the movie on its own terms.
@@alexsxsxs1817 My African soul was like that too. No color = no life. I felt like wrapping myself in A colorful kitenge cloth just so I could feel safe watching all these weird people in white.
The beginning set-up of her family dying is literally the entire point of the movie, in short, her finding a family who can empathize with her happiness and pain and fully accept her into their family.
It's not that it's not important, it's just incredibly fleshed out, making an explicit point that her sister was bi-polar, making the ominous emails a key factor in the incident, and for what? I assumed the sister was going to be revealed to have been some way connected to Harga, and I was waiting to find out what the emails were really about. It was a misleading way to set up the premise of the film. It's not my main gripe with the film, but I also find it a little concerning that it buys into the trope that people with bi-polar disorder are crazy, homicidal, and suicidal, when the inclusion of that was not necessary. They could still portray intense family drama without damaging tropes under the guise of being woke :/
" who can empathize with her". These are cultists. They do not empathize. They are ruthlessly brainwash people, destroy relationships and, in this movie, kill people. The whole topic is mishandled, the movie almost glorifies cults.
That's a load of absolute bullshit. That's what the movie is trying to say but it fails. She was the only one with any sense out of the whole group, until the last 15minutes of the movie. She does a complete 180. If you really buy that shit, I'd love to know what drugs you're smoking
Yeah exactly, I felt the parent thing wasn't mentioned much or expanded because the main character wanted to forget them. Anytime her parents are mentioned early on, she shuts down and has a panic attack. The movie is about her killing that memory and accepting the cult as her family.
Chance Thrash didn’t think about that until you mentioned it. That’s a good point. I felt like this film needed 5 more minutes to conclude what had just happened. A lot of the cult was left unexplained and we still don’t know to what capacity Dani has accepted the cult
Chance Thrash I agree, and I also felt that the Pelle character had actually murdered the parents and sister and made it look like a murder/suicide. An elaborate setup to get her to the festival. There were subtle hints with the flowers in the parents bedroom.
@@jeffgianone3872 I strongly disagree. She chose to sacrifice her abusive boyfriend (which, by the way, he WAS abusive. Gaslighting is terrible mental abuse, and it's somewhat upsetting that Chris shoved it off as just a bad relationship no one wanted to be in). And she ended with a smile. It's easy to see that she accepted the cult fully and truly. You can't just force death upon someone and be happy about it and NOT be captivated by the cult
The whole situation with Dani's sister and parents was extremely important to the entire film. She buried that grief and experience so deeply because she didn't have anyone around her to give her an outlet for it, and then she finally got around people who wanted to share it with her, to take her grief upon themselves and when they did she realized she was finally home. I lost my son and I know how deeply grief can be buried. You put it as far down as you can inside yourself and never allow it to come up because it's so primal and frightening. And then something happens that brings it out and you scare yourself hearing those sounds that come out of your own body. Florence Pugh is an amazing actress, she should get an Oscar for this role.
That happened on my section too. But I didn't laugh, it was such a deep moment (no play of words here) that I didn't think it was funny at all. I didn't know how many references this movie had, and since I haven't watched the other movies, this one for me was amazing. In some aspects, even better than Hereditary. And the director has earned the right of being pretentious, in my opinion :)
SPOILER The scene where Christian was holding Danni on the couch while she was mourning the loss of her family is significant. Christian wasn't mourning with her or trying to comfort her beyond letting her cry on his lap. In the village/cult place everyone mourns for each others losses as if they were their own, as though they could physically and emotionally experience what everyone else was going through. Danni's experience with family (at least from what was shown) was disconnected, in contrast to the village where everyone is practically in sync. When it was Danni's birthday Pelle was there for her. When Danni saw Christian cheating on her her 'sisters' were there for her. Everyone in the village accepted and loved her unconditionally as family. Having no family left at home, and Christian dead, Danni could finally let go.
Yes, this! I must admit I disagreed with Chris's review. The first 20 minutes are SO important to this setup. Without seeing Dani's grief, we wouldn't have had that moment where all the themes click into place, and that moment is the scene when her sisters cry with her. I found that profoundly moving. She's found her family. She can finally give up her codependence on a man who doesn't 'hold her'. And she does that in a pretty disturbing way.
@@DrGregoryHouseIT Who 'doesn't understand that'? No one said it wasn't. As you watch the movie it becomes clear that literally every major event in this film was engineered by the cult. From Dani arriving, to all her friends being sacrificed, and her becoming May Queen. Chris cheating too, but by then their relationship had already gone to shit so that was really just the icing on the cake.
You're missing the point. The film was not presented as being from the community's view. We see the main characters interact with each other ouside of Sweden, where their purpose is not to be an object. When he said the characters feel like objects, he didn't mean it in a literal sense. The characters fall flat. Their only traits are fitted to their individual niche plot points, and they are not believable, likeable, or hateable.
I got the feeling that Connie, the Indian girl who was abandoned by her boyfriend, was brought in as a revenge sacrifice for Pelle, since he mentioned that he once dated her and lost her to Simon.
i disagree.. the setup of the characters greif is totally payed off by the "cult" women screaming with the main character, she finally has people who can "share" her feelings the way her bf couldn't
@@hastalavista3814 its a manipulation. But that doesnt mean she didnt feel comforted in some way. Parents often do that to babies to make their kids stop crying. It works somehow.
E-xac-tly! She is basically slowly indoctrinated into this cult.. and the movie does a tremendous good job at taking us thru that. Im miffed that Chris didn't get that.
I completely disagree with your opinion on the setup. It makes her in need of a community. I definitely thought it WAS a compelling story, but to each their own.
Leaving this here to add to add to this if it is noticed. I have seen grief, DEEP pain, wailing, what the actress did here was incredibly realistic to what I have come to know, I hope to see more actors making this sort of real, raw, emotion on film, it is never pretty, it shouldn't be.
The movie 100% revolves around the death of her family. Her struggle, her anxiety and finally the peace and “love” she finds. Normally agree but I gotta say you’re so off with this review. IMO of course!
He clearly did not understand the movie, probably went for a leak when pelle was telling dani about how he found his family in the cult and it is ok to let go of the past and find a new family. This is intricately connected with the final shot of Dani smiling but Mr. Stuckmann couldn't understand probably.
I completely agree with you, I think this movie was great, the visuals were incredible... I watched the director's cut yesterday and it made me love the movie even more... I really think Chriss got it wrong this time, or maybe he didn't pay to much attention on the details, because everything you need to understand the plot is there.
the reference the tragedy in the beginning in the end, before the final plot. The grief, I feel is beyond present in this film, through the whole movie I could feel Dany's grief. The way she would constantly have anxiety attacks or when every trip she had was bad, because she would be triggered by her grief. I can see where it doesn't feel as present as in hereditary, but its there the whole movie until the end.
Exactly! Her grief is there but it's just different. I feel like everyone compared it to Hereditary too much, heck even I did when I was watching it in the theater, but they are two completely different films. If we were going to compare the two the grief felt in Hereditary was vastly different because it was grief of a mother losing a child and the guilt and shame from the brother for accidentally causing her death. Dani in Midsommar just simply feels loss, the grief of having no one to go home to, of feeling lost in the world.
@@TheWelchProductions What is the story behind this? I was pretty surprised at this review but if Chris went through something similar in his youth it might be a bit too much for him. This movie is very powerful in how it draws you in to this crazy ass cult along with the main character and make it all look so wholesome.
EXACTLY. Idky every reviewer is copying that same mindset too cause that whole first 20 mins was crucial and an important element to the main characters plot
I think some are really struggling to get their heads round the fact that this isnt "bunch of protagonist teens" meet "creepy cult". They have latched onto that as a horror trope and because of that are completely miswatching/misinterpreting the film.
I agree with you, and I also see why people feel the way Chris does. I don't feel like they NEEDED to visit it again for me personally, the setup in the beginning was hanging over everything else that happened, and to me, that was the reason all of the horrible moments were so powerful, because I was thinking "imagine going through this after what she went through". Same with the scenes with drugs and the panic attacks, it was awful because of what happened with her family.
i had no idea this movie was going to include psychedelic visuals and essentially be a bad trip the *entire* time, so when all that shit started going down it freaked me the f u c k out lol, and my trip just made it worse, i didn't know what was my trip and what was theirs, everything was so amplified and confusing
Speaking of the humor in the movie, was anyone else dying when Will Poulter's character was having a bad mushroom trip in the beginning of the movie? xD
It's kinda strange that Chris didn't find connection between first twenty minutes and the rest of the movie, because it's completely understandable if you think a little about the main character's storyline. Chris is really good at finding deeper meaning in artsy films and yet in this case he somehow didn't went beneath the surface
I’m with Chris on this one. The first 20 mins had me thinking after the end credits rolled “what actually happened to that girl’s family?” It also set the movie up to be more gruesome and sinister, rather than the cleaner version of the rest of the story we got.
I know I am a year late, but I just watched this movie for the first time. I think he didnt mean about the death of a family and grief, I think setting up her sister was what he mentioned. Why did she kill her parents? Why did it even had to be a sister? If you wanted to achieve grief car accident would do the same thing, but it would raise the questions that are currently left un answered. I bet there is a lot of cut content due to the movie already being 140min long and director didnt want to ruin the pacing, which in my mind is just perfect for this type of movie.
The opening set up wasn’t visited again? Were we watching the same movie? Sorry, but you really dropped the ball on this one. Spoiler The danse macabre (the opening shot of the movie) is so important to what then takes place. For those that don’t know, the danse macabre is a medieval painting commissioned after the Black Death. It details young and old, rich and poor, nobility and peasant, holy and sinful all in a dance with death. It is a visual representation that death comes for us all, it’s unforgiving and impartial. The entire movie is an exploration into how different cultures perceive and interact with the fact that death is inescapable. Clue, they were anthropology students so studying different societies is kind of their whole thing. The death of Danni’s family members at the beginning of the movie and her subsequent mental fragility is needed as a way of contrasting how Danni and the audience view death compared to the villagers. The manner in which they died is also pretty essential to understanding the film. Danni originally suffers immensely from the loss of her family. She spends the majority of the film fixated on the death of her sister and parents. She see’s their faces when confronted with death, she dreams about them and spends several scenes alone engulfed by the grief they left behind. She doesn’t remember them with any fondness because the loss itself is too much to cope with and ends up haunting her. Her family become metaphorical ghosts. However, the villagers view death entirely differently. They confront death, embrace it even like it is an honour. It is still painful for them yet it is bearable because they accept it is a part of life. Like the seasons it is a cycle. The festival was not only a celebration of life (getting the daughter pregnant) but of death as they are entangled and inseparable. Two lines explain this film. Before the dance to decide the Mayqueen, the elder details how the dark ones (death) came for the living, and mocked them by forcing them into a dance. But now it is the living that mock death, as they decide when to embrace him and how they will do so. Moreover, the typical cycle of grief and pain left behind after suicide, or death in general is transformed into a cycle of appreciation and love for those that we have lost. To say that the opening set up is not revisited would be to miss the films entire meaning. Thematically the opening scenes are with Danni until the very last shot, when she smiles
I don't care about the themes. The storyline isn't explained whatsoever. What do they get out of the rituals with Dani? Why did she choose Christian to die over the random guy from the village? What do they get out of sacrificing the 9 people at the end? Why is Dani smiling as the credits roll? Heriditary at least showed the motives of what the cult was doing, but this movie not so much. To me this is why people aren't liking this one as much, because there isn't really a conceivable story. It's just like: "here's some violence. Ahhhh scary right?"
This movie has an overall theme of how easy it is for a cult to draw in members on the promise of empathy and unity and, once in, easily brainwash them to potentially commit heinous acts (i.e. torture, suicide, sacrifice, killings) for the "good" of the cult (Charles Manson). This is especially true now days when "recruiters" (Pele, and his brother) have easy pickins from a society filled with "lazy", "apathetic", "unwanted", and/or "lonely" people (I quoted these words because they are used in the movie). The movie confirms this by "recruiting" the audience in feeling "empathetically" happy for Dani in making the "decision" (was it hers or was she coerced, especially by Pele) to rid herself of those who shunned her! Is this movie propaganda for YOUR eventual indoctrination much like the initial mural that showed Dani and "friends'" reason for being there and their eventual fate?!
I adored Hereditary, saw it 3 times in the theater and I just got back from seeing Midsommar......I definitely need to see it again to gather my thoughts.
ThatMissQuin yeah I loved hereditary, saw midsommar yesterday and was excited but left so so disappointed.. was too weird with a plot that has no backbone . & oh wasn’t scary one bit.. just way too weird
Midsommar was very bizarre, but good, but not as good as Hereditary. I'd watch it again too, but might skip the cliff scene, which was too much for me. Also, the chicken coop scene, good lord..
I'm here after his recent video discussing his childhood in the JW...This review hits a little bit differently now. Just know that we are all so proud of you Chris for having such amazing strength!
