MovieChat Forums > Longlegs (2024) Discussion > Decent, but did not live up to the hype

Decent, but did not live up to the hype

posted 4 months ago by Creamofdacrop884 (1732)
23 replies | jump to latest

This was one of my most anticipated films of the year so maybe with the glowing reviews I had my expectations too high, but I didn't think this was anything special. Sure, it had great atmosphere and some creepy moments, but the story was just not that well written imo and felt rather shallow and predictable. I didn't like how they incorporated the supernatural element either. I thought Makia Monroe's character wasn't well written and wasn't impressed be her performance. Nicolas Cage wasn't bad, but he was doing the typical Cage freakout stuff which made it hard to take him has menacing. As others had said, I thought the third act/ending was rushed and weak. If you are looking for a thriller with some creepy moments it's serviceable, but I don't see myself ever revisiting it in the future.

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[–] [deleted] 3 months ago

Accurate review. I agree with all you said.

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[–] LetoAtreides (559) 3 months ago

" Makia Monroe's character wasn't well written"

And let's face it, there is no way someone like that would become a special FBI agent. She was way too autistic to raise up the ranks even if she had a supposed "gift".

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[–] redban (6194) 3 months ago

I disagree . The doll gave her powers and exerted some control over her. I think the devil’s plan all along was to have her join the FBI and have the events of the movie unfold exactly as they did. We’re reasonably led to assume that Lee probably got Ivy-League, top 1% level grades in school as result of her power, and she probably could’ve done anything in life: but her dream (a result of the doll) was to be an FBI Agent . She probably sought out all the right internships in school to get A+ recommendations for the FBI

And I don’t think she “raise[d] up the ranks” in the FBI. She was a rookie, and the scene where her partner gets shot is her first day on patrol. The video where long legs says happy birthday goes on for 24 minutes, they say. So it’s implied that she’s 24, which is consistent with being a rookie

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[–] redban (6194) 3 months ago

There is a storyline explanation for why Lee acts so aloof and awkward, which they explain at the end

I found Nicholas Cage to be great. And a big reason his character works is that they left so much to the imagination as opposed to just showing us everything about his life. Why does he look that way, for example? They don’t say, so the audience is expected to consider the worst possibilities

I do agree that the supernatural reveal is a little B-level. But the movie overall is excellent

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[–] letess (1513) 3 months ago

What was the explanation for why Lee acts so aloof and awkward?

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[–] redban (6194) 3 months ago

That is left open for interpretation. One idea is that her awkwardness is the result of the doll, which exerts influence and control over her. The other idea is that her upbringing made her awkward. Her mother is a little cuckoo herself, and it seems they grew up in a bit of an isolated area (Lee is the girl in the opening, so they lived in a pretty remote area)

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[–] letess (1513) 3 months ago

So it’s not explained but you have to imagine it? I can tell you this - people thinking she’s autistic is a huge clue because I don’t think she is and the viewer is saying to themselves - what’s wrong with her. She must have a disability and what is it exactly?

She lacked the skills to search her own premises. She reminded me of Inspector Clouseau the way she held the gun and then Cage looked like the Pink Panther hopping around behind her. And in the final scene, she was too slow; she could have spared two lives. The first premise you listed above doesn’t work because if the doll did influence her, she wouldn’t have been able to do what she did to her mother.

Alicia Witt elevated this movie to a higher level and she reminded me of Piper Laurie in Carrie.
Alicia Witt is the star and celebration of this movie. This is an original movie and it’s good that someone could get a movie made without doing a remake or sequel. Perkins got good reviews and we will look forward to his next movie. It will probably be a sequel to this one. Hope he can tighten it up a bit. We can only pretend so much.

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[–] redban (6194) 3 months ago

She kills her mother only after her mother destroys the doll. The doll exerts certain control over her mind: it’s why she didn’t remember meeting Longlegs and taking his photo when she was 9 yrs old, and it’s why she never knew that long legs made the dolls in her mother’s basement. the doll likely influenced her behavior during the cabin scene

“So it’s not explained but you have to imagine it” isn’t the characterization I’d use: it’s open-ended, a very common feature in many movies and literature

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[–] letess (1513) 3 months ago

Her mother doesn’t destroy the doll. Lee tries to destroy the doll but runs out of ammo. The doll makes it another day and will be the opener in the sequel along with Ruby.

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[–] redban (6194) 3 months ago

No, that doll is for agent Carter’s daughter. The doll that controls Lee appears in an earlier scene. The mother blows it’s head off with a shotgun, and Lee passes out

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[–] letess (1513) 3 months ago

You realize how stupid this sounds.

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[–] redban (6194) 3 months ago

She shot the doll to free Lee from it’s influence

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[–] letess (1513) 3 months ago

Lee shot her mother because her mother was going to stab Ruby. Lee should have been able to shoot sooner to protect Ruby’s parents. If she’s able to protect Ruby, she should be able to protect her parents - one being her boss. Either it’s all one way or the other. In fact, Lee should have shot the doll the minute she walked in the room with the knowledge she now has at that point.

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[–] Calledforblackup (112) 3 months ago

Omg. That just broke the movie for me, good catch.

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[–] indytechguy (37) a month ago

It was an awkward scene, but I think they did try to establish that Lee was very "out of it" and disoriented from when her mother shot her doppelganger doll. Also, I believe it was too late when she finally arrived at the "birthday party". The mother said the family (or father) was already dead and he was acting very possessed. However, I can buy that Lee was just in a really deep haze and slow to reacting properly.

