SPOILER ALERT: The Nepo baby syndrome is in full effect for the Hollywood critics covering “Blink Twice.” Everyone is just trying to be nice because Zoe Kravitz is Lenny Kravitz‘s kid. Her debut film, while shot well, was so awful and bad that I almost walked out and got my money back. And NO, this movie was in NO WAY as clever as Jordan Peele‘s masterpiece “Get Out”! Not in any teensy, weensy way can it be compared to that and everyone including Zoe need to just stop with that comparison.
Despite Zoe’s grand proclamations that the film has deep, profound meaning, relevance to the #MeToo movement, and is a statement on the evil of absolute power and the patriarchy, Zoe’s film ended up being a misogynistic, victim triggering, hot mess, and a waste of $20 million dollars! There were numerous scenes of group gang rapes that were gratuitous and if you are a survivor of rape or sexual assault, they will be triggering. There is also a very major plot hole in this very stupid story. If a woman was brutally and repeatedly gang raped, she would FEEL it in her private parts, even if she was drugged.
In addition, the supposed heroine that we are supposed to root for Frida (Naomi Ackie), is ultimately the most unlikeable character in this cesspool of terrible people. She is so obsessed with money and tech billionaire/serial rapist Slater (Channing Tatum) that she is ok with not seeking justice for the murders of her best friend and 2 other women on her trip plus hundreds of his past victims. Because she gets a ton of money when she marries him in the end! It’s like saying “hey Girl, what’s a few throat-slitting murders and a little repeated gang rape of hundreds of women, as long as you can marry a hot, rich man?” While dubbed as “revenge“, this really only makes Frida more odious than Slater and all the other rapists combined! Because she only cares about money.
In fact, there are 3 portrayals of women selling other women out in this mess. The weirdo housekeeper and Channing’s sister (played by a scene-chewing Geena Davis), who both know what is going on, but enable it. This is a dreadful anti-women message to convey. I would’ve preferred a Quentin Tarantino grindhouse-style ending where all of the women get even and kickass against their rapists. Or even an Eli-Roth, Hostel-type ending where the women turn the tables on the men and torture them.
The other major issue with “Blink Twice” is that the chemistry between Channing’s Slater and Naomi’s Frida was nonexistent. I didn’t buy that he found her attractive. It was almost as if Zoe didn’t want them to be too intimate since she was falling in love with him in real-life on set.
The ONLY thing good about this movie is that there are some great still shots. But that is more reflective of having a great DP, not Zoe being talented as a director. I am very annoyed that other critics appear to be pandering to a cult of personality instead of accurately conveying how bad this dreck is. This is not a “psychological thriller” or a “horror movie“. It is psychological torture and horrific. Avoid this even when it comes to streaming.