Randy Johnson no. finding and choosing your family. how do you not see it? dani tried to find her family in someone that wasn’t interested in her but she finds it in people that can emphasize with her pain
I got that intellectually, but not emotionally. That's why I hated the film. It takes far too long to drive home that point with characters I didn't care about.
Eric Chapman exactly. People keep calling everyone who didn’t like the film dumb, but that’s not why a lot of those people didn’t like it. It just didn’t get enough of an emotional response out of me. I was neither bored nor scared by it
@@AR-ch5ix Some people want to know what their critic thinks of the film BEFORE they watch it (not me but some I'm sure.) Its not a "discussion" its a review.
I didn't necessarily hate the male characters, I just thought everyone, excluding the engaged couple were dumb to the point where death was deserved. And even the engaged couple i thought was sorta dumb because as a Christian there were so many signs The sun sign entrance they literally walked through to get there, the sun worship, the quilt showing the love spell with pubic hairs, etc.
I was really high when I watched this movie and I literally can’t describe the feeling when watching this, it was so surreal and messed up, yet entertaining at the same time. I couldn’t tell if what was happening in the movie was actually happening or if it was just me.
same here man. For some reason that floral costume that Dani wears at the end, when the house is burned down, really disturbed me. She looked like a pheasant.
I was high as shit too and honestly I thought it was a comedy... bruh shit was weird and hilarious. Not even remotely scary either. Characters were dumb, decent watch stoned, wouldn't waste 3 hours sober.
Hearing a movie is slow makes me want to see it. So many times in slow scenes (if handled by a good filmmaker) there's much more going on than appears. As long as the acting is good and the subtext is there, a "slow" part can be more exciting than a big action set piece. Assassination of Jesse James comes to mind.
Agreed. I sat through damn near 3 hours of Meloncholia and was never bored and that movie creeps along at a snail's pace. This was slow but as Chris said, the acting and imagery make this stand out.
Not this case mate, an utter long ass dragged with no plan or purpose dissapointment, i wasted 3 hours of my life, but me my guest, im not trying to stop you😂
It actually doesn't feel that slow.. so Chris again, doesn't get that. There was setup, there was development of the other characters and attention to the ceremonies of the cult. All that takes time. It doesn't feel like a long movie.
You misinterpreted the film Chris; the opening is directly linked to Danis progression and ultimate character arch. Take another look at the ending through an analytical perspective. She becomes "one with nature" as she becomes part of this family or cult, severing the relationship with Christian and nuetralizing her grief by surrounding herself with an adopted family just as Peli had.
Almost every review I watch of Chris's now he misinterprets such easy to interpret things. I used to watch this channel a lot too and I don't give up easy smh
Scott Mackie Well I just don’t want him to ONLY direct incredibly terrifying weird creepy cult movies for the rest of his life and be labeled as an unoriginal hack with no range.
His laughter leading into a cough was hilarious. My friends and family thought it was impressive, but not likable only because the things that happen in it just sits with you. It’s a heavy film
I love u Chris, but this one of few times I have to disagree. The beginning is essential and ties in with the ENTIRE film. Also the was downright horrific
“The film drags, without a doubt” - I didn’t find this at all. The beautiful cinematography, the acting, the tension of knowing something sinister is simmering below the surface... even with nothing overt happening on screen, I never once felt like a scene was too long or unnecessary. The entire first hour was essential to draw the viewer in and the contrast with the more horrific moments became particularly stark and shocking. The film didn’t impact me as much as Hereditary, but I expect that’s because I knew more what to expect going in to this film.
I'm gonna say it... I liked Midsommar a million times more than Hereditary (and I really liked Hereditary dont get me wrong) but I had a very unique experience watching this film.
I am a horror fanatic have seen thousands of movies and I actually didn't like Hereditary Never understood the many praises it got.I loved Midsommar have seen it 4 times and it gets better with each time.
Toxic relationship? The guy stays with her after the death of the whole family and comforts her at all times and is he toxic? In the end it is she who kills him herself.
Favorite horror film of the 21st century so far for me has gotta be The Babadook. honorable mentions would be The Witch Hereditary 28 Days Later Let The Right One In and The Descent
Венци Георгиев I’d go so far as to drop the qualifier and just say it’s my favorite film of the 21st century thus far. Unforgettable cinema. High hopes for Midsommar and everything else Ari Aster does going forward.
@@jongon0848 I love The Babadook. It's a horror movie but it had an ending I really love. Hereditary is probably the most unsettling one I've seen in the 21st century, followed by It Follows. Us, Insidious and Insidious 2 are the most fun I've had with the horror genre, and Anabelle 2 was just surprisingly great.
He doesn't understand what the thinks he does. He says the witch and uncut gems were great films, that should say enough itself. His taste is certainly not like a lot of peoples. His reviews are not great but he does give us film ideas through quarantine.
becraul Nope, Josh was killed before he got the chance to react to Mark’s disappearance, and Christian was a stupid, cowardly prick who didn’t care about Josh. He and Dani were also manipulated by the Hårga, so they were at a disadvantage.
Brian Aguilar Connie and Simon weren’t part of their group, so you would assume Christian and Mark (who were both dopes) would be fine with the ironic explanation they were given for Connie’s and Simon’s absences, but Dani’s concern and confusion turns into resentment when she sees Christian is unconcerned-thereby telling him that she could see him abandoning her like Simon did to Connie.
I feel like anyone who's never had a panic attack, anxiety disorders and has never dealt with abandonment issues would hate the film and think it's pretentious. The film is about mental illness and how it is still a stigma today for labeling the people that has them a "burden" to the people they are living with. Sad but true. Its even sadder that most ppl never gets this. Florence Pugh acting was superb and I was totally captivated with her throughout the movie. I cried on the scene where she had her final panic attack and a couple of swedish maidens were mimicking her screams. She had a breakdown not because of witnessing Christian's infidelity, sure that was the first trigger but it was also her realizing the shit she had to put thru with him and his very obvious disconnect with her all throughout their relationship esp. when it comes to providing her the empathy she needs. With this, she has become vulnerable to the cult's ways and the support they can provide her, as fucked up as it is she felt more at home with them rather than the real world. The point of the film isn’t to critique the cult, or culture of the Swedish Pagans, but to use them as a foil for looking at our own. Unfortunately, Chris Stuckman didn't understand this.
@callmecatalyst Bless this comment! So true! I was srsly baffled on Chris saying the first 20 mins have nothing to do with the film like... it has everything to do with the film and was never brought up for a reason! For Dani, talking about her problems makes her a problematic human being for chris and his dudebro friends thats why she REFUSES to bring it up but you can tell her family's death is looming with her all through out the film, she even saw her family at that one scene after everyone was congratulating her for winning the dance.
Watched this movie. I enjoyed it. I went in mostly blind so I didn't know what to expect beyond the premise. I just feel like, you completely missed the point in the part you say the opening has no connection to the narrative. That just boggles my mind. I guess the problem with TH-cam is that you can't really elaborate on your point once the video is up there. But man, the ENTIRE movie is connected to the opening and is an extension of it. Her losing her family which leaves a void in her life, which is eventually filled with the 'cult'. The character dynamics are set up perfectly in the opening. The relationships also. The entire movie is about 1) Their relationship 2) Dealing with grief 3) Family Things that are explored and set up perfectly in the opening. So, in terms of your reviews, I think this is the first one I really really disagree with. But that's the fun of movies I guess.
That's your interpretation the cult seemed to almost trigger her anxiety about her family dying more than anything, and she was quick to want to gtfo when the old people jumped , her attitude only changed once she became queen which really makes no sense
@@frownypoints Exactly. To say that the opening is irrelevant to the story completely misses the entire point of the movie. The whole idea at the end that she's feeling finally accepted by a group of people after her boyfriend is being a dick after everything she's been thru. I mean who do you think joins cults? It's people that have been through some shit that are lonely, depressed and looking to be accepted and understood by literally anybody. I mean I don't sympathize with her at end or anything, but I get it.
I think he meant that it wasn’t really explained. The family had a big death kinda out of the blue, and it seemed that they would repeat symbols or meaning from such a big/unique death sequence. It kinda just seemed dramatic to be dramatic instead of symbolic. Like, yeah, literally, her family dies and she feels lost and alone and the cult becomes her new family.
So she became part of a murderous cult because she lost her family, and became a killer herself just because of her broken heart. The first day she almost had a panic attack just from seeing people getting killed, and started to use pills just to sleep, but by the last day after killing her boyfriend, she is not only OK, but happy? The only explanation is that she was high. The movie was gorgeous, but the characters were so plain, even stupid, or intoxicated. At the end it, the setup didn't pay off and he aesthetic didn't compensate the mediocre story. It didn't even feel like a horror movie.
Torey Sinclair is right on the money. The reason some may miss it is because it is given way too much emphasis and feeling of “grief” rather than detachment and lonliness.
Literally the main theme of the movie is family. The fact that was missed by Chris is... odd. SPOILERS: Her family dies, she tries to replace that with her boyfriend and that fails, and throughout the movie this cult empathizes with her lowest points where her boyfriend could not. She decides its time to let go of him, and finally finds a new family that cares for her. This is all told in a fucked up way, but still.
@@Itsalwayscloudyincleveland The death of the family tied in with the theme of how different cultures handle death. Every time she was confronted with death she had negative nightmares/visions about her family, whilst the cult did not see death as something horrific, but as a part of life. Also her finding a new family to share grief with ( the end scene) wouldn't have worked that great without that intro.
Chris just didn't get it. It's kinda saddening considering how many movies he has watched.. that he can't tie the significance of that final shot in relation to everything that happened before.
@Kingdom of Hungary idk when I saw this film I never felt like the filmmaker had an inflated idea of the importance of the film. I just felt while I was watching it like the guy was passionate about this story and believed in it and wanted to tell it, I wasn't a huge fan of it or anything, I thought it was good.
@Catharsis The thesis stuff showed more of how Christian was a taker and selfish. Plus, it was one of the reasons, if not the main reason they didn't try to leave.
@@barrym.3338 Have to disagree. I didn't have a problem with it. They are trying to become anthropologists after all. That's a little different than the average person. Think of real people who put themselves in danger for the sake of journalism for example. Plus, the Hårga explained the ritual well and they didn't actually murder anyone until later on.
This is the first review I've ever seen from you that I blatantly disagree with. It's amazing that it took 7 years for this to happen. You're fantastic Chris, I just disagree here.
I loved the final shots of Florence Pugh walking with the flowers and when she smiles. The cinematography, the editing, the score, the costumes, and Florence, obviously, were amazing!
I never expected it to be great as Hereditary but as long as the director/writer is Ari Aster, I’m still going to watch it. At least this review sort of killed the hype for me. Now I can start fresh and watch it with low expectations.
Same. I knew from the reviews and the advertisements that this wasn't going to be as great as Hereditary, but hey it's Aster. I did anticipate whatever the protagonist's tragedy was to tie in with the rest of the film (like Hereditary), but Chris put a halt to that expectation. But ofc the mainstream audience is gonna hate it so it's gonna wizz pass their heads anyway lol
Ending seemed anticlimactic. The deformed kid seemed like his only purpose was to be used in the trailer. His position in the script is.. unnecessary, and just a convenience. They provide a plausible explanation for him but its like.. not buyable by a moviegoing audience. A lot of stuff was just creepy for the sake of creepy, and seemed overdone. I will say the sense of isolation and inability to escape is maintained well. The trip also makes sense given the majors of those in attendance. I was kind of peeved by this movie
I disagree with you on this one. SPOILER ALERT: The end of the film I felt was Dani’s way of processing the loss of her family as well as her toxic relationship by finally being accepted by these people despite her flaws. Dani’s character is a very dependent person which is only going to spell issues for her in the long run, but as of right now, she feels happy and welcomed and accepted by these people and letting go of her past and her toxic boyfriend is the next stepping stone in her life. I felt like this movie, despite its slow pace, was a masterpiece and was geniusly crafted, and the great thing about this director’s films is rewatching them and discovering new things that only open your eyes further and help you really appreciate his films for what they are.
Agreed. There are heavy themes of harmony in this movie, and when we meet Dani's character she is in an all but harmonious state, I mean, her sister is bipolar, two sides in constant conflict, and as a result of that disharmony she loses her entire family. Another obvious example of this disharmony in her life is obviously the relationship she has with Christian. She suddenly finds herself among a group of people who are all about that harmonious life, with nature, with themselves, and with each other. That allure is slow and steady for Dani, but never a surprise. I was extremely pleased with her journey and how everything ended, beautifully made movie.
@Natalie Mcdonald I definitely agree with you. This notion of sharing was brought up by the Swedish friend who was part of this cult, who straight up said that they "share everything". Not only did the women share Dani's heartbreak and pain, but the entire community really did share everything together. They shared the joy they got from dancing, they shared their meals, they share their beliefs (of course) and rituals, they even shared death, as they not only watched the deaths of their elders together, but those elders died together as well. Whether it was joy or pain or anything else, they cried out together. Definitely a very prominent theme Chris missed.
