A fun little horror/thriller with an ensemble of almost universally awful, but well realized characters. The dialogue is natural and often darkly hilarious. The performances are strong. There are several absolutely top notch sequences. For example, I loved the confrontation with Lee Pace's character in the gym. At that point in the story the reactions and suspicions of every character were all just on the right side of plausible. Brilliant writing. While I'm sure the writers would have their own opinion on the film's messaging or social commentary, my takeaway was two fold: (1) shared history is the foundation of most friendships, but not a particularly good one; and (2) awful people can have a traumatic or otherwise sympathetic past, and while that past may play a part in their awfulness, it certainly doesn't excuse it.
As far as criticisms go, the movie does fall prey to one of my most hated horror movie clichés: characters making terrible (and illogical) decisions (the classic example being, "let's split up"). I'm sure the writers would justify it by saying that these characters aren't the sharpest tools in the shed under the best of circumstances and were under the influence of alcohol and other substances in a high stress situation. While that explanation isn't completely without merit, it's not enough for me to forgive the groan inducing stupidity on display. Luckily, this issue only pops up in one or two moments and the strong writing outside of those moments was enough to keep me invested.
Review by SuitBlockedParent2022-10-25T14:54:22Z
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) 6.5/10 (Fair)
Every once in a while, there is the occasional film that is difficult to categorize as either good or bad. For me, “Bodies, Bodies, Bodies” is that kind of film. I spent the entire film teetering between thinking it was terrible and thinking it was kind of entertaining. This isn’t a bad film, it’s just a lacking one. It's a lot cleverer and funnier than it initially appears to be. If you approach the film as a parody, I think you'll find it entertaining and, dare I say, fun. It's not bad, even if the characters are, but that's the point: it's a satirical character study of some rich youngsters who are completely out of touch with reality. The big twist wasn't wholly unexpected—in fact, it was almost evident from the start—but it was still a clever twist that made the film stand out from the pack of teen slasher flicks. Sadly, that's about all that works; the rest is dull due to a lack of suspense and flat characters all around. Unless you're in the mood for a satirical whodunnit about a group of unlikeable rich kids who have lost touch with reality, you might want to pass on this.