Review: Barbarian

It's not often these days when a film does its build-up and promotion the way it's supposed to.

However, after watching this I hope other studios can finally go back to promoting their projects in this way if they want their audiences to see it on the big screen to get the best experience possible.

When I heard about the buzz this was getting from America, it had me excited on seeing a new successful horror flick. But the trailers and posters that I had seen didn't show anything matching that hype. So I was going with some caution that I could be setting myself up for disappointment. However now after seeing it, I can see that the buzz is coming from actually seeing it in the theatres as that's where we see the surprises that reminded me of when I saw 'The Cabin In The Woods'.

The tension does build up nicely in the first act with its set-up. Then we get the first of a number of surprising turns that are done without warning you and it really messes with your senses in a good way. From then on, you just don't know what's going to happen next. Also, the way each turn is done felt as if the filmmakers were respecting its audience intelligence and patience.

It certainly had me guessing how everything would be connected. Plus, some of the cinematography was making the experience more immersive which I massively appreciated.

The final act does do twists that whilst they continued the trend of being totally unexpected, some I felt didn't feel fully justified for me personally. But I certainly felt entertained and had an enjoyable viewing experience.

The performances are decent on the whole. I liked the chemistry between Georgina Campbell and the always creepy Bill Skarsgard to help you get into the story. 

The introduction of Justin Long was a nice surprise not just for seeing him in a film again and back in the horror genre. But also to play such an unlikable character so well to the point where it's actually funny rather than annoying.

It's not often that I feel the film's strength is how it was presenting itself before its release. I appreciated that so much of the film is kept under wraps in its marketing.

Films these days almost never do this. The trailer usually gives away most of its strengths and the structure usually gives us an idea of where we're heading. This does none of that.

Despite all of this, I am not fully jumping on the bandwagon. I definitely had a lot of fun with this and it's definitely best experienced not knowing anything at all. However, this could be a film that loses its momentum on multiple viewings. It will be interesting to see how it ages in the future.

For now, I will say this is a very entertaining watch. It sets you up nicely and then once we have established one part of the story, it then decided to completely mess you around and yet never go away from the actual story. It's more thrilling than scary and it contains an unexpected yet welcoming amount of comedy. Some sequences were really well shot and tracked and film nerds like me will gush over those moments.

I like the surprise factor this has. But there were moments towards the end when I felt they were doing it for the sake of it. I personally felt the surprises in 'Malignant' from last year was more effective for me. But thankfully, I was willing to somewhat let this go as it was an approach that we rarely see. This will be a good crowd-pleaser. As mentioned, it will be interesting to see if it's novelty will wear off over time and I hope director Zach Cregger has found his breakthrough. 

Rating: 7/10