Movie Review: Midsommar

by Andy Bartsch, GGR contributor emeritus

When it comes to Ari Aster’s 2017 film Hereditary, audiences seemed split. Some found it very profound and disturbing, while others found it pretentious and boring.  His newest film Midsommar is no exception. 

The film focuses around Dani (Florence Pugh, Fighting with My Family), a young college student who just lost her sister and parents in a murder/suicide, her boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor, Transformers: Age of Extinction), and their friends on a trip to a village in Sweden.  When they arrive with their Swedish friend Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren), they try to get used to the unusual (and sometimes violent) customs.  Eventually what begins as a mild case of culture shock turns into something much more horrific.

"Why, this isn't cat piss and ginger at all!!! It's diet!!!"

While I personally liked Hereditary (but have no desire to see it again), Midsommar is nearly unwatchable. Like Hereditary, the pacing isn’t the film’s main concern.  It drags at a snail’s pace, with the opening credits starting roughly ten minutes after the film begins.  The original cut of the film was over three hours long, and even after it’s been edited down to two and a half hours, it still feels like an eternity before anything interesting happens.  While there are a few interesting moments in the film, they are few and far between to excuse the padded runtime.  There are so many scenes that unnecessarily long and even a few that are repeated such as when the main character Dani asks her friend Josh (William Jackson Harper) for a sleeping pill.

Long runtime aside, the film is does has a strong cast.  Pugh nails it out of the park, as her character carries most of the emotional weight throughout the film.  Bandersnatch’s Will Poulter plays against type (at least based on the performances I’ve seen him give) as the comic relief Mark, who spends most of his screen time on the prowl for some hot Swedish lovin’.  The most likable character is quite possibly Josh, whose main motivation is to base his thesis on the village. 

Another aspect of the film that shines is the gore effects. Without giving too much of the plot away, I can honestly say these are some of the most convincing (and graphic) gore effects I’ve ever seen.  The visuals in general are pretty amazing. The overall cinematography and production design are brilliant and beautifully detailed.

Unfortunately that’s where the positives pretty much end. Other than the opening scene (which was personally my favorite part), the film is weighed down by its lackluster story.  While Aster is a brilliant director, his writing could use some work.  As I’ve said, the film has some horrible pacing issues, and while I love the opening scene, it’s not really referenced again and only created to give Pugh’s character some tragic backstory.  As a result, the opening feels unnecessary and the rest of the film might actually work better without it, leaving the details up to us. 

While I’ve complained enough about the runtime and the pacing, there’s no excusing the film’s blatant plagiarism.  There’s a very fine line between doing an homage and just plain stealing ideas, and Midsommar makes me wonder if Ari Aster took a chainsaw to that line. 

MILD SPOILERS AHEAD

The theme of culture shock, the human sacrifice, the bear suit; It could all be chalked up to an homage to the original Wicker Man and the Nicolas Cage remake.  However, apparently there is another film called Midsummer, about a young man (named Christian) who takes a vacation with his friends to Sweden after his sister commits suicide.

Granted, Midsummer (with an E) didn’t make as big of a splash as Midsommar (with an A and an O too) or The Wicker Man, but there are too many similarities to be a coincidence. It’s not a crime to take influence from a movie, if a film this boring is going to steal ideas from other movies, couldn’t that be used as a way to make your movie more entertaining?

Andy Bartsch was the first ever addition to the GGR family back in 2015. He’s now doing amazing artwork on several comic projects (in addition to the guy who created the GGR mascot, Ripley the Robot). Check out his work and help the dude out! :)