@Natalie Mcdonald Totally!! Through the film's first act we feel so much of Dani's loneliness and isolation. The opening phone calls, a self-absorbed boyfriend who doesn't give two hoots about her, and her cries for help for her family that are ultimately ignored - with disastrous consequences. She is utterly alone, gaslit, and hurting. But the village shows her a whole new way of life, supported and mirrored by the community around her. Dani's strength and resilience - ie The Maypole - gives her a power she possibly never knew she had, but was always within her (it comes as a huge surprise and delight to her that she can speak the same language, and can sing the song blessing the crops). Her exercising this newfound power, especially in the end scene, was one of the most cathartic moments I've seen in a cinema. And all supported by a group of women who hear her, recognise her, and share in her pain. (Sidebar, it reminded me of The Witch, and Tomasin's literal rise to freedom. Awesome stuff).
Umm she’s toxic too. She murdered her boyfriend because he wasn’t fulfilling her needs? That’s not toxic at all! How about you just find a new boyfriend? Lol
@@Alligators_in_the_sewer She killed her boyfriend because he was abusive and manipulative. And regardless, the killing was more of a metaphor for her standing up for herself.
I love how it’s not really a ‘horror’ film, there’s literally no one singular ‘villain’ it’s just the entire cult. It’s probably the weirdest film I’ve seen actually. Very different to hereditary for sure!
GRIEF was extremely important through the whole film imo. Dani didn't have a home in her relationship which is eventually why we sympathised with her when the cult joined her in that explosive scene. She let it out and in a space where she was finally encouraged to.
Who sympathised with her? Needy, boring, lunatic executes boyfriend for getting roofied. I was hoping the geezer with the giant mallet was going to trepan her at the end. The only sympathetic character was the bear.
It had something to do with the Swedish guy who's parents died in what turns out to be a scarifical fire and he feels like its fate, but felt like they missed the mark on making that connection
But, if the midsommar happens every 90 years, how would that happen? Or the first two villager sacrifices (heads with twigs) were Pelle's parents? For a movie that's over 2hrs long there sure are holes in narrative
GrgoljBlaster A bit late, but I think Pelle refered to the moment where the elderly jump from the cliff and they are incinerated after. Which would be a ceremony held yearly, marking the end of the elders lives.
I think this should be your next second viewing review. I think the events at the beginning tie in very well to the rest of the film. It determines every choice that Dani and Christian make.
Wow, I thought this movie was brilliant. imo, the beginning was very important, the slow build up was necessary and the insanity just kept growing. I fuggen loved it
Wow I thought it was absolutely horrible. The friend’s reactions to each other’s disappearance was just so unrealistic,..I had to force myself to finish watching the movie hoping it would get better. Fans of this movie remind me of those people think paint thrown against a wall is “art”. Too slow. Also they claim the event only occurs once every 90 years and yet everyone of the cult members danced and followed protocol as if they did it every weekend.
@@alexblaze8878 Search up Heavens Gate or Jim Jones and then still tell me this movie is unrealistic. Cults target and isolate people. Once you're too deep in the rabbit hole anything can happen. This movie functions as a good warning for that in my eyes.
While the complexity of the setup regarding Dani’s family seems a bit over the top, I think the point of the setup was to show that Dani was a perfect candidate for some good old fashioned Stockholm syndrome (Sweden and all). She 1. Suffered an inconceivable loss and was overwhelmed with grief 2. Was incredibly isolated with the immense disconnection between her and her partner 3. Pela seemed keen to her potential for acclimating to an environment that would “hold” her like the family she so recently lost and 4. The persistent drug use throughout the film certainly wasn’t going to slow her potential for being impressionable
@@captainchippie4454 Thanks. I wouldn't really call it a spoiler at all, but to each their own. You should probably avoid browsing the comment section of movie reviews if you are this sensitive to 'spoilers'. Dickbag.
@@interlinkedMedia Or maybe you shouldn't spoil shit? And yes revealing the state in which the main character ends the movie is a serious spoiler. There was not a single spoiler in the entire review and yours was the first comment I came across that included any spoilers so that's on you not me shit-for-brains.
Chrisssssssssss...... no, no, no matey!!! The 1st 20mins or so were CRUCIAL for us to understand why she accepts them as family, especially as she sees her dead mom after she is crowned May Queen - it's the ultimate approval - her mom IS there, in spirit!!!! Plus, as bizarre as it seems, finally ppl are sharing her grief - something she wasn't getting back home, through lack of family or support, as is shown in the 1st 20mins, mateyyyyyyyyyyyyy!
@UC055_-16BeNJZt2HkunfmdQ She's super emotional and all the dread from the whole movie culminating into all the terrible things at the end just really got to her I guess ha. I agree it is weird.
Empathy plays such a big role in this film, the way the people cry or scream together or when they tried to calm Dani, they cry with her. The only person that had no empathy for her was Christian. Ironically in the end he got to experience a more physical sense of empathy for Dani, he was burning alive while everything was falling around him and he was immobile and unable to express his pain, which is what he made Dani feel throughout the entire film, her world was falling apart but she wasnt able to express herself around him because of how much she feels guilty for burdening him. And now he knows what she feels. A tragic way to learn empathy but it is beautiful
i feel like you misunderstand how manipulative the cult was to Dani and her friends. they exploited an already weak relationship to make a new cult member. they love bombed her and indoctrinated her into becoming one of them. then they drugged and raped christian with the red headed girl. then go complete the indoctrination they made her choose to kill christian, the rape victim, who is paralyzed, by burning him alive. the cult is evil and Dani was too fragile to realize they were manipulating her. the cult soothes the pain they inflict.
@@samct7015 oh no I didn't miss that. That was horrible. I'm merely interpreting a small factor of the movie. It is an art film and I feel like Dani being the main character allows interpretations of the film that revolve around her sanity
I disagree that the themes were about grief, it was about lack which functions similarly to grief and how cult minds prey on those who lack, particularly those with no family or poor family relations.
You hit the nail right on the head man. It shows how no matter how disgusting and vile the actions of the cult were, she still chose that life over her old one because it filled the void of a family that she didn't have anymore, and that's what real cults do. They don't just exist to be evil, they exist to be everything to someone and then abuse that loyalty to their own crooked ends.
@Pugilist Enthusiast Cool man, I got a lot of enjoyment out of it and thought it was pretty great, but more power to you though I guess. Also, it may have had some funny moments but it's not a comedy... not in the least bit, so I'm not saying you watched it wrong... but like, yeah, it's an underwhelming arthouse comedy in the same way The Shinning is an insipid rom-com.
Hereditary was not only my favourite film of last year, but one of my favourite films of all time. Both the Witch and Hereditary just got to me- and I loved them both, so I do have high hopes for this film
FirstTime ISawJupiter yeah I didn’t entirely see why it was so polarising unless literally about 50% of people didn’t enjoy it because it wasn’t another jumpscare fest...
@@firsttimeisawjupiter1031 Well not hate is more people dont like the movie thats it ,for me the history was poor but the cinematografy was great ,babadook and mother for me are better .
I didn't enjoy it because while I don't mind slow-burn films, the build-up took forever (it was an hour before any supernatural stuff started to happen) and the payoff was laughable to me. I give the film credit for some good performances and it was well-shot, but the last 15 minutes just killed the film to me. I honestly stopped taking the film seriously when Toni Collette's body just floated up into the treehouse. The way it was filmed I honestly thought I was watching a parody of supernatural films. Almost everyone in the theater (including me) laughed at the very last scene when they started chanting the demon's name.
It was about how personal and community based relationships can be toxic. If you notice, the communith all felt the same emotions: sadness, joy, sexual pleasures, etc
Stu Boyd and the first scene in the movie was needed as well as Dani’s toxic boyfriend (who in some ways wasn’t entirely toxic just unhappy) in order to give her a reason to join into the cult “family”. I really enjoyed this movie and building my own ideas and opinions concerning the story and motives of the characters. Definitely required some thinking vs other spoon fed films.
@@TheEnigmaticBM39 Yeah no shit, but to say that she was "toxic" from the beginning when she was obviously influenced by gaslighting and manipulation is downright wrong
“The first 20 minutes.. rarely ever explored or referenced again” “The first hour dragged” I’m sorry, what film were you watching? The first 20 minutes were imperative to the entire story, and are constantly referenced. Dani’s entire story is centred around her trauma, her toxic/emotionally abusive relationship and her grief. This entire review feels as though you watched the film as if it was going to be a trophy horror film where a group of unaware teens go to an odd festival and things go wrong.. You completely missed the point of the film... I suggest you watch it again.
So, because her family offed themselves and her boyfriend was an apathetic / dismissive piece of shit... murderous cult is suddenly an ideal option for replacement family? ok.
@@nobodynoone3428 Than feel free to explain how exactly there's "more to it than that." The recurring argument is that 'well, that beginning is that way because it leads to her becoming adopted by that cult.' The cult that seems to spend an extended amount of their lives on psilocybin, that murder anyone that may threaten their way of life or insult their customs, that follow scripture "interpreted" by mentally-disabled children bore from incest, and that are seemingly procuring outsiders in which to sacrifice for their celebration. Some family.
@@coldiceage5339 There are other comments on here that go into detail if you need it. I suggest you read them or watch it again. Pay closer attention to things like her mental state and how supportive the cult is if you really don't understand her actions.
@@nobodynoone3428 Other people enjoyed the film, and that's fine. I just really loathe comments that recommend a reviewer or critic that "didn't get it" and are told to "watch it again." People came on here for Chris's opinion yet are bothered by it. To make it seem like Chris is wrong is really counter-productive and defeats the purpose of what a critic's job is. I don't need or really want to read the opinions and interpretations of others because this flick didn't do anything for me. It was shot nice, but didn't have a compelling story and makes the whole "she joined a cult because they became like a family to her" a really strange identifying point. Not only do essentially ALL cults have a taboo air about them (usually for several damn good reasons), but it doesn't make up for all the things they do in the course of this film. It feels, to me, like a shoehorned point that doesn't stick the landing the more you think about it. There are far better ways to leave toxic relationships instead of watching others sacrificed in the name of their different beliefs. But if that's something you can identify with, more power to you. I didn't care for it, nor the people who say I'm watching a movie incorrectly.
Ryan Hartwell I’ve enjoyed all Aster’s movies (even tho Midsommar was a little disappointing)....but I think he would do even better ditching the horror elements and doing a straight-up drama. The psychological aspects and character dynamics in all his stuff are much more compelling and even terrifying to me than the horror elements.
I just saw the Director's Cut! I disagree with you on all points! Ari Aster is a breath of fresh air in the horror genre that continues to adhere to the usual tropes, namely jump scares! I find eerie, creepy psychological films to be more effective rather than "The Conjuring 5: Nuns vs. Predator!"
Has anyone seen the Director’s Cut? I think it’s adds a good deal to the storyline. If the theatrical version is a B+ for me, I’d certainly give the Director’s Cut an A minus or an A. It’s nearly as good as Hereditary imho. Chris should review it. Maybe his opinion might change. I think he undergraded/underrated this one.
Gotta disagree with this review. The first 15 minutes were essential for Danni to accept the cult as her only family. Dropped the ball on this one, I’d give this one an A.
I thought about Hereditary for an entire week after watching it. And THAT scene made me cry from the sheer shock, music, and build up and true terror of it. I cannot wait for this film!
I thought the most disturbing thing about the end was that the kid looked lost.... not possessed or powerful, or happy about his situation, nevertheless, it was the point that he realized he was the culmination of all the horrors of the entire movie... there would be no worse hell than that... his entire identity is gone
The main character goes through a life changing tragedy within the first 15 mins and sets up a sense of tragedy and despair and you call that a drag or slow?
@@lopezfan24 what? Dude that tradegy added so much to the characters personality. It gave you clear indication of what shes going to be like in the movie and how her friends will treat her. She saw visions of them, and even their crazy friend used it as a way to make her stay. The vocal point of her story was that she was alone, had truly no one, and ended up taking haven in this screwed up "family" cult. I honestly cant understand why people think that whole thing was an unnecessary addition to the movie. Especially when ppl claim they know that the director heavily focuses on characters being heavily personal and believable even if you've never experienced what they have.
Dying Waffle you may see it that way but I just see it as a pretentious film that is trying way to be hard to be artsy. I appreciate the acting, editing, and cinematography but this was not my cup of tea.
@@lopezfan24 definitely a slow burner type of movie so I completely understand if this wasnt your tea, but pretentious is just an ignorant insult to the movie imo because the movie in no way came off as a bullshit story that tried making you feel "I cant understand the beauty of the craft" when the craft itself was so carefully put together. This movie deviated itself and explored a sub genre of horror that is hard to take in because it's not the usual formula but mark my words, horror needs this creativity. It may not work ever again but we need these creators that are willing to express their art and vision.
