Every year there’s one film that gets a ludicrous amount of hyperbolic acclaim. This year’s entry is Longlegs, which… Is pretty good, but certainly not worthy of the hype. The performances leave more of an impression than anything else. Nic Cage goes for ultra-gonzo extremes here with… choices, and Maika Monroe is wonderfully understated. There aren’t many scares, but the entire film is suffused with a thick ominous atmosphere, plenty of moving shadows and blink-and-you’ll-miss creepy moments. The few violent moments are effective and shocking, mostly by how sudden and contrasted they are with the film’s subdued nature. The marketing blitzkrieg for this film arguably has far more to offer than the film itself, with an ultra-detailed backstory and mythology that might intrigue internet completionists. However, little to none of this comes across in the film, which plays like a slow-burn occult crime investigation. Unfortunately, the story is severely wanting, with numerous elements glossed over and others just ignored outright in favor of ginormous stretches in logic and suspension of disbelief. The last act will likely divide filmgoers, as the plot threads and mystery resolution are delivered via enough exposition dump to fill multiple landfills, diminishing the payoff of the film’s slow-burn methodical nature. To reiterate, this is not a bad film, it is wonderfully crafted and edited with a dreamlike surreality that will appeal to fans of Lynch. However, the hype does the film a disservice and sets an expectation for horror this film never meets.
Longlegs (2024)