I expected nothing going into this movie, but I knew this movie was getting decent reviews. And despite not knowing what this movie was about, I enjoyed the ride. Bodies Bodies Bodies may be one of the most influential movies of this generation, given how faithfully it captured everything going on right now. From social media to different talks about micro-aggressions, race and in the middle of it, it’s an intriguing (even though at times infuriating) whodunit that hilarious now and then.
The concept is simple, a bunch of teenagers (mostly girls) get stuck in this remote mansion during a hurricane. There are secrets, tension and some unexpected guests, and when this party game I have never heard of (I guess it’s mainly played in the USA) goes wrong, we are in it with them, not knowing what happened. And as with any whodunit, you will soon discover there are many motives, secrets and animosities within this group of girls, so you flip flop between who is the killer or not quite often. And then, at the very end, we go back and see what happened and… I didn’t guess it correctly. I will leave it at all, I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but I will say the payoff is worth it.
I strongly believe the legacy of this movie will live or die on multiple viewings as despite understanding the movie’s themes and why certain characters had to have been this way, I still found them insufferable. Again, I realise that was the point of this movie, how two things can be true at once but yeah… It didn’t make my watch any easier. There were times I was having a blast, and then there were other times when I hoped the movie would finish soon. Also, let’s talk about my main issue – lighting.
Yes, most of this movie happens during a hurricane, so it makes sense there would be no electricity. But Jesus, the number of times you can literally see nothing but pitch black on your screen, and you can only hear things happening infuriated me. I would say most of this movie’s lighting was provided by phone flashes, and the film looks exactly how you would imagine it. The worst thing about it is they are in a mansion! Ultra-rich people live there, so it wouldn’t be out of the realm of reality for them to have backup generators or something like that would have provided light. If you want to keep the tension, ok; make those fail at crucial times or something like that, but we have had movies lately that popularised both whodunits and horrors in broad daylight. I wish Bodies Bodies Bodies would take a page from those movies.
I know many people enjoyed Rachel Sennott, and sure; she was fine. But for me, the most intriguing characters were Amandla Stenberg and Maria Bakalova, both for different reasons. Amandla nailed precisely the type of girl who doesn’t realise how lucky she’s had it and makes everything about herself. Maria had the most difficult role because it seemed the movie was trying to convince you more than once she was the killer (I am not telling whether she was the killer or not) so she had to be more coy, shy and closed whilst still trying to be part of this new “friends” group. I hope both Amandla and Maria have long and award-worthy careers in front of them.
This movie is a wild ride from the start to the very last second, and it stays with you whether you like it or hate it. I think the ending persuaded me to rate it slightly higher, and that is why I am intrigued to potentially go back to this movie after some time, knowing what I know now and seeing whether my knowledge of all the twists and turns enhances my experience or dampens it. Again, if for nothing else, Bodies Bodies Bodies will 100% be remembered as one of those “captured the generation/period correctly”. You know how when you watch some movies from the 80s and you can’t help but think: “Damn, this movie is very 80s!” I can imagine someone watching this film 20 years from now thinking: “Wow, this captured the 2020s well.”
Overall, Bodies Bodies Bodies is a fascinating movie. It knows what it wants to say; it has an intriguing whodunit storyline, and it also has a plethora of fascinating characters and an ending that will not leave you cold. However, those characters can be insufferable, and the lack of proper lighting throughout the movie bothered me (based on reading some other reviews, more than the average person, so this might be “me problem”). So yeah, this movie is the very definition of “a mixed bag”, although quite enjoyable, funny and insightful mixed bag.
That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!
Until next time,
Luke