I guess my issue is... it was a birthday party and no one showed up? But the family lets a strange woman in? And I would think Carter may have recognized Lee's mother. Regardless, apparently the doll posses the father almost instantly.

I loved the movie, plot holes and all. Apparently all these murders were happening in a very small geographic area, which made the mom never being caught very weak sauce (maybe inspired by the movie Frailty). And does the mom remove the doll after the killings? It seems the movie only made the point to show that only one doll was found. It wasn't a masterpiece but the ambience and mood was very offsetting and horrific for me. Apparently I have a fear of hoarders (the mother's house). NOTE: Edited to clean up my horrible grammar mistakes when first posted.

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[–] letess (1513) a month ago

How long would it take - say with Hannibal Lecter or Clarice reviewing this case to figure it all out - 2 minutes maybe. That over a period of 20 years several family murder suicides in which Lee discovered that each family had a daughter with a birthday on the 14th and that the killings occurred on that birthday - and that Lee herself had a birthday on the 14th (and she now knows her history with that childhood event) and her boss told her to go home for her birthday so he knows she also had a birthday on the 14th - but the big thing is that his daughter also has a birthday that was coming up on the 14th. Does it really take a genius to put this all together. I think the whole movie actually is just really stupid. There was nothing at all that comes close to the terrifying scene when in Se7en the police enter that one room with the hanging deodorizers and see that decomposing guy still alive. And to your point about the birthday party - Lee does get there in time. Both daughter, father and wife are alive and she is so miserable at her job she can’t save those two. What I don’t understand really more than anything is that there are many people like yourself who do like this movie and just make so many excuses not written into the script to make it work. (Lee is “out of it.” She’s autistic.) What she is, is inept and slow. That’s what we see. Watch Strange Darling where lead actress is lightning fast and has a lot of lines. Even the ambience doesn’t work that well because Fincher and Lynch and Demme and Friedkin do it so much better. But if you like it, that’s good. I saw Strange Darling and I thought that a much better thriller for the summer. As far as an atmospheric movie about the transference of evil - Cure was excellent. I think Kiyoshi Kurosawa has it down better than LL director.

The mother was the best thing in it.

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[–] indytechguy (37) a month ago

Well, if we are being honest, I don't think Hannibal Lecter or Clarice would be needed to solve this one, I think the local authorities could have wrapped this up quickly. The 20 years period didn't make much sense to me, because Longlegs didn't really seem to age.

I just have low expectations for movies these days. That apartment scene you mentioned in Se7en was terrifying. All the implications of what we were seeing in that scene and learning later that the victim had chewed off his own tongue. Sticks with you.

I'm still sticking with the ambience in this film worked for me, even with the short comings in the detective aspects and character development. It is no Se7en or Silence of the Lambs but those are the gold standards. I'll definitely look into Cure and Strange Darling.

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[–] letess (1513) a month ago

Yes. I was being facetious. Everything you said is perfectly true. Here’s what we are left with. Longlegs got great press and it was marketed well. It has a great title which Oz Perkins liked the sound of the name although it has nothing to do with anything. Cage brings people out of the woodwork although I don't think he liked this one. Instead of people finding movies to watch, they are given movies to watch. They don’t know that there are others that are better. It’s very very difficult to get a movie made today, but original horror movies are getting a push. The Substance was great. Strange Darling was great. Kurosawa’s Pulse and Cure are older but he has a new one called Cloud that just premiered out of competition at Venice film festival. I missed the premiere here as there was a line around the street. Anyway - there are good movies many people don’t see. Many people can’t read subtitles too. Many are not going to the theater. The way a movie is marketed - they make the decision for you. My expectations were too high for Longlegs because they said it had atmosphere and was Fincher-like. It was anything but, plus the acting and plot were so lazy. More than anything it is not smart. But as you say, since there is nothing out there, this one appears like a diamond to the very few where mediocre is the norm.

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[–] horrorfan000 (2308) 3 months ago

It was ok. I expected more out of it given the the word of mouth hype. like you said it had great atmosphere and it was well shot but it was just ok. A good watch but nothing special.

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[–] thingmakersback (1373) 3 months ago

I'm not sure I would even rate it as decent. Granted, I sat through it... But, I do watch a lot of crap films. This one was watchable, but mostly because I was constantly finding things wrong with it that were interesting. At the very beginning we are introduced to what appears to be the most awkward, fragile and cringeworthy law enforcement officer since Asia Argento played a cop in The Stendhal Syndrome. Then we find out that the FBI conducts testing on agents for psychic abilities. And finally we have to follow along with the most flamboyantly goofy, deranged, satanic serial killer in the history of goofy, deranged, satanic serial killers.

Hail Satan.

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[–] KutWrite (1302) 3 months ago

I agree.

Mediocre at best. I rated it "5" on IMDB and felt generous.

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[–] jcnyclv (1557) 2 months ago

I agree. It was OK but definitely not as good as I was hoping it would be. I didn't care for the supernatural part either, it was too unbelievable. Cage creeped me out a bit but it wasn't enough to make this movie better for me.

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[–] ElSofoqueReturns (715) a month ago

It and Maxxxine were completely blown out of the water by Terrifier 3 and The Substance

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