@@dyingwaffle95 give Aster credit when it's due, don't just slob on his cock all the time. Midsommar was disappointing compared to Hereditary. Aster never wanted this to be compared to Hereditary, but with similar themes of grief, similar trends of loss, it appears like it, it's only difference being a theme that never landed. It was stale, it did nothing new, the only dread I felt was seeing the way people were tortured. It was an abysmal horror movie, a poorly told 'fairy tale'. I'm glad Aster isn't making more horror.
Hereditary did it in best way. This movie was overrated as hell. Besides you missed the actual message, it is how easy it is to influence people to join cult, and you got influenced pretty easily.
![[DRIP] ‘CLIK CLAK’ PREVIEW](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/bcxkcOSbpac/mqdefault.jpg)
As a swedish person I can tell you that the most unrealistic thing about this movie is probably the weather being so nice, the weather is always shit on midsommar
Linn Jansson dude your winters are shit. I was there for the last 2 winters I maybe got 5 days the sun came out
@@kaytrout3836 sounds like New York winters these days.
I saw the movie, if the most unrealistic thing about Midsommar is the weather I'm very scared of you, lol!
Hahaha I thought the same, I'm Norwegian though.. But they do mention its the best summer In decades so...
@@mullaoslo Yes, they did say that.
"I struggle to understand exactly what the first 20 minutes has to do with the rest of the movie except for the themes of grief." The first 20 minutes set up the fact that Dani is completely alone in the world. Her family is gone, her boyfriend is distant and she really has nobody else to rely on. The cult is the family that she longed for and for the first time, she finally belongs. The entire rest of the movie serves as a solution to the problem the first 20 minutes set up. The first 20 minutes is absolutely integral to the finale of this film. Not sure how you thought it was random and never addressed as it's the whole point of the movie.
(Spoiler)
Right! Why does he think Dani smiles at the end of the movie? Because she’s high?! No, it’s because she has found her place and her peace within this community as it’s the perfect solution to all of her problems
@@timdagerman2538 Precisely! Dani's problem is abandonment, first by her family and then by her boyfriend, and acceptance into the cult. Having said that, I have to admit that I didn't like the film.
The first 20 minutes held me captive more than the entire rest of the film. Dani, a young woman, is consumed by an ominous email from her only sibling. A sister. Dani sends numerous emails, trying not to be frantic. Emails go unanswered. Dani calls parents and the audience is led to believe the parents are sleeping. No response. Dani calls her bf and the reassurance she was so desperate for is replaced by hollow nothing words. Dani calls her bestie and I gotta day, I totally related, but Dani still isn’t consoled. Dani then is faced with her worst fear. Not only has her sister offed herself, she killed the parents as well. The ominous email wasn’t bullshit after all. And here we have our heroine alone, despite her relationship status
So Dani was a psychopath who's answer to overcoming grief is to enjoy the fact that your friends were brutally murdered and boyfriend burned alive by a cult. Yeah I'm not seeing the beautiful message here. Seek help.
@@puma59graciefighter Unless it's not meant to be taken literally. As a metaphor for overcoming grief, trauma, finding the strength to leave a dead relationship and also finally feeling like you have a home where you can express yourself for who you are (as exemplified by how everyone in that community echoes each other's screams and moans as if they're sharing their emotions communally), it works perfectly.
Also, if you wanna take it literally, yeah it's plausible and doesn't make her a psychopath. If you've been genuinely traumatized and are in immense grief that you can't seem to escape no matter what yes, you might end up finding joy in literally watching the last remnants of what was once your horrible life burn down to ash. Atleast that's what the last scene seemed like to me in a literal sense, she wasn't glad her friends and boyfriend were all murdered (or even thinking about that per se), she was happy that she could start anew, almost as if her prior life had never existed. Not a healthy coping mechanism I'd say, but it's perfectly understandable in that sense.
"It felt very similar to The Wicker Man. I'm gonna give Midsommar a B-"
Noooo, not the B's. Not the B's!
Don't worry. Its only similarity to The Wicker Man is on the most superficial level. The people who think it's a Wicker Man story (like Stuckmann) completely missed the actual story of the movie, which takes place between the main character and her boyfriend. This movie is basically a breakup drama that happens to be set in the midst of a cult ritual. It's really driving me crazy how some of these professional critics don't get such an obvious thing. The movie makes it very, very clear, so it's like these people are just refusing to accept the movie on its own terms.
Underrated comment. I laughed a lot harder than I should’ve.
This should be pinned ffs
SpiffyMcZender legendary comment
@@chelovek500 I'm going to watch the move because of your comment.
I’ve never had to turn the volume up and down so much in my life. I couldn’t let go of the damn remote.
Facts
You should upgrade your TV. TVs now have a feature that levels out the sound.its been around years lol
@Darren Evans lmao found out about this after the movie doing some researching. Wish I knew before!
Darren Evans Oh, yeah? What is that feature called I’d like to know.
I had the exact same experience lol
It’s a beautifully made movie about the dumbest group of friends I have ever seen in life
Just Gerrod Probably the best possible summary of the movie. Well done
Because they are mostly white, as an Asian person, i see a bunch of white people wearing white i am going home.
mybe because their on drugs for most of it.
@@groovywoovy6751 Yeah, it's the first they do. Wow, this is beautiful. Let's do shrooms and trip the fuck out. What the fuck.
@@alexsxsxs1817 My African soul was like that too. No color = no life. I felt like wrapping myself in A colorful kitenge cloth just so I could feel safe watching all these weird people in white.
My guy is grinning and smiling while the lady is crying on the thumbnail 🤣 couldn’t help but laugh at that
lol sooo true!
That's exactly what I do when I don't know what to say to someone crying
The juxtaposition is immensely unnerving.
Lmfao!!
Now imagine them both crying
I will not forgive the Academy for snubbing Toni Collette's performance in Hereditary.
Dinner Blaster they don’t recognize horror movies exist
Agreed - she was the worst snub of the year!
Didn’t even get nominated, so unfair 😩
she defiently should have a award...................
the academy is notorious for snubbing incredible talent and instead nominating decency.
The beginning set-up of her family dying is literally the entire point of the movie, in short, her finding a family who can empathize with her happiness and pain and fully accept her into their family.
It's not that it's not important, it's just incredibly fleshed out, making an explicit point that her sister was bi-polar, making the ominous emails a key factor in the incident, and for what? I assumed the sister was going to be revealed to have been some way connected to Harga, and I was waiting to find out what the emails were really about. It was a misleading way to set up the premise of the film.
It's not my main gripe with the film, but I also find it a little concerning that it buys into the trope that people with bi-polar disorder are crazy, homicidal, and suicidal, when the inclusion of that was not necessary. They could still portray intense family drama without damaging tropes under the guise of being woke :/
" who can empathize with her". These are cultists. They do not empathize. They are ruthlessly brainwash people, destroy relationships and, in this movie, kill people. The whole topic is mishandled, the movie almost glorifies cults.
@@StRanGerManY they do empathize as seen by the cultists hysterically crying when Dani and other members of their community are in pain.
@@lamartlockhart9273 if you think this is a healthy empathy, I pity you. Like I said, this nothing more then ruthless brainwashing
That's a load of absolute bullshit. That's what the movie is trying to say but it fails. She was the only one with any sense out of the whole group, until the last 15minutes of the movie. She does a complete 180. If you really buy that shit, I'd love to know what drugs you're smoking
*Spoiler*
The death of the parents is needed for her to accept the cult as her only family
Yeah exactly, I felt the parent thing wasn't mentioned much or expanded because the main character wanted to forget them. Anytime her parents are mentioned early on, she shuts down and has a panic attack. The movie is about her killing that memory and accepting the cult as her family.
Chance Thrash didn’t think about that until you mentioned it. That’s a good point. I felt like this film needed 5 more minutes to conclude what had just happened. A lot of the cult was left unexplained and we still don’t know to what capacity Dani has accepted the cult
Chance Thrash I agree, and I also felt that the Pelle character had actually murdered the parents and sister and made it look like a murder/suicide. An elaborate setup to get her to the festival. There were subtle hints with the flowers in the parents bedroom.
@@jeffgianone3872 I strongly disagree. She chose to sacrifice her abusive boyfriend (which, by the way, he WAS abusive. Gaslighting is terrible mental abuse, and it's somewhat upsetting that Chris shoved it off as just a bad relationship no one wanted to be in). And she ended with a smile. It's easy to see that she accepted the cult fully and truly. You can't just force death upon someone and be happy about it and NOT be captivated by the cult
Nicole Myers that’s true. I still felt like the lack of explanation of what midsommar was really about was what lost me
I thought the inbred Oracle was going to play a bigger role
Justin Macabre same
brenden zitur dame thing with Charlie in hereditary
The only thing I dislike about the film.
I mean... he did write down all the events of every ritual. Remember when the member said their book is constantly in progress.
TheDarkMaster02 yes, but he got like no screen time is what I mean.
The whole situation with Dani's sister and parents was extremely important to the entire film. She buried that grief and experience so deeply because she didn't have anyone around her to give her an outlet for it, and then she finally got around people who wanted to share it with her, to take her grief upon themselves and when they did she realized she was finally home.
I lost my son and I know how deeply grief can be buried. You put it as far down as you can inside yourself and never allow it to come up because it's so primal and frightening. And then something happens that brings it out and you scare yourself hearing those sounds that come out of your own body. Florence Pugh is an amazing actress, she should get an Oscar for this role.
Well put.
i’m sorry for your loss.
Thank you so very much. I appreciate that!
Too bad those people manipulated her...
I haven't seen this film but I too have lost a child.. this made me want to watch the film. I know the pain you go through everyday.. keep fighting. 💜
I need to know what the other Keanus are at the bottom of his tshirt.
Probably Ted and the Speed guy
@@adriramadhan4536 that's EXACTLY what it is.
@@adriramadhan4536 i was thinking maybe Ted and Constantine
Speed era and Bill and Ted era.
ted and johnny silverhand
When that lady started singin during the sex scene the whole theater bursted out laughing. That was great haha
Daniel Camacho Same. Especially when the old lady came to push on his butt!
Yeah that did make me laugh
Anicodeaufo 59 damn
Anicodeaufo 59 What are you talking about?
That happened on my section too. But I didn't laugh, it was such a deep moment (no play of words here) that I didn't think it was funny at all. I didn't know how many references this movie had, and since I haven't watched the other movies, this one for me was amazing. In some aspects, even better than Hereditary. And the director has earned the right of being pretentious, in my opinion :)
SPOILER
The scene where Christian was holding Danni on the couch while she was mourning the loss of her family is significant. Christian wasn't mourning with her or trying to comfort her beyond letting her cry on his lap. In the village/cult place everyone mourns for each others losses as if they were their own, as though they could physically and emotionally experience what everyone else was going through. Danni's experience with family (at least from what was shown) was disconnected, in contrast to the village where everyone is practically in sync. When it was Danni's birthday Pelle was there for her. When Danni saw Christian cheating on her her 'sisters' were there for her. Everyone in the village accepted and loved her unconditionally as family. Having no family left at home, and Christian dead, Danni could finally let go.
Yes, this! I must admit I disagreed with Chris's review. The first 20 minutes are SO important to this setup. Without seeing Dani's grief, we wouldn't have had that moment where all the themes click into place, and that moment is the scene when her sisters cry with her. I found that profoundly moving. She's found her family. She can finally give up her codependence on a man who doesn't 'hold her'. And she does that in a pretty disturbing way.
The cheating was engineered by the cult. Why does nobody understand that?
@@SarahDalton She hasn't. She's only been broken enough to join the cult.
Gregory House Exactly! People seem to be so eager to give meaning to this meaningless film
@@DrGregoryHouseIT Who 'doesn't understand that'? No one said it wasn't. As you watch the movie it becomes clear that literally every major event in this film was engineered by the cult. From Dani arriving, to all her friends being sacrificed, and her becoming May Queen. Chris cheating too, but by then their relationship had already gone to shit so that was really just the icing on the cake.
This movie and hostel taught me to say "no" when invited by someone to go to a different country
I mean.. it turned out pretty good for Dani at the end 🤷♀️😂
@@ChocolateEyedGirl87 Not exactly. We don't get to see what happens next.
@@ChocolateEyedGirl87 she should've been sacrificed with them imo
What I took away from hostel is, don’t hang out with strangers just because they’re hot. Basically don’t be afraid to trust your gut, ever.
What ‘situation’?? I live in London...
“The characters felt kinda like objects” I mean most of the characters were only brought to the village to specifically be sacrificed.
That’s what cults dov
You're missing the point. The film was not presented as being from the community's view. We see the main characters interact with each other ouside of Sweden, where their purpose is not to be an object. When he said the characters feel like objects, he didn't mean it in a literal sense. The characters fall flat. Their only traits are fitted to their individual niche plot points, and they are not believable, likeable, or hateable.
