Boring
Long, drags on, poor update of wicker man, main character is completely unlikeable,
How can anyone think crap is a even a decent picture?
I liked it
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MovieChat Forums > Midsommar (2019) Discussion > Boring
I agree that the movie is SLOW, plodding at times, but the payoff for careful movie watchers is great. If you are not interested early on, and/or do not carefully follow the narrative (and especially the abundent clues in the environment and backdrops), the movie can definitely be described as boring.
shareYou don't have to be a "careful movie watcher" to see that this is a ripoff of Wicker Man with a Feminist push. It's not that great a film
shareI never commented on whether it was a rip-off or Wicker Man or not. There are oodles of direct visual clues all over the environment and backdrops (check it out on Youtube for example). Given their existence, careful movie watchers are likely to spot them and hold their interest more, making this slow-paced movie interesting. In contrast, given these clues are unlikely to be spotted by bored/casual (i.e., non-careful movie watchers), I agreed that the movie can easily be deemed to be boring. I think it is a good, not great, film.
shareThis is like Wicker Man if Wicker Man were an excellent film, and not the slapdash piece of mediocrity that it is. Wicker Man is for the masses, Midsommar is for intellectuals.
shareThere is nothing intellectual about this film. "European white nations have weird customs, that's another reason white people bad but hey whiny gf sacrifices her bf so girl power yeahhhhh"
You call that intellectual LOL
In other words, it went over your head. It's okay... that's why we have a Wicker Man. Go watch that and feel smart again. :)
shareYeah thats it pal π. Watch this and see if he doesn't hit all bases when it comes to this film
https://youtu.be/DB-Fw3P_97I
It's quite simply the worst movie I've seen this year
It's quite simply the worst movie I've seen this year
Birdbox exists, yet you still say this.
Tsk Tsk Randalllll π
I didn't like Hereditary. And I didn't like Midsommar. There's something in Ari Aster's rhythm that doesn't work for me. And if you've seen a decent number of horror films, you've seen most of his tricks and ideas done more effectively elsewhere. To some, this is homage. Fine. To me, it's a slick repackaging.
As you say, this has the shadow of The Wicker Man hanging over it. Which isn't in and of itself a problem. It isn't thematically the same as The Wicker Man. And if it is (to some extent) a remake of The Wicker Man, it's a better remake of The Wicker Man than the official remake of The Wicker Man.
But it does mean that if you've seen The Wicker Man, you know from minute one precisely where this is headed... and it takes much longer than The Wicker Man to get there. And it isn't as smart or as literary a film as The Wicker Man. Also, I suspect the ending isn't as powerful or shocking as the ending to The Wicker Man, even if you haven't seen The Wicker Man.
But evidently it works for a lot of folk - even those who have seen a decent amount of horror films, including The Wicker Man - so again, I return to my idea that Aster's rhythm/pacing doesn't work for everyone. Horror is like comedy in that regard. Reliant on rhythm and subjective. And I'd have to note that I feel the same way about Wes Craven movies, and it never did him any harm.
You put it so much better than I did only thing I disagree on is that I'd rather watch the Nic Cage version of Wicker Man than this.
shareOh, I'll add - because I just remembered it - that Ari Aster is the kind of director who will literally turn the camera upside-down to signal that 'Hey folks! This is where things are gonna go off the rails'... which, um, *eye roll*.
shareAgreed. He makes films for wanna be intellectuals. People with real taste see what a ripoff artist he is
shareEh. I wouldn't go that far.
I know people with both taste and intelligence who enjoy his films. And I think horror works far more on an emotional level than an intellectual one in any case. But it's definitely subjective. And, like I say, there's something about the rhythm of Aster's movies that just doesn't work for me. I'd probably forgive him his 'homages' if I wasn't thrown out of the movies by their pacing...
... although I preferred Midsommar to Hereditary. With Hereditary, I still feel that I saw a completely different movie to everyone else - as the one I saw was, frankly, laughable. But what do I know?
I found hereditary laughable as well. I just really don't believe he makes good films. He tries to make smart horror but it doesn't work for me
shareThe film was definitely too long, in my opinion. When I think of all the horror films to have been released in the genre's history, I ask myself did Midsommar, of all the films, need to be clocking in at nearly 2.5 hours ? Did this story really need a near 3 hour directors cut ? I don't think so.
The thesis sub plot was useless. Did anyone really care about the drama between Christian and Josh? This was used to make people turn on Christian and to explain away their inquisitive nature (Mark sneaking in to read the book), older more straight laced horror films would have simply had the guy be a nosey parker. It would have served the same purpose. Everyone has the same takeaway, the characters are idiots getting themselves into trouble. Great care was taken to give these characters 'personality' and motives but it was redundant.
Scenes such as the meeting and greeting of the Harga cult members, the car ride to the place (upside down shot), the protagonists doing drugs and tripping out and the long drawn out rituals could have been either cut or shortened. Much of the dialogue could have been trimmed.
What about the scene where they all stand waiting to sit down at the table. The audience get the pleasure of watching people stand for some 15 seconds then sit. Totally useless.
The scenes where Dani is lifted and carried, then rides of the bless the crops were needlessly long.
The British couple could have been cut out. They were introduced simply to be disappeared to create mystery and to have a gory shot later on.
Pacing is an art form. Trim the fat. This film has all the markings of a director who had a hit getting free reign on their sophomore effort and indulging themselves. AFAIK the film was only cut down from the 3 hour cut to meet an R rating not for the sake of pacing. Baffling.
Excellent take
shareI liked it too.
Wicker Man with wigged Christopher Lee, Monty Pythonesque singalongs and a dull and unconvincing protagonist comes across as unintentionally funny.
Midsommar has some weaknesses regarding plot but brilliant atmosphere and cinematography.