Don't Worry Darling

Jack and Alice move to the small town of Victory, a place where the men go to work on a project of national secrecy and importance, and the woman stay at home, cooking and cleaning, living a domestic life, not everything is as it seems.

I was seriously looking forward to this film, the trailers looked amazing, and the very presence of Florence Pugh and Harry Styles made it seem mouth wateringly good.

It's one of those films I'd say is ok, I was a little disappointed if I'm honest, I was hoping for a sharp thriller, and what I felt I was presented with, was a film that just didn't go far enough, they could have developed several threads, it felt like they held back.

I think pacing is one of the major issues, some of the scenes are so padded out, it could have been a lot sharper. It does at least end with some excitement, the pacing improves as it heads towards the conclusion. The car chase sequences are decent, and the revelation is pretty well done.

The best element, Florence Pugh, I would say she gives a dazzling performance, she really does deliver, Pine and Styles are good, though I'm not sure the film gets the best out of either.

The music and Cinematography cannot be questioned, it's a dazzling looking movie, so many incredible looking sequences, that moment at the club where Alice begins to catch on to what's happening is great, butt Jack's big party, is perhaps the film's best moment.

6/10.

This film is full of ups and downs.

Florence Pugh puts on a hell of a performance and you can undoubtedly see that she is the best actor out of the bunch. This is the reason Harry Styles' performance is being criticised. His performance is decent however when acting with Florence Pugh the comparison and difference is evident.

The ending is where this film falls flat for me. The plot twist is ok however could have done with more development. Also 10-20 minutes or so at the end could have concluded the film a lot better. As a sequel is in doubt due to the controversy/drama on set, the film doesn't have a proper conclusion to its min story.

Good Cinematography Good Soundtrack Disappointing ending.

I thought this was a great psychological thriller that had a twist that was definitely unexpected. It kept you guessing throughout and had the creepy vibe I love in movies. Florence carried the acting but I was also pleasantly surprised by Harry's performance. Was it the best movie I've ever seen? No but I definitely enjoyed it. As for claims that Olivia is a "bad director" I truly don't know what that job entails but I do feel like a lot of the social media hype and drama surrounding this movie has people just wanting to hate on it due to its popularity. Movies are literally just meant for us to sit back and enjoy so I wish people would stop being so dramatic about it honestly. The movie makes you think about the world we live in today and truly how some men want life to be. Interesting concept overall.

As usual, I went into this movie knowing nothing, without watching any trailers. And as usual, I had a great time as I slowly learned what the movie is about. This is such a weird and cool movie. It's creepy and haunting but not in a horror kind of way. The story is fully intriguing.

I love the way it was directed. I kept wondering who it was, thinking it would be a director I'm already familiar with. But I was surprised to find out it was Olivia Wilde. Not sure if this is her directorial debut but I think she did a great job.

Florence Pugh is ultra-talented. I already knew this, especially after Midsommar. But she again reinforces it with numerous scenes where she conveys her emotions so well that I can feel them with her. She's a rockstar.

There are a few parts where it feels slow. And there were times when I felt like I wanted more. But I really enjoyed what I was given and had an overall great time with this movie. (1 viewing, opening Friday Dolby Cinema 9/23/2022)

Olivia Wilde's second directorial effort is nowhere near as bad as I expected it to be given the firestorm of behind-the-scenes drama and production troubles. But it's also just not nearly as interesting or as well-put-together as it ought to be given it's fierce, original, thrilling premise.

It's a sleek-looking production, and Wilde does some very smooth work behind the camera. Most of the performances are extremely good (especially Florence Pugh's), but some of the supporting cast does put a little too much ham into their work.

Despite some clunky dialogue that consists largely of repetitive empty platitudes, the story is able to build a lot of intrigue with its intelligent placement of bizarre happenings. It causes its audience to ask questions and tests their patience by withholding and bestowing information in just the right doses.

This intrigue lasts for the first two acts, although the film's character development unfortunately falls to the wayside because the mystery was given all the attention.

It's a shame, because the third act and final twists of the story make all the nuance and complexity of the mysterious characters and world-building slip away.

At the film's conclusion, I was left dissatisfied. Dissatisfied with the fact that the villains' motivations were oversimplified to the point that their actions no longer make much sense.

It's like they deliberately planned to go about achieving their goals in the most convoluted, difficult way possible and in a way that would make them the most vulnerable that they could possibly be. It's a laughable ending with hilariously half-baked twists.

Don't Worry Darling is one of those movies that's bursting with imaginative, intriguing ideas, but never quite finds a way to put them together in a satisfying, coherent way. It's messy and not particularly satisfying as a result.