I got the feeling that Connie, the Indian girl who was abandoned by her boyfriend, was brought in as a revenge sacrifice for Pelle, since he mentioned that he once dated her and lost her to Simon.
@@turtleislandlac1490 it wasn't Pelle that dated her, it was Ingemar
@@lernernernerdicapricorn6914 Pelle said in the film that they dated before, and the girl got angry and said it was "one date."
i disagree.. the setup of the characters greif is totally payed off by the "cult" women screaming with the main character, she finally has people who can "share" her feelings the way her bf couldn't
She never expressed these feelings to her boyfriend and did it in a codependent way.
Spirit of Yusuke 008 she literally cried her eyes out with him and called him and explained how she felt about the sister situation
You're streching it way too far.
They are only copying
@@hastalavista3814 its a manipulation. But that doesnt mean she didnt feel comforted in some way. Parents often do that to babies to make their kids stop crying. It works somehow.
E-xac-tly! She is basically slowly indoctrinated into this cult.. and the movie does a tremendous good job at taking us thru that. Im miffed that Chris didn't get that.
"I made a lot of people go see Hereditary.... and they all hated it!".... And then a Chucky-like laugh 🤔
Good job
Deadpool's Hitlist probably braindead marvel fans. If he sent Intellectual and superior dc fans he would have got much better results
DayTripper Rick and Morty fans would’ve liked it as well
@@roycastanon5754 pretty fucked up way to think, but it is what it is.
@DayTripper What the fuck lmao ahh yes because the whole "MaRtHa" situation is only for true intellectuals that understand it's peak cinema
I completely disagree with your opinion on the setup. It makes her in need of a community. I definitely thought it WAS a compelling story, but to each their own.
Ikr... I didn't really liked the movie overall but if anything, the setup was exploited perfectly...
Also the fact that pelle kept mentioning how similar they were because both of them were orphans, he kept reminding her of her family.
She was amazing. She gave one of the few convincing portrayals of grief and trauma that I've seen.
I thought the same.
Leaving this here to add to add to this if it is noticed. I have seen grief, DEEP pain, wailing, what the actress did here was incredibly realistic to what I have come to know, I hope to see more actors making this sort of real, raw, emotion on film, it is never pretty, it shouldn't be.
It was an Oscar-worthy performance. Criminal that she wasn't even nominated
The "Honk" crying did it for me.
I guess you havent seen many portrayals of grief then
The movie 100% revolves around the death of her family. Her struggle, her anxiety and finally the peace and “love” she finds. Normally agree but I gotta say you’re so off with this review. IMO of course!
He clearly did not understand the movie, probably went for a leak when pelle was telling dani about how he found his family in the cult and it is ok to let go of the past and find a new family. This is intricately connected with the final shot of Dani smiling but Mr. Stuckmann couldn't understand probably.
I completely agree with you, I think this movie was great, the visuals were incredible... I watched the director's cut yesterday and it made me love the movie even more... I really think Chriss got it wrong this time, or maybe he didn't pay to much attention on the details, because everything you need to understand the plot is there.
Exactly! I cannot believe that someone who reviews movies could totally overlook the theme that the ENTIRE movie was portraying.
He's being generous, man. The movie was too pretentious and boring. I would give a 4/10
Asad condescension never looks attractive on anybody
the reference the tragedy in the beginning in the end, before the final plot. The grief, I feel is beyond present in this film, through the whole movie I could feel Dany's grief. The way she would constantly have anxiety attacks or when every trip she had was bad, because she would be triggered by her grief. I can see where it doesn't feel as present as in hereditary, but its there the whole movie until the end.
I couldn't agree more. The way she basically embraces her new self and her new family at the end is beautiful
Exactly! Her grief is there but it's just different. I feel like everyone compared it to Hereditary too much, heck even I did when I was watching it in the theater, but they are two completely different films. If we were going to compare the two the grief felt in Hereditary was vastly different because it was grief of a mother losing a child and the guilt and shame from the brother for accidentally causing her death. Dani in Midsommar just simply feels loss, the grief of having no one to go home to, of feeling lost in the world.
I was trying my best to focus on what you were seeing but Keanu Reeves took the show lol
Same
Same ✋
Do you know where we can find this amazing shirt????!!!!plz!!
@@alcarajo61 search for "Pop Keanu Anytime" on RiptApparel :)
@@hisllagb you're breathtaking!!!
the fact that chris was in some sort of cult when he was young makes this review all the more personal
And perhaps might be the reason he dismissed it.
yes,I agree
I can relate to Chris Stuckman's pov being I was raised in a Pentecostal evangelical church, so cults are real world horror for me.
@@TheWelchProductions What is the story behind this? I was pretty surprised at this review but if Chris went through something similar in his youth it might be a bit too much for him. This movie is very powerful in how it draws you in to this crazy ass cult along with the main character and make it all look so wholesome.
@@garycoates4987 Jesus is lord
@@masonwright7700 Lord of midsommer?
It seems Chris missed the point of the film, the first 20min are important and completely relate to the events that unfold afterwards
EXACTLY. Idky every reviewer is copying that same mindset too cause that whole first 20 mins was crucial and an important element to the main characters plot
100%, i kind of dismissed his review after that. Maybe he mispoke because he wouldnt have missed that connection no?
I think some are really struggling to get their heads round the fact that this isnt "bunch of protagonist teens" meet "creepy cult". They have latched onto that as a horror trope and because of that are completely miswatching/misinterpreting the film.
I agree with you, and I also see why people feel the way Chris does. I don't feel like they NEEDED to visit it again for me personally, the setup in the beginning was hanging over everything else that happened, and to me, that was the reason all of the horrible moments were so powerful, because I was thinking "imagine going through this after what she went through". Same with the scenes with drugs and the panic attacks, it was awful because of what happened with her family.
disdust Right!!
me: im gonna take shrooms before i see Midsommar and im gonna take my girl too that sounds like a great idea
*it was not a great idea*
OMG DON'T DO IT LOL
what happened?? tell us
i had no idea this movie was going to include psychedelic visuals and essentially be a bad trip the *entire* time, so when all that shit started going down it freaked me the f u c k out lol, and my trip just made it worse, i didn't know what was my trip and what was theirs, everything was so amplified and confusing
logic is biracial holy fuck😂😂😂 thanks for sharing
Druuuggss! Wow so cool, ever tried “sarcasm”?! It gets me high af.
Speaking of the humor in the movie, was anyone else dying when Will Poulter's character was having a bad mushroom trip in the beginning of the movie? xD
I think everyone died every time he opened his mouth. *cough* Swedish *cough* meatball *cough* sex clubs *cough* *cough*
Laughing, yes. Dying? Not quite. But he was funny in a realistic way, not just every-other-movie-goofball way.
@@shadowfoam3491 I love his character. He's aweful. He's the worst type of person. And I know people exactly like him
I started laughing when the woman started singing during the sex scene
Christians reaction was perfect
It's kinda strange that Chris didn't find connection between first twenty minutes and the rest of the movie, because it's completely understandable if you think a little about the main character's storyline. Chris is really good at finding deeper meaning in artsy films and yet in this case he somehow didn't went beneath the surface
He went through the floods to see this
I’m with Chris on this one. The first 20 mins had me thinking after the end credits rolled “what actually happened to that girl’s family?”
It also set the movie up to be more gruesome and sinister, rather than the cleaner version of the rest of the story we got.
I know I am a year late, but I just watched this movie for the first time.
I think he didnt mean about the death of a family and grief, I think setting up her sister was what he mentioned. Why did she kill her parents? Why did it even had to be a sister? If you wanted to achieve grief car accident would do the same thing, but it would raise the questions that are currently left un answered.
I bet there is a lot of cut content due to the movie already being 140min long and director didnt want to ruin the pacing, which in my mind is just perfect for this type of movie.
"..didn't go beneath the surface". Fixed free of charge. 😉
@@boke75 k-o-k-o-t
The opening set up wasn’t visited again? Were we watching the same movie? Sorry, but you really dropped the ball on this one.
Spoiler
The danse macabre (the opening shot of the movie) is so important to what then takes place. For those that don’t know, the danse macabre is a medieval painting commissioned after the Black Death. It details young and old, rich and poor, nobility and peasant, holy and sinful all in a dance with death. It is a visual representation that death comes for us all, it’s unforgiving and impartial.
The entire movie is an exploration into how different cultures perceive and interact with the fact that death is inescapable. Clue, they were anthropology students so studying different societies is kind of their whole thing.
The death of Danni’s family members at the beginning of the movie and her subsequent mental fragility is needed as a way of contrasting how Danni and the audience view death compared to the villagers. The manner in which they died is also pretty essential to understanding the film. Danni originally suffers immensely from the loss of her family. She spends the majority of the film fixated on the death of her sister and parents. She see’s their faces when confronted with death, she dreams about them and spends several scenes alone engulfed by the grief they left behind. She doesn’t remember them with any fondness because the loss itself is too much to cope with and ends up haunting her. Her family become metaphorical ghosts.
However, the villagers view death entirely differently. They confront death, embrace it even like it is an honour. It is still painful for them yet it is bearable because they accept it is a part of life. Like the seasons it is a cycle. The festival was not only a celebration of life (getting the daughter pregnant) but of death as they are entangled and inseparable.
Two lines explain this film. Before the dance to decide the Mayqueen, the elder details how the dark ones (death) came for the living, and mocked them by forcing them into a dance. But now it is the living that mock death, as they decide when to embrace him and how they will do so.
Moreover, the typical cycle of grief and pain left behind after suicide, or death in general is transformed into a cycle of appreciation and love for those that we have lost.
To say that the opening set up is not revisited would be to miss the films entire meaning. Thematically the opening scenes are with Danni until the very last shot, when she smiles
Thank you. I'm surprised how this movie went over so many people's heads.
M E TELL EM LOL
t d haha cheers, appreciate it brother
Good job. This was an incredible movie, and here is a little glimpse as to why really well written.
I don't care about the themes. The storyline isn't explained whatsoever. What do they get out of the rituals with Dani? Why did she choose Christian to die over the random guy from the village? What do they get out of sacrificing the 9 people at the end? Why is Dani smiling as the credits roll? Heriditary at least showed the motives of what the cult was doing, but this movie not so much. To me this is why people aren't liking this one as much, because there isn't really a conceivable story. It's just like: "here's some violence. Ahhhh scary right?"
The 2003 Midsummer was remade in 2008 as Solstice by the director of The Blair Witch Project. I'm here to bring you all the uninteresting trivia.
Im all for it
Wow that's cool, gotta check out the older ones before this one , thanks 👍
Some people love uninteresting trivia ~ gracias
Is it any good?
I was gonna like the video but you never showed us the lower half of your shirt, I wanted to see those two Keanus.
Sameee
I was thinking which 2 keanu's is on the lower half. Maybe, bill and Ted movie Keanu, and Speed movie Keanu.
@@tank100286 I'm thinking speed on the left & on the right 2077
Bottom two pictures are John Constantine and Ted Logan.
It's breathtaking!
This movie has an overall theme of how easy it is for a cult to draw in members on the promise of empathy and unity and, once in, easily brainwash them to potentially commit heinous acts (i.e. torture, suicide, sacrifice, killings) for the "good" of the cult (Charles Manson). This is especially true now days when "recruiters" (Pele, and his brother) have easy pickins from a society filled with "lazy", "apathetic", "unwanted", and/or "lonely" people (I quoted these words because they are used in the movie). The movie confirms this by "recruiting" the audience in feeling "empathetically" happy for Dani in making the "decision" (was it hers or was she coerced, especially by Pele) to rid herself of those who shunned her! Is this movie propaganda for YOUR eventual indoctrination much like the initial mural that showed Dani and "friends'" reason for being there and their eventual fate?!
Good take.
@@tylerwinter512 Thanks! It's a deeper movie than I believe most give it credit for.
When the sex scene came up
Someone just said
" dis disney musical is fcked up "
Everyone was just laughing at this moment
I mean I would have laughed too, but it's not cool to talk out loud in such an intense last act
The sex scene is just unintentionally hilarious
Zamza fuck off troll
"The first 20 minutes provide a set up that's rarely ever explored again or referenced throughout the film."
Excuse me? Did we watch the same movie?
Dani barely mentions her family is what he probably meant
Brian Aguilar i mean, she doesn’t have to say that she’s grieving to express it. i think she shows it perfectly well
@@brianaguilar8283 Dude, she literally has mental breakdowns everytime someone mentions "family". What else do u want her to mention 🙄?
Dinky Donkey why the fuck are you attacking me as if that’s my complaint? It’s Chris Stuckmann’s criticism. Calm the fuck down.
@@brianaguilar8283 you're the one who needs to calm down
I adored Hereditary, saw it 3 times in the theater and I just got back from seeing Midsommar......I definitely need to see it again to gather my thoughts.
