BLINK TWICE (2024)
Blu-ray + Digital
Label: Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: R
Duration: 102 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.39:1)
Director: Zoë Kravtiz
Cast: Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Kyle MacLachlan, Haley Joel Osment, Geena Davis, Alia Shawkat
Actor turned director Zoë Kravtiz debut film is the paranoid psychological thriller Blink Twice (2024), in it a cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) meets a formerly disgraced tech billionaire named Slater King (Channing Tatum, Deadpool & Wolverine) who at some point had to step down as CEO of his company and public life after a series of non-specificized past behaviors, for which he says he has sought therapy for, and is now a changed man. At the gala Frida and her best pal Jess (Alia Shawkat, The Final Girls) crash the party with Frida hoping to catch the eye of King, which she does, by literally crashing into him in a mess of broken glass, but despite the awkward introduction it seems that sparks fly. So much so that he invites her and Jess to join him and his friends on his tropical private island.
They are whisked away on his private jet, arriving at the island paradise; they are joined by King's boys posse of Vic (Christian Slater, Heathers), Cody (Simon Rex, Greedy People), Tom (Haley Joel Osment, The Sixth Sense), and Lucas (Levon Hawke, Wildcat), and their dates, a reality show star named Sarah (Adria Arjona, Andor), app developer Camilla (Liz Caribel), and squeaky voiced stoner-lawyer Heather (Trew Mullen).
The island vacation is an absolute tropical paradise, complete with it's very own indigenous flower that only grows there, they are treated to gift bags with perfume and drugs by Slater's assistant Stacy (Geena Davis, The Fly), and are supplied with all the alcohol, weed and psychedelic drugs they could ever wish for. Laying around the pool in the sun and just having a terrific time.
Cracks in the island paradise veneer begin to show, the ladies seem to be suffering some sort of memory loss, which could be attributed tot heir alcohol and drug regimen, but Frida starts to notice insidious things like dirt under fingernails and small bruises, missing time, the strange stares from the island's staff, and the way that the staff hunt down a venomous snake that's indigenous to the island sets a dark tone. After Jess is bitten by one of the snakes her mood changes, she wants to go home, and the next day when she goes missing no one seems to be able to remember her except for Frida, who drank a green liquid offered to her by one of the older women on the kitchen staff. Eventually Frida and the other women experience a moment of clarity revealing a horrific predatory secret about the island and the men, and the women have to take their survival into their own hands!
I won't spoil it because I think this should be seen unspoiled, it's not perfect but it's quite an interesting thriller, along the lines of something like Get Out with some interesting observations about predatory men, fame seekers, and surviving trauma, and it's told quite stylishly, before going full-tilt exploitation there at the end. It doesn't quite stick the landing for me with a tables-have-been-turned twist at the end, but I found it quite a thrilling watch.
The cast is pretty dang interesting, it was great to see Slater and Osment among the cast, even if they are underused. Speaking of underused, Gina Davis is terrific as the quirky assistant full of nervous energy, but seen far too little, as is Kyle MacLachlan (The Hidden) who shows up briefly in a few scenes as King's therapist, great to see him, but sad it was brief. There's not a lot of character development happening here for anyone to be honest, it's shallow in that way, but the vibes, themes and situational threat of it all kept me pretty rapt from start to finish, I thought this was a very well-directed debut feature film, perhaps a bit light on character development, but quite interesting and insidious, and I appreciated the full-tilt turn at the end, even if I could have done with out the tables-have-turned stinger at the end. If you're a fan of stuff like Get Out, Revenge, Don't Worry Darling or The Stepford Wives this is something worth checking out, it even has a bit of the M. Night Shyamalan vibe to it, in a good way, that I quite loved.
Audio/Video: Blink Twice (2024) arrives on Blu-ray from WBDHE in 1080p HD widescreen (2.39:1) with a crisp and sharp looking transfer The digital shot film has gorgeous colors and fine-tuned detail and textures throughout, the lush tropical island has gorgeous greens, colorful flowers and skin tones look spot-on. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with optional English subtitles. The track is dynamic and robust, dialogue is well-placed, and the ominous tones of the score hit hard.
Sadly, absolutely no extras for this release, I would have loved an audio commentary from the Kravitz talking about directing her first film, especially as I found it quite an interesting watch, but nope. We do get an insert with a digital code for the film.
Special Features:
- None
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