Directed by Zoë Kravitz
Starring Channing Tatum, Naomi Ackie, Alia Shawkat, Adria Arjona, Geena Davis, Kyle MacLachlan, Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Haley Joel Osment, Liz Caribel, and Levon Hawke

Zoë Kravitz’s directing debut Blink Twice reminded me quite a lot of Amazon series Nine Perfect Strangers. Some aspects of that series were great. Other aspects were not so great. The same can be said for this slightly weird, randomly eerie, and largely uneven dark comedy where several guests are invited to stay at the private island of tech billionaire, Slater King (Channing Tatum).

Before we are acquainted with Slater, we are introduced to Frida (Naomi Ackie) and her friend, Jess (Alia Shawkat). Frida is in need of a vacation when the opportunity of a lifetime presents itself at a fundraising event hosted by Slater, who is heading straight to his private island afterwards and spontaneously extends a warm invite to Frida and Jess to come along. Needless to say, there is zero begrudging in the acceptance from them. Notorious for his lavish parties, the atmosphere on Slater’s island is subdued in comparison, albeit very chill and genial, and all other guests who are friends of his are all welcoming. One by one, however, certain peculiarities are observed, and uncomfortable discoveries are made as Frida tries to figure out what’s really going on at the idyllic island she cannot escape from.

While I can’t sit back and say Zoë Kravitz’s directing debut is particularly impressive or an all-round success, there are facets of her production that do maintain the ability to entertain and keep viewers inquisitive enough to keenly watch how it will all end.

Blink Twice boasts strong and striking screen presence courtesy of its visual grandiosity, effective sound mixing, and sharp editing. Blink twice, and you will miss how the very crafty and cool film title appears on screen! The number of characters present throughout the film and the role they play lends itself in complimentary fashion to the premise as there are several ways this story and the film can choose to go. While there is some fun to be had in Blink Twice toying around with its guests (us) and not being easy to foresee, it is the process of committing to decisions made and the execution that proves to be a greater challenge than can be surmounted here.

Once its superficial and aesthetic appeal begins to wear off, Blink Twice’s shortcomings in substance begin to be exposed. Its weirdness is a consistent feature and never too bizarre for a mainstream audience, but it less consistently has the ability to be darkly comedic and/or to continue building any initial intrigue as the plot thickens. Having said that, the humour takes a noticeably more irreverent form during the finale, which does fare a little better. Ultimately, the two stand-out aspects that are begging for more than what is put into them is the character development and the ending. By the end, too many of these characters have thankless parts to play and the plot’s revelations provoke little more than a measly “meh”.

Blink Twice is showing in cinemas across Australia from August 22nd.

Moviedoc thanks Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures for the invitation to the screening of this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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