ThatMissQuin yeah I loved hereditary, saw midsommar yesterday and was excited but left so so disappointed.. was too weird with a plot that has no backbone . & oh wasn’t scary one bit.. just way too weird
@@andrewperaza2839 unsettling is a better word than scary for sure. It did make me want to re-watch the Wicker Man (1973).
Midsommar was very bizarre, but good, but not as good as Hereditary. I'd watch it again too, but might skip the cliff scene, which was too much for me. Also, the chicken coop scene, good lord..
I’m going to see it tonight over Spider-Man im thinking ima need to go see it at least twice
My feelings exactly
I'm here after his recent video discussing his childhood in the JW...This review hits a little bit differently now. Just know that we are all so proud of you Chris for having such amazing strength!
A HUGE theme of this movie is FAMILY. It absolutely made use of it's set up. That's literally the entire point of the ending.
Eh, family is used pretty loosely. What about family? How they kill eachother?
Randy Johnson no. finding and choosing your family. how do you not see it? dani tried to find her family in someone that wasn’t interested in her but she finds it in people that can emphasize with her pain
I got that intellectually, but not emotionally. That's why I hated the film. It takes far too long to drive home that point with characters I didn't care about.
Eric Chapman exactly. People keep calling everyone who didn’t like the film dumb, but that’s not why a lot of those people didn’t like it. It just didn’t get enough of an emotional response out of me. I was neither bored nor scared by it
The final shot in the movie with Florence smiling before the credits started was amazing.
87_Michael Yeah. She finaly accepted her situation and felt at home. Like she belonged and Had a family.
Please put **SPOILER**
I’ve already seen it but still. Don’t ruin it for others.
@@orangeradios your on a video discussing the movie lmao. You should expect there to be spoilers hahaha
@@Anton-os5lk She actually is mentally broken, according to her portrayer.
@@AR-ch5ix Some people want to know what their critic thinks of the film BEFORE they watch it (not me but some I'm sure.) Its not a "discussion" its a review.
looks like a 140 minute long laundry powder comercial
😭😭😭
😂😂😂
LMAO
What the hell is that supposed to mean??? Are you anti white European?
@@andrewtree4725 dude it wasn't that deep it's a joke relating to a horror movie sksksksks
i have never wanted bad things to happen to a group of people more then when i saw this movie. I hated all the dudes the entire film.
And that isn’t a flaw, since you’re supposed to only care about the main character.
Ohhh that's why I didn't feel anything
I didn't necessarily hate the male characters, I just thought everyone, excluding the engaged couple were dumb to the point where death was deserved. And even the engaged couple i thought was sorta dumb because as a Christian there were so many signs
The sun sign entrance they literally walked through to get there, the sun worship, the quilt showing the love spell with pubic hairs, etc.
@Tomas Loayza I guess you can’t expect everyone to have sympathy for a character even when it’s deserved.
Being dumb and ignorant doesnt mean you deserve death tho dafuq
The last time I was this early...Keanu was still on an Excellent Adventure.
Akilleus nah i like this lmao
@@gibbysmoviecorner8286 No no.. It's lame. Trust me!
Points
Lame.
Look
Amazing
Man
Excellent !
I was really high when I watched this movie and I literally can’t describe the feeling when watching this, it was so surreal and messed up, yet entertaining at the same time. I couldn’t tell if what was happening in the movie was actually happening or if it was just me.
Me too! I was completely stoned via chocolate cake. I had to skip it because I was having a very bad trip.
same here man. For some reason that floral costume that Dani wears at the end, when the house is burned down, really disturbed me. She looked like a pheasant.
I was high as shit too and honestly I thought it was a comedy... bruh shit was weird and hilarious. Not even remotely scary either. Characters were dumb, decent watch stoned, wouldn't waste 3 hours sober.
Thats how I felt when i went to go see climax
for some moments I got super disturbed
Hearing a movie is slow makes me want to see it. So many times in slow scenes (if handled by a good filmmaker) there's much more going on than appears. As long as the acting is good and the subtext is there, a "slow" part can be more exciting than a big action set piece. Assassination of Jesse James comes to mind.
Agreed. I sat through damn near 3 hours of Meloncholia and was never bored and that movie creeps along at a snail's pace. This was slow but as Chris said, the acting and imagery make this stand out.
Inglorious Bastards is a good example
Not this case mate, an utter long ass dragged with no plan or purpose dissapointment, i wasted 3 hours of my life, but me my guest, im not trying to stop you😂
It actually doesn't feel that slow.. so Chris again, doesn't get that. There was setup, there was development of the other characters and attention to the ceremonies of the cult. All that takes time. It doesn't feel like a long movie.
It wasn't slow. Crazy shit starts happening in no time.
4:00 I mean you know that dancing around this 'tree-like object' is literally the original midsummer ritual in Sweden
You misinterpreted the film Chris; the opening is directly linked to Danis progression and ultimate character arch. Take another look at the ending through an analytical perspective. She becomes "one with nature" as she becomes part of this family or cult, severing the relationship with Christian and nuetralizing her grief by surrounding herself with an adopted family just as Peli had.
Sam Clark it’s seem she bonded with peace at the end
Right! Through the movie she is reminded that she has no one at home for her, nothing to tie her down.
Absolutely, but Chris is too high minded to read any of these comments.
As a speaker of Norwegian (very similar to Swedish), his name was “Pelle”
Almost every review I watch of Chris's now he misinterprets such easy to interpret things. I used to watch this channel a lot too and I don't give up easy smh
I’m excited for this movie, but I just hope Ari Aster’s next film isn’t about a weird creepy cult.
The Shawshank Inception this is his last horror film in a very long time. He wants to explorer comedy and other stuff in the future
He said Midsommar will be his last horror in a long time. Ari is currently writing a sci-fi movie and also wants to make a musical.
What is wrong with cult movies we haven't had ome like this in a while it looks amazing
Scott Mackie Well I just don’t want him to ONLY direct incredibly terrifying weird creepy cult movies for the rest of his life and be labeled as an unoriginal hack with no range.
@@bravovince3070 nooooooooooo
Chris is showing way too much joy in the thunbnail while there's a woman crying in the background...
Nuclear Matt get your head out of your ass, man.
The themes of grief and family came through very clear to me.
Ari Aster should've helmed the "Pet Sematary" remake.
He’s too good for that crap, dude.
@@ScottSullivanTV why? The book is great
Scott Sullivan the book was one of the best works of horror fiction ever
@@ScottSullivanTV lolll ok.Lack of taste i see.
I think he would rather helm an original concept he wrote tbh
Lol.. no one that went with me to see hereditary liked it either. I enjoyed it.
M d I feel you, the struggle was real.
His laughter leading into a cough was hilarious.
My friends and family thought it was impressive, but not likable only because the things that happen in it just sits with you. It’s a heavy film
I enjoyed it at first, but the more I looked into the movie's "logic", the more ridiculous it felt to me.
Luciano Yes! The 2nd half of Hereditary was spiritual compared to the more psychology of the 1st, and that just took me out completely.
It appears your too smart for your friends!
I love u Chris, but this one of few times I have to disagree. The beginning is essential and ties in with the ENTIRE film. Also the was downright horrific
How can you critique a movie based on "the beginning ties with the entire film". What the fuck does that even mean?
@@rogersvisuals8052 you're ducking stupid
EmeraldBay he’s not wrong
It literally had nothing to do with the rest of the movie. And the ending sucked. Fuck you.
@@LM-yd1hh you're obviously thick as shit then ey
“The film drags, without a doubt” - I didn’t find this at all. The beautiful cinematography, the acting, the tension of knowing something sinister is simmering below the surface... even with nothing overt happening on screen, I never once felt like a scene was too long or unnecessary. The entire first hour was essential to draw the viewer in and the contrast with the more horrific moments became particularly stark and shocking. The film didn’t impact me as much as Hereditary, but I expect that’s because I knew more what to expect going in to this film.
Nah, it drags
@@EDFilmsUK nah that's your opinion, shut up tho!:)
I found this too, didn’t drag for me. Something kept my attention.
@@parkerm949 or what?
EVERYONE who loves this movie mentions the cinematography. The story sucked, random killing of friends. 💩 was terrible
I'm gonna say it... I liked Midsommar a million times more than Hereditary (and I really liked Hereditary dont get me wrong) but I had a very unique experience watching this film.
Liz Henning you know what Liz? That’s okay :)
Easily impressed and thats ok ..
I am a horror fanatic have seen thousands of movies and I actually didn't like Hereditary Never understood the many praises it got.I loved Midsommar have seen it 4 times and it gets better with each time.
Debbie Sugar I really enjoyed hereditary and found this movie to be horrible. I felt like everything was really predictable
I much prefer Midsommar to Hereditary. You're not alone.
i would say the movie was more about her finding a family and breaking off her toxic relationship with christian than a trip
No, it was about an evil cult preying on a fragile woman.
Both are compatible
Toxic relationship? The guy stays with her after the death of the whole family and comforts her at all times and is he toxic? In the end it is she who kills him herself.
@@Nimbereth i know right? he stayed with her it was she being annoying as fuck the whole movie
@@Nimbereth He treats her like a burden that he's waiting to throw away, even before her parents death.
Hereditary is my favourite horror film of the 21st Century, so can’t wait for Ari’s next film..
After I saw the kid decapitated I got rid of that shitty movie
Венци Георгиев ? Lol
Favorite horror film of the 21st century so far for me has gotta be The Babadook.
honorable mentions would be
The Witch
Hereditary
28 Days Later
Let The Right One In
and The Descent
Венци Георгиев I’d go so far as to drop the qualifier and just say it’s my favorite film of the 21st century thus far. Unforgettable cinema. High hopes for Midsommar and everything else Ari Aster does going forward.
@@jongon0848 I love The Babadook. It's a horror movie but it had an ending I really love. Hereditary is probably the most unsettling one I've seen in the 21st century, followed by It Follows. Us, Insidious and Insidious 2 are the most fun I've had with the horror genre, and Anabelle 2 was just surprisingly great.
If you didn’t think the first 20 minutes mattered, they you didn’t really understand the movie and particularly Dani.
Agreed
Yeah my eyebrows were raising a lot when he was saying that. I thought it was the whole point?
He doesn't understand what the thinks he does. He says the witch and uncut gems were great films, that should say enough itself. His taste is certainly not like a lot of peoples. His reviews are not great but he does give us film ideas through quarantine.
@@psycheevolved1428 uncut gems is good, what are you talking about? The VVitch was fine but not excellent.
@@psycheevolved1428 The f is wrong with the Witch and Uncut Gems?
The reactions of the characters to their friends disappearance is absolutely unrealistic and thus very unengaching
becraul Nope, Josh was killed before he got the chance to react to Mark’s disappearance, and Christian was a stupid, cowardly prick who didn’t care about Josh. He and Dani were also manipulated by the Hårga, so they were at a disadvantage.
Poxow think he was talking about Simon and Connie
Brian Aguilar Connie and Simon weren’t part of their group, so you would assume Christian and Mark (who were both dopes) would be fine with the ironic explanation they were given for Connie’s and Simon’s absences, but Dani’s concern and confusion turns into resentment when she sees Christian is unconcerned-thereby telling him that she could see him abandoning her like Simon did to Connie.
Yeah they failed there hard
becraul - yeh Man I know it sucked
I saw MIDSOMMAR twice..The first time I had mixed feelings, the second time I LOVED it! This film once seen one will never forget.
someone was torturing you when you watched it for the second time?
Lucas Bello No, you don’t have to be tortured to realize a film is excellent. Sometimes expectations and the wrong mindset can ruin an experience.
Movie was trash.
Garbage movie.
I feel like anyone who's never had a panic attack, anxiety disorders and has never dealt with abandonment issues would hate the film and think it's pretentious. The film is about mental illness and how it is still a stigma today for labeling the people that has them a "burden" to the people they are living with. Sad but true. Its even sadder that most ppl never gets this.
Florence Pugh acting was superb and I was totally captivated with her throughout the movie. I cried on the scene where she had her final panic attack and a couple of swedish maidens were mimicking her screams. She had a breakdown not because of witnessing Christian's infidelity, sure that was the first trigger but it was also her realizing the shit she had to put thru with him and his very obvious disconnect with her all throughout their relationship esp. when it comes to providing her the empathy she needs. With this, she has become vulnerable to the cult's ways and the support they can provide her, as fucked up as it is she felt more at home with them rather than the real world.
The point of the film isn’t to critique the cult, or culture of the Swedish Pagans, but to use them as a foil for looking at our own. Unfortunately, Chris Stuckman didn't understand this.
You spoke the truth 😌😌😌 i just watched in and its fucking good
I thought it looked funny
@callmecatalyst i read and u r great
@callmecatalyst Bless this comment! So true! I was srsly baffled on Chris saying the first 20 mins have nothing to do with the film like... it has everything to do with the film and was never brought up for a reason!
