Went to a screening. The short of it: I would be shocked if this doesn't end up w/ a >90 RT/MC score.
One of the most note-perfect horror films I've seen - in the last decade, easy. I could hardly quibble, and I'm a quibbly bitch.
I was nervous about Flanagan's move from Blumhouse/Intrepid, but WB absolutely did our boy right here.
The settings and scenes were so lovingly recreated and smartly riffed on, the filmmaker's fondness for the original and respect for its generations of audience show. It's not meant to compete w/ the first, and Flanagan appropriately takes the story in a different - his own - direction. Kubrick's mastershots become more intimate, medium closeups; the palette dims and warms. It's thoughtful and terrifying. To me, while the first was about sins of the father, this explores that idea further, but also raises interesting questions about transgressions of the mother (or mothers). No spoilers, but I'm personally, definitely more in Flanagan's camp than Aster's.
In lesser hands, some parts of the movie could've been hokey or schmaltzy (or, worse, fantasy). Flanagan is clearly maturing and coming into his own as master of his craft, demonstrating more restraint - esp in his endings - and wielding the tools of horror with enviable ease and flare. The casting of Kyliegh Curran is inspired.
Again, I would be shocked if this doesn't become a classic film, period, in its own right.
tl;dr This, ladies and gentlemen, is how you make a fucking 'sequel.'
edit: words
