Last Updated on August 5, 2021
In a summer filled with reboots and sequels that can’t get people excited, one movie that seems to have everyone clamoring for something fresh (and demented) is Ari Aster’s new horror movie, MIDSOMMAR. His follow-up to last year’s HEREDITARY has been winning over with its deceptive sunniness and hints of vicious imagery, and last night the first batch of critics and journalists got to finally see what Aster cooked up.
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Come the end of the 150-minute movie, critics took to Twitter to hail the movie as yet another masterful horror outing from Aster, and one that left everyone mentally exhausted – in the best way, of course. Like HEREDITARY the movie deals with issues of grief and loss and does so across a beautifully filmed canvas and with terrific performances, particularly from star Florence Pugh. As well, but several critics have praised the movie’s dark sense of humor, saying it’s far funnier than audiences will expect. While everything from the performances to the visuals are getting showered with praise, there are simply some people who saw it who are at a loss for words.
MIDSOMMAR confirms a major talent who isn’t afraid to alienate… most people. A psychotropic plunge into what death might mean, if it means anything. Deeply upsetting and very funny?
— Richard Lawson (@rilaws) June 19, 2019
This movie also rivals MacGruber for funniest sex scene of the decade. Fitting bookends to a rough decade
— Richard Lawson (@rilaws) June 19, 2019
MIDSOMMAR: a wickedly funny romp with Ugly Americans and Freaky Swedes in the woods, a premium cut of one of my favorite subgenres (daytime horror), and just so confidently made. Ari Aster takes the very idea of a sophmore slump and sets it ablaze
— David Sims (@davidlsims) June 19, 2019
Going to join the chorus and say I absolutely loved #Midsommar. Ari Aster nails guttural, raw emotion. But this time? So much joy and humor with the fucked up pain. Legit feel good horror for me.
— Meagan Navarro (@HauntedMeg) June 19, 2019
MIDSOMMAR will do for Swedish pagan solstice rituals what Psycho did for showers. a psychedelic fairy tale about ridding oneself of fear and pain — absolutely delightful from its nightmare of an opening to its floral purge of a finale. ð??ð???ð??
— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) June 19, 2019
Forget the HEREDITARY comparisons. @MidsommarMovie is a European cousin to the sun-soaked fairy tale madness of THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE. Like, direct spiritual riffs in parts.
— Phil Nobile Jr. (@PhilNobileJr) June 19, 2019
#MIDSOMMAR. wow. i don’t know that i’ve ever felt so gutted and seen by a movie. i felt sick, i felt joy – i felt so much. above all else: i’ve never seen such a wicked, accurate depiction of intoxicating mania. i adored it and i hate it. florence pugh is god level.
— lindsey romain (@lindseyromain) June 19, 2019
#Midsommar is fucking hilarious and that’s actually not a joke. It’s a lot of other things too, sure, but let’s focus on what’s important.
— Haleigh Foutch (@HaleighFoutch) June 19, 2019
Hahaha. #Midsommar gonna fuck y’all up.
— Scott Wampler™ (@ScottWamplerBMD) June 19, 2019
#Midsommar: I loved every second of this nearly 3 hour movie. Holy SHIT. Yeah, it’s disturbing. But it’s also surprisingly hilarious. An absolutely crowd pleaser. Long live @AriAster.
— Chris Evangelista (@cevangelista413) June 19, 2019
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Don’t remember the last time I related to a film as hard as MIDSOMMAR ð???
— Emily Yoshida (@emilyyoshida) June 19, 2019
#Midsommar: Aster has gifted a new generation their THE WICKER MAN. It’s a warm invitation into subtle madness, decked out in pastel reassurance. My lord. Almost 150 minutes FLIES by. Masterful mania played with such festivity. I…love it?
— Howlin’ Matt Donato (@DoNatoBomb) June 19, 2019
MIDSOMMAR, a review:
……………………………..still processing but holy shit.
— Jonathan Barkan (@JonathanBarkan) June 19, 2019
MIDSOMMAR: Like with HEREDITARY, Ari Aster uses overwhelming grief as a gateway into a slowly escalating tunnel of nightmares. Not a visceral scare-fest, but something so much more unpleasant, darkly funny and yes, totally fucked.
— Jacob Hall (@JacobSHall) June 19, 2019
Things that are great about MIDSOMMAR:
1. Florence Pugh.
2. Henrik Svensson's next-level production design.
3. Pawel Pogorzelski's slow, steady camera that lulls you into a state of calm.
4. Ari Aster meditating intensely about trauma and loss in the most fucked up ways.— Neil (@rejects) June 19, 2019
Like his previous film, Ari Aster’s #MIDSOMMAR is an unsettling portrait of grief & how it can consume us from within. Lots more thoughts swimming around in my head (LOTS) but those will be in my review out sometime tomorrow. ð??¸ð??ºð??¼ð??ºð??¸ð??¼ð??¸ð??¼ð??ºð??¸ð??ºð??¼
— Heather Wixson (@thehorrorchick) June 19, 2019
Apologies to all of the friends I made studying in Sweden, but I love MIDSOMMAR and will spend the rest of the summer pretending my semester abroad was the exact same thing ð??¸ð??¼ð??ºð??»
— Amy Nicholson (@TheAmyNicholson) June 19, 2019
I’m not going to comment really on MIDSOMMAR since this one seems perilously close to getting swept up in the HYPE MACHINE. But it is PURE, meticulous Ari Aster. It is beautiful. It is immersive. And Florence Pugh, as you should already know, is a god damn star!!
— Jordan Crucchiola (@JorCru) June 19, 2019
Three-word #Midsommar review: What the fuck…
— Alisha Grauso (@AlishaGrauso) June 19, 2019
So, is everyone excited to see this movie or what? Like Jordan Peele a few months before him, Aster had a huge task in front of him to follow-up a critically acclaimed, popular debut movie. While time will tell if this one can live up to the praise of his first, these critics left feeling he succeeded in proving himself one of the best new filmmakers around. Stay tuned for our own review perhaps sometime next week!
MIDSOMMAR is in theaters July 3.
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