For Dani, talking about her problems makes her a problematic human being for chris and his dudebro friends thats why she REFUSES to bring it up but you can tell her family's death is looming with her all through out the film, she even saw her family at that one scene after everyone was congratulating her for winning the dance.
The scene with the maidens mimicking her scream sounds good on paper... however, I found it to be funny. It didn't translate well, in my opinion.
Watched this movie. I enjoyed it.
I went in mostly blind so I didn't know what to expect beyond the premise.
I just feel like, you completely missed the point in the part you say the opening has no connection to the narrative. That just boggles my mind. I guess the problem with TH-cam is that you can't really elaborate on your point once the video is up there. But man, the ENTIRE movie is connected to the opening and is an extension of it.
Her losing her family which leaves a void in her life, which is eventually filled with the 'cult'.
The character dynamics are set up perfectly in the opening.
The relationships also.
The entire movie is about
1) Their relationship
2) Dealing with grief
3) Family
Things that are explored and set up perfectly in the opening. So, in terms of your reviews, I think this is the first one I really really disagree with. But that's the fun of movies I guess.
That's your interpretation the cult seemed to almost trigger her anxiety about her family dying more than anything, and she was quick to want to gtfo when the old people jumped , her attitude only changed once she became queen which really makes no sense
@@VaunShiz they were creating a trauma bond with her
@@frownypoints Exactly. To say that the opening is irrelevant to the story completely misses the entire point of the movie. The whole idea at the end that she's feeling finally accepted by a group of people after her boyfriend is being a dick after everything she's been thru. I mean who do you think joins cults? It's people that have been through some shit that are lonely, depressed and looking to be accepted and understood by literally anybody. I mean I don't sympathize with her at end or anything, but I get it.
I think he meant that it wasn’t really explained. The family had a big death kinda out of the blue, and it seemed that they would repeat symbols or meaning from such a big/unique death sequence.
It kinda just seemed dramatic to be dramatic instead of symbolic. Like, yeah, literally, her family dies and she feels lost and alone and the cult becomes her new family.
So she became part of a murderous cult because she lost her family, and became a killer herself just because of her broken heart. The first day she almost had a panic attack just from seeing people getting killed, and started to use pills just to sleep, but by the last day after killing her boyfriend, she is not only OK, but happy? The only explanation is that she was high. The movie was gorgeous, but the characters were so plain, even stupid, or intoxicated. At the end it, the setup didn't pay off and he aesthetic didn't compensate the mediocre story. It didn't even feel like a horror movie.
You completely missed the significance of the opening, watch it a second time.
Torey Sinclair is right on the money. The reason some may miss it is because it is given way too much emphasis and feeling of “grief” rather than detachment and lonliness.
Literally the main theme of the movie is family. The fact that was missed by Chris is... odd.
SPOILERS: Her family dies, she tries to replace that with her boyfriend and that fails, and throughout the movie this cult empathizes with her lowest points where her boyfriend could not. She decides its time to let go of him, and finally finds a new family that cares for her.
This is all told in a fucked up way, but still.
@@Itsalwayscloudyincleveland The death of the family tied in with the theme of how different cultures handle death. Every time she was confronted with death she had negative nightmares/visions about her family, whilst the cult did not see death as something horrific, but as a part of life.
Also her finding a new family to share grief with ( the end scene) wouldn't have worked that great without that intro.
“You just don’t get it” is the most pretentious bullshit excuse from people who can’t grasp constructive criticism
Chris just didn't get it. It's kinda saddening considering how many movies he has watched.. that he can't tie the significance of that final shot in relation to everything that happened before.
Yeah, I've seen a lot of pretentious films, this ain't one of them. It may be indulgent at times but it's never pretentious.
@Kingdom of Hungary idk when I saw this film I never felt like the filmmaker had an inflated idea of the importance of the film. I just felt while I was watching it like the guy was passionate about this story and believed in it and wanted to tell it, I wasn't a huge fan of it or anything, I thought it was good.
I guess that one positive thing to be said about it.
@Catharsis The thesis stuff showed more of how Christian was a taker and selfish. Plus, it was one of the reasons, if not the main reason they didn't try to leave.
@@barrym.3338 Have to disagree. I didn't have a problem with it. They are trying to become anthropologists after all. That's a little different than the average person. Think of real people who put themselves in danger for the sake of journalism for example. Plus, the Hårga explained the ritual well and they didn't actually murder anyone until later on.
@@barrym.3338 Not to mention they trusted their friend Pelle.
The only thing was missing in this movie was Nicholas Cage in a Bear suit.
And the bees
And how it got burned
@@shanthishourya8082 not the bees 😂😂😂😂
@@bencarcieri8892 😂Timeless classic never fails to make me laugh.
@@shanthishourya8082 EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING!!!! We needed THE BEES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is the first review I've ever seen from you that I blatantly disagree with. It's amazing that it took 7 years for this to happen.
You're fantastic Chris, I just disagree here.
I loved the final shots of Florence Pugh walking with the flowers and when she smiles. The cinematography, the editing, the score, the costumes, and Florence, obviously, were amazing!
Shut up, Daniel
Worst part of the movie
Dude the whole third act is exploring (mirroring) the first third of the film.
He’s a proper innovator though - you’re spot on in that respect.
I never expected it to be great as Hereditary but as long as the director/writer is Ari Aster, I’m still going to watch it. At least this review sort of killed the hype for me. Now I can start fresh and watch it with low expectations.
Same. I knew from the reviews and the advertisements that this wasn't going to be as great as Hereditary, but hey it's Aster. I did anticipate whatever the protagonist's tragedy was to tie in with the rest of the film (like Hereditary), but Chris put a halt to that expectation. But ofc the mainstream audience is gonna hate it so it's gonna wizz pass their heads anyway lol
Ending seemed anticlimactic. The deformed kid seemed like his only purpose was to be used in the trailer. His position in the script is.. unnecessary, and just a convenience. They provide a plausible explanation for him but its like.. not buyable by a moviegoing audience. A lot of stuff was just creepy for the sake of creepy, and seemed overdone.
I will say the sense of isolation and inability to escape is maintained well. The trip also makes sense given the majors of those in attendance.
I was kind of peeved by this movie
the idea that dani was compelled by a cult because they can realize and relate to her pain when her own ‘normal’ friends couldn’t is amazing
I disagree with you on this one.
SPOILER ALERT:
The end of the film I felt was Dani’s way of processing the loss of her family as well as her toxic relationship by finally being accepted by these people despite her flaws. Dani’s character is a very dependent person which is only going to spell issues for her in the long run, but as of right now, she feels happy and welcomed and accepted by these people and letting go of her past and her toxic boyfriend is the next stepping stone in her life. I felt like this movie, despite its slow pace, was a masterpiece and was geniusly crafted, and the great thing about this director’s films is rewatching them and discovering new things that only open your eyes further and help you really appreciate his films for what they are.
Agreed. There are heavy themes of harmony in this movie, and when we meet Dani's character she is in an all but harmonious state, I mean, her sister is bipolar, two sides in constant conflict, and as a result of that disharmony she loses her entire family. Another obvious example of this disharmony in her life is obviously the relationship she has with Christian. She suddenly finds herself among a group of people who are all about that harmonious life, with nature, with themselves, and with each other. That allure is slow and steady for Dani, but never a surprise. I was extremely pleased with her journey and how everything ended, beautifully made movie.
@Natalie Mcdonald I definitely agree with you. This notion of sharing was brought up by the Swedish friend who was part of this cult, who straight up said that they "share everything". Not only did the women share Dani's heartbreak and pain, but the entire community really did share everything together. They shared the joy they got from dancing, they shared their meals, they share their beliefs (of course) and rituals, they even shared death, as they not only watched the deaths of their elders together, but those elders died together as well. Whether it was joy or pain or anything else, they cried out together. Definitely a very prominent theme Chris missed.
@Natalie Mcdonald Totally!! Through the film's first act we feel so much of Dani's loneliness and isolation. The opening phone calls, a self-absorbed boyfriend who doesn't give two hoots about her, and her cries for help for her family that are ultimately ignored - with disastrous consequences. She is utterly alone, gaslit, and hurting.
But the village shows her a whole new way of life, supported and mirrored by the community around her. Dani's strength and resilience - ie The Maypole - gives her a power she possibly never knew she had, but was always within her (it comes as a huge surprise and delight to her that she can speak the same language, and can sing the song blessing the crops). Her exercising this newfound power, especially in the end scene, was one of the most cathartic moments I've seen in a cinema. And all supported by a group of women who hear her, recognise her, and share in her pain.
(Sidebar, it reminded me of The Witch, and Tomasin's literal rise to freedom. Awesome stuff).
Umm she’s toxic too. She murdered her boyfriend because he wasn’t fulfilling her needs? That’s not toxic at all! How about you just find a new boyfriend? Lol
@@Alligators_in_the_sewer She killed her boyfriend because he was abusive and manipulative. And regardless, the killing was more of a metaphor for her standing up for herself.
I love how it’s not really a ‘horror’ film, there’s literally no one singular ‘villain’ it’s just the entire cult. It’s probably the weirdest film I’ve seen actually. Very different to hereditary for sure!
You would like 'Mother!' XD
Fluently Fletch. well it’s folk horror. not regular horror. they are VERY different.
No.. Eraserhead is by far one of weirdest I've ever seen
weirdest movie I've ever seen = The Holy Mountain (by Alejandro Jodorowsky)
It IS a horror film
GRIEF was extremely important through the whole film imo. Dani didn't have a home in her relationship which is eventually why we sympathised with her when the cult joined her in that explosive scene. She let it out and in a space where she was finally encouraged to.
Shes still fucked in the head. She went crazy towards the end.
Who sympathised with her? Needy, boring, lunatic executes boyfriend for getting roofied. I was hoping the geezer with the giant mallet was going to trepan her at the end. The only sympathetic character was the bear.
It had something to do with the Swedish guy who's parents died in what turns out to be a scarifical fire and he feels like its fate, but felt like they missed the mark on making that connection
omg Randy Johnson killed it mate
But, if the midsommar happens every 90 years, how would that happen? Or the first two villager sacrifices (heads with twigs) were Pelle's parents? For a movie that's over 2hrs long there sure are holes in narrative
GrgoljBlaster A bit late, but I think Pelle refered to the moment where the elderly jump from the cliff and they are incinerated after. Which would be a ceremony held yearly, marking the end of the elders lives.
I think this should be your next second viewing review. I think the events at the beginning tie in very well to the rest of the film. It determines every choice that Dani and Christian make.
But they weren't necessary.
No it doesn’t
Wow, I thought this movie was brilliant. imo, the beginning was very important, the slow build up was necessary and the insanity just kept growing. I fuggen loved it
Wow I thought it was absolutely horrible. The friend’s reactions to each other’s disappearance was just so unrealistic,..I had to force myself to finish watching the movie hoping it would get better. Fans of this movie remind me of those people think paint thrown against a wall is “art”.
Too slow.
Also they claim the event only occurs once every 90 years and yet everyone of the cult members danced and followed protocol as if they did it every weekend.
@@alexblaze8878 Search up Heavens Gate or Jim Jones and then still tell me this movie is unrealistic.
Cults target and isolate people. Once you're too deep in the rabbit hole anything can happen.
This movie functions as a good warning for that in my eyes.
I think making the beginning 1 hour long was a bit unnecesary, 30-45 minutes would have been enough for me
@@tompaauwe4565 yeah, people miss the fact this is a cult
@@alexblaze8878 Did you watch promising young woman? If so, did you like it?
While the complexity of the setup regarding Dani’s family seems a bit over the top, I think the point of the setup was to show that Dani was a perfect candidate for some good old fashioned Stockholm syndrome (Sweden and all). She 1. Suffered an inconceivable loss and was overwhelmed with grief 2. Was incredibly isolated with the immense disconnection between her and her partner 3. Pela seemed keen to her potential for acclimating to an environment that would “hold” her like the family she so recently lost and 4. The persistent drug use throughout the film certainly wasn’t going to slow her potential for being impressionable
From the moment when the old folks jumped from that cliff , i would already made plans on the spot how to escape that freak show at night 😂
Almost felt like a dark comedy. I left the theater at peace just like Danny Loved it.
I know right? It was weird. I laughed at some parts and then i questioned why i was laughing because i was so uncomfortable. Truly amazing.
Nice spoiler dickbag
@@captainchippie4454 Thanks. I wouldn't really call it a spoiler at all, but to each their own. You should probably avoid browsing the comment section of movie reviews if you are this sensitive to 'spoilers'.
Dickbag.
@@interlinkedMedia Or maybe you shouldn't spoil shit? And yes revealing the state in which the main character ends the movie is a serious spoiler. There was not a single spoiler in the entire review and yours was the first comment I came across that included any spoilers so that's on you not me shit-for-brains.
interlinked Media This made me laugh. You’re right, he shouldn’t be looking in the comments then. Don’t even entertain his replies man.
