Longlegs

Longlegs is the latest movie in the resurgence of Nicolas Cage. I saw it on opening night without watching a trailer or knowing anything about it other than "new Cage flick." I love watching movies this way, I never know what to expect.

This might be the highest quality of all the recent Cage theatrical movies. The filmmaking is pristine. You can feel a distinct style that makes you feel uneasy throughout. It does a good job of building intrigue and the mystery had me hooked.

Overall, I found the movie to be good for a single viewing. I was a little disappointed there wasn't more, especially during the climax. And the reasoning behind the killings is something I'm generally not a fan of in movies.

I also see this being marketed as the scariest movie of the decade. Maybe for horror novices. There was a lady next to me covering her eyes at so many scenes. But it was just violence. It's not actually scary.

I still had a good time with this movie. I just wish it had a better payoff or better pacing. I enjoyed Massive Talent, Dream Scenario, and Arcadian more.

(1 viewing, opening Thursday 7/11/2024)

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.

I thought Longlegs was spread too thin. It didn't know if it wanted to be a demonic horror film or a serial killer thriller. Had it leaned more into either of these areas it would be a lot better. This left the movie to not really create that much fear, dread, or suspense because it didn't know what it wanted to be. While the score, acting(especially on the part of Cage), and cinematography were really good, the writing held Longlegs back from being something great! It felt like a love child between Sinister and Silence of the Lambs I love each of these movies but I'm not sure how well they combined in Longlegs.

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.