Longlegs

I saw the film for the second time last night at the official premier. I definitely enjoyed and appreciated the film more the second time. It's a slow burn. The atmosphere Perkins creates (with his team) is top-notch. In fact, the overall vibe of the film is the best thing going for it.

I can't recall a horror film receiving so much anticipation and hype as this one (especially for a non-franchise horror film), which I fear might hurt the satisfaction for some audiences... especially the die-hard horror fans out there.

Nicolas Cage completely commits to the role and creates a very disturbing and memorable character. But Cage's fame removes some of the fear you need from this character. You always know your watching Cage, even with the heavy make-up and prosthetics.

Maika Monroe does a fine job as the main protagonist. But she doesn't give her character many levels. I wanted to care more about her and her story.

I miss seeing a horror film without knowing much about it beforehand, which seems harder these days. Had I not heard about this film so far in advance, I think I would've been more satisfied by it.

But this is definitely one of the better horror films I've seen in the last few years... and I look forward to seeing more from Perkins.

Phrases like "the best horror film of the decade" or "the best film of the year" honestly do not apply to it.

The film "Longlegs" revolves around a serial killer committing shocking crimes, and a federal agent seeks to uncover him.

Nicolas Cage, despite his brief appearance, spread feelings of fear and anxiety throughout the entire film. The role suits him very well, and we can say, "Welcome back, you genius." The actress Maika Monroe excelled in her role, and I believe this is the second film I've seen her in after "It Follows."

The film's shooting style was excellent, with a wide angle ensuring that all the main characters were in the center of the screen. The source of evil and the driving force of the events were very good.

However, the film, in general, honestly did not offer anything new, and I expected it to be more terrifying or mysterious, given its genre. At least something more shocking should have been revealed, considering the events were too slow to reward the viewer after such a long wait. Many films like "Zodiac" or "The Silence of the Lambs" have preceded it with this type of story and appeared better in terms of puzzles and shocking brutality.

In the end, it's a good horror and mystery film, but it doesn't deserve such high praise.

To say I was excited for this movie was an understatement. I watched all the trailers, the reviews, and was SOOO excited. A somewhat arthouse serial killer horror film, that's also satanic? With NICHOLAS CAGE? Hell yes!

And to be fair, there is a lot of stuff I loved in this movie. The cinematography is GORGEROUS, if you like cinematic films, this is one for you. The performances are all great, I love Nicholas Cage (though I wish he were in it more) and loved the quirky protagonist. The sound design was great, and the concept was interesting. I was hooked by the opening of the movie.

However, the plot and main twist in this movie really dumbs it down for me. As many pointed out, this movie was mis marketed. It's not a serial killer movie, and it's not a scary movie. It's much more of a supernatural thriller, and maybe some would find it scary and disturbing, but I found it to be neither. The main idea of the movie is revealed early on, (how the killings happen), and the end reveal is just... eh? But this movie really lacks on the tension. You don't feel stakes, or urgency, or any tension in the scenes, even when they very much could have tension. I hate comparing horror films, but a sort of similar film with its demonic aspect is last year's Talk to Me, and that film really shows how you can use that demonic concept to have a great amount of tension, urgency in the plot, and stakes with the characters.

This movie feels like a mish mash of silence of the lambs and sinister, but it doesn't really lean into either side of it and lacks the tension of it.

Just got back from the film. Here's my quick breakdown of the positives and negatives without spoilers.

Pros: Cage is great for the time he's in the film. Great cinematography if you're into visual flare and style. Some decent elements of horror that are very interesting.

Cons: Hardly any visceral horror or gore whatsoever, feels incredibly "safe" for a film like this. Story is really competent and well-written until the very last act of the film and feels like a cliched trope we've seen in too many horror films in the last few years.

Overall, you'll have a good time. It's got moments of pure horror that can be easily expanded on or brought to light more, but the story itself takes a massive nosedive that just felt really jarring and too on the nose as if the audience wasn't intelligent enough to figure it out themselves. Just felt too safe to me to be considered the horror film of the year. There are significantly far better horror films that easily can make Longlegs run for its money and honestly the hype glorified this too much to be enjoyed as it set out to be. It's got great moments that show the potential of what it could have been, but it just detoured into something that everyone has seen already.

As a lover of horror/thriller movies I cannot even stress how disappointed I was with this movie. The way plot was convoluted, the dialogue was lame and it was one of the worst movies I have ever seen! I actually left before the end because I was so bored. How anyone could compare this to silence of the lambs in greatness, astounds me. I tried to make sense of the film but just couldn't. I really can't even say there is one redeeming element of the movie, it fell flat on all aspects of a horror/thriller movie. I am shocked it has had so many good reviews. I have seen scarier true crime shows than what this was.