Saw this last night, Didn't realize how long it was I was that engrossed
Handsome Arabian Prince exactly
Glad you liked it, but I was waiting for it to pick up and then the credits rolled.
It didn't feel long to me at all. It didn't feel slow either. I loved the pacing.
Me too!
This is where my people are at.. Brilliant movie
Didn’t invest you. Strange. Found it mesmerizing from beginning to end.
Didnt think it was worth it. That shit was too long. I loved hereditary even though non of my family or friends did.
It’s because it wasn’t hereditary 2 😂
@@GoobSchool no one said it was buddy
lakes Hahahaha
When things started to move on screen and trip out.... WOW I was so mesmerised! Did you see that face in the trees???? AmaZing
"Please don't quote me" - Chris Stuckmann
mis-quote .....he said
Chrisssssssssss...... no, no, no matey!!!
The 1st 20mins or so were CRUCIAL for us to understand why she accepts them as family, especially as she sees her dead mom after she is crowned May Queen - it's the ultimate approval - her mom IS there, in spirit!!!!
Plus, as bizarre as it seems, finally ppl are sharing her grief - something she wasn't getting back home, through lack of family or support, as is shown in the 1st 20mins, mateyyyyyyyyyyyyy!
Steve Chatha is this a pirate? 🏴☠️😂
@@fatdawgfilms
Huhhhhhhhhh???????!!!
A girl I saw this with cried uncontrollably for the last 20 minutes. 10/10
Jake why did she cry
o.O 🤔 , she must have cried because it was so bad
@UC055_-16BeNJZt2HkunfmdQ She's super emotional and all the dread from the whole movie culminating into all the terrible things at the end just really got to her I guess ha. I agree it is weird.
She cried because this movie was so shit
A total disappointment its boring and not even scary at all looks more like a comedy movie to me. Hereditary is 10 times better
When, I think the Director , of the 1970s "Wicker Man" was asked what kind of movie it is, he replied, "a musical."
Empathy plays such a big role in this film, the way the people cry or scream together or when they tried to calm Dani, they cry with her. The only person that had no empathy for her was Christian. Ironically in the end he got to experience a more physical sense of empathy for Dani, he was burning alive while everything was falling around him and he was immobile and unable to express his pain, which is what he made Dani feel throughout the entire film, her world was falling apart but she wasnt able to express herself around him because of how much she feels guilty for burdening him. And now he knows what she feels. A tragic way to learn empathy but it is beautiful
i feel like you misunderstand how manipulative the cult was to Dani and her friends. they exploited an already weak relationship to make a new cult member. they love bombed her and indoctrinated her into becoming one of them. then they drugged and raped christian with the red headed girl. then go complete the indoctrination they made her choose to kill christian, the rape victim, who is paralyzed, by burning him alive. the cult is evil and Dani was too fragile to realize they were manipulating her. the cult soothes the pain they inflict.
@@samct7015 oh no I didn't miss that. That was horrible. I'm merely interpreting a small factor of the movie. It is an art film and I feel like Dani being the main character allows interpretations of the film that revolve around her sanity
Director said it's a bad breakup movie. Now you will understand everything
I disagree that the themes were about grief, it was about lack which functions similarly to grief and how cult minds prey on those who lack, particularly those with no family or poor family relations.
Exactly, one this movie's main focuses was relationships and i thought it was fantastic.
You hit the nail right on the head man. It shows how no matter how disgusting and vile the actions of the cult were, she still chose that life over her old one because it filled the void of a family that she didn't have anymore, and that's what real cults do. They don't just exist to be evil, they exist to be everything to someone and then abuse that loyalty to their own crooked ends.
I wonder if that's how Scientology recruits people?
@Pugilist Enthusiast Cool man, I got a lot of enjoyment out of it and thought it was pretty great, but more power to you though I guess.
Also, it may have had some funny moments but it's not a comedy... not in the least bit, so I'm not saying you watched it wrong... but like, yeah, it's an underwhelming arthouse comedy in the same way The Shinning is an insipid rom-com.
Pugilist Enthusiast dumb dumb
One of the most terrifying scenes to me was the scene of Danny’s family being found and her sister god that haunted me after I finished the film
Dani had some amazing facial expressions in this film for sure. Especially the scene you are referring to. It was weirdly captivating
So sexy.
Hereditary was not only my favourite film of last year, but one of my favourite films of all time. Both the Witch and Hereditary just got to me- and I loved them both, so I do have high hopes for this film
I still can't quite get why people were so upset about Hereditary. To come to hate it was a bit too much. I think it is a masterpiece
FirstTime ISawJupiter yeah I didn’t entirely see why it was so polarising unless literally about 50% of people didn’t enjoy it because it wasn’t another jumpscare fest...
@@firsttimeisawjupiter1031 Well not hate is more people dont like the movie thats it ,for me the history was poor but the cinematografy was great ,babadook and mother for me are better .
I didn't enjoy it because while I don't mind slow-burn films, the build-up took forever (it was an hour before any supernatural stuff started to happen) and the payoff was laughable to me. I give the film credit for some good performances and it was well-shot, but the last 15 minutes just killed the film to me. I honestly stopped taking the film seriously when Toni Collette's body just floated up into the treehouse. The way it was filmed I honestly thought I was watching a parody of supernatural films. Almost everyone in the theater (including me) laughed at the very last scene when they started chanting the demon's name.
hereditary sucked
"I'm not saying anybody ripped-off anything" Chris says -- while clearly under the impression that, indeed, someone ripped-off something.
It was about how personal and community based relationships can be toxic. If you notice, the communith all felt the same emotions: sadness, joy, sexual pleasures, etc
Stu Boyd and the first scene in the movie was needed as well as Dani’s toxic boyfriend (who in some ways wasn’t entirely toxic just unhappy) in order to give her a reason to join into the cult “family”. I really enjoyed this movie and building my own ideas and opinions concerning the story and motives of the characters. Definitely required some thinking vs other spoon fed films.
I don't agree about the movie's meaning; all people feel those emotions and it isn't special to a community of people
@@nicolaspintozzi8148 dani was toxic as well...it is not as black and white as many of you make it out to be.
@@TheEnigmaticBM39 Yeah no shit, but to say that she was "toxic" from the beginning when she was obviously influenced by gaslighting and manipulation is downright wrong
“I need to get away, hey, there’s a truck right there, but hey look at that neat wooden building over there that looks safe” 😂😂
“The first 20 minutes.. rarely ever explored or referenced again” “The first hour dragged”
I’m sorry, what film were you watching? The first 20 minutes were imperative to the entire story, and are constantly referenced. Dani’s entire story is centred around her trauma, her toxic/emotionally abusive relationship and her grief.
This entire review feels as though you watched the film as if it was going to be a trophy horror film where a group of unaware teens go to an odd festival and things go wrong.. You completely missed the point of the film... I suggest you watch it again.
So, because her family offed themselves and her boyfriend was an apathetic / dismissive piece of shit... murderous cult is suddenly an ideal option for replacement family?
ok.
@@coldiceage5339 There's a lot more to it than that. Not to mention she'd likely never leave alive even if she wanted to.
@@nobodynoone3428 Than feel free to explain how exactly there's "more to it than that."
The recurring argument is that 'well, that beginning is that way because it leads to her becoming adopted by that cult.' The cult that seems to spend an extended amount of their lives on psilocybin, that murder anyone that may threaten their way of life or insult their customs, that follow scripture "interpreted" by mentally-disabled children bore from incest, and that are seemingly procuring outsiders in which to sacrifice for their celebration.
Some family.
@@coldiceage5339 There are other comments on here that go into detail if you need it. I suggest you read them or watch it again. Pay closer attention to things like her mental state and how supportive the cult is if you really don't understand her actions.
@@nobodynoone3428 Other people enjoyed the film, and that's fine. I just really loathe comments that recommend a reviewer or critic that "didn't get it" and are told to "watch it again." People came on here for Chris's opinion yet are bothered by it. To make it seem like Chris is wrong is really counter-productive and defeats the purpose of what a critic's job is.
I don't need or really want to read the opinions and interpretations of others because this flick didn't do anything for me. It was shot nice, but didn't have a compelling story and makes the whole "she joined a cult because they became like a family to her" a really strange identifying point. Not only do essentially ALL cults have a taboo air about them (usually for several damn good reasons), but it doesn't make up for all the things they do in the course of this film. It feels, to me, like a shoehorned point that doesn't stick the landing the more you think about it.
There are far better ways to leave toxic relationships instead of watching others sacrificed in the name of their different beliefs. But if that's something you can identify with, more power to you. I didn't care for it, nor the people who say I'm watching a movie incorrectly.
I can only imagine what Ari Aster would do if he directed _August: Osage County_ .
Or even Nebraska
☺😉
Ryan Hartwell I’ve enjoyed all Aster’s movies (even tho Midsommar was a little disappointing)....but I think he would do even better ditching the horror elements and doing a straight-up drama. The psychological aspects and character dynamics in all his stuff are much more compelling and even terrifying to me than the horror elements.
I just saw the Director's Cut! I disagree with you on all points! Ari Aster is a breath of fresh air in the horror genre that continues to adhere to the usual tropes, namely jump scares! I find eerie, creepy psychological films to be more effective rather than "The Conjuring 5: Nuns vs. Predator!"
Man, now you’ve made me want to watch Nun vs Predator...
To be fair, I enjoy both The Conjuring films and Midsommar. Like I LOVE the Conjuring and Midsommar is also my favourite horror movie.
Has anyone seen the Director’s Cut?
I think it’s adds a good deal to the storyline. If the theatrical version is a B+ for me, I’d certainly give the Director’s Cut an A minus or an A. It’s nearly as good as Hereditary imho.
Chris should review it. Maybe his opinion might change. I think he undergraded/underrated this one.
I have seen the directors cut. Which scenes wasn't in theaters?
Gotta disagree with this review. The first 15 minutes were essential for Danni to accept the cult as her only family. Dropped the ball on this one, I’d give this one an A.
Worst shit I’ve ever seen, fucking terrible movie. Don’t listen to this comment
@@cmm9360 because your opinion is superior?
CM TRON Okay buddy, you acting like an asshole doesn't mean you're correct.
We needed to know she lost her family. We didn't need twenty minutes of detailed explanation that is really never delved into again.
Evan Paul It is tho i’ve seen the film twice and it’s referenced throughout
I thought about Hereditary for an entire week after watching it. And THAT scene made me cry from the sheer shock, music, and build up and true terror of it. I cannot wait for this film!
That movie was really something... I did hate the ending though because it was too real for me. Satanic rituals are real and practiced.
I thought the most disturbing thing about the end was that the kid looked lost.... not possessed or powerful, or happy about his situation, nevertheless, it was the point that he realized he was the culmination of all the horrors of the entire movie... there would be no worse hell than that... his entire identity is gone
bri bri which scene are u talking bout
@@gerrygizzygarcia2572 The car one
bri bri oh ok yeah that was crazy
The main character goes through a life changing tragedy within the first 15 mins and sets up a sense of tragedy and despair and you call that a drag or slow?
Edgar Ocampo yes it was, it really added nothing to the film. That’s set up was more interesting than the rest of the film.
@@lopezfan24 what? Dude that tradegy added so much to the characters personality. It gave you clear indication of what shes going to be like in the movie and how her friends will treat her. She saw visions of them, and even their crazy friend used it as a way to make her stay. The vocal point of her story was that she was alone, had truly no one, and ended up taking haven in this screwed up "family" cult. I honestly cant understand why people think that whole thing was an unnecessary addition to the movie. Especially when ppl claim they know that the director heavily focuses on characters being heavily personal and believable even if you've never experienced what they have.
Dying Waffle you may see it that way but I just see it as a pretentious film that is trying way to be hard to be artsy. I appreciate the acting, editing, and cinematography but this was not my cup of tea.
@@lopezfan24 definitely a slow burner type of movie so I completely understand if this wasnt your tea, but pretentious is just an ignorant insult to the movie imo because the movie in no way came off as a bullshit story that tried making you feel "I cant understand the beauty of the craft" when the craft itself was so carefully put together. This movie deviated itself and explored a sub genre of horror that is hard to take in because it's not the usual formula but mark my words, horror needs this creativity. It may not work ever again but we need these creators that are willing to express their art and vision.
@@dyingwaffle95 give Aster credit when it's due, don't just slob on his cock all the time. Midsommar was disappointing compared to Hereditary. Aster never wanted this to be compared to Hereditary, but with similar themes of grief, similar trends of loss, it appears like it, it's only difference being a theme that never landed. It was stale, it did nothing new, the only dread I felt was seeing the way people were tortured. It was an abysmal horror movie, a poorly told 'fairy tale'. I'm glad Aster isn't making more horror.
I think this film is brilliant. I loved it much more than Hereditary, especially on second viewing - it rewards repeat viewings.
Hereditary did it in best way. This movie was overrated as hell. Besides you missed the actual message, it is how easy it is to influence people to join cult, and you got influenced pretty easily.