Blink Twice

If it seems too good to be true, this film shows it is. Same could be said for this film. It’s a story of comical debauchery that changes course becoming a misogynistic horror story. Actress/producer Zoë Kravitz tries for a Get Out vibe in her directorial debut she co-wrote with E.T. Feigenbaum. But it doesn’t make it.

When a struggling catering/cocktail waitress, Frida (Naomi Mackie) takes a dive across the floor at a gala hosted by charming tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum), his empathetic gallantry makes her swoon. He’s a former CEO of his company, forced to step down after incidents of “#MeToo” type abuse of women. In a matter of moments, he invites Frida and her best friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) to jet away with his entourage to his private island for a never-ending party. Kravitz wanted to call it Pussy Island, but thought it too provocative, so she changed it. 

Kravitz creates this perfectly vibrant tropical paradise through the lens of cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra and use very tight closeups. Ackie is gorgeous and expressive, but Tatum doesn’t play evil well. Kravitz creates an atmosphere where the champagne and drugs never stop. Old tunes play a big part in the film, including James Brown’s “People Get up and Drive Your Funky Soul,’ and Rufus and Chaka Khan’s 1983 hit, ’Ain’t Nobody.’ 

The women get on the plane with nothing but the clothes on their backs are all issued identical revealing white bathing suits and cover-ups tied up with a bow. One of them is a former “Hot Survivor Babes” reality show contestant, Sarah (Adria Arjona). She’s one tough cookie who climbs trees for coconuts and cuts them with a machete.

Odd that the care-taker of sorts is a bumbling Stacie (Geena Davis), Slater’s sister. She collects everybody’s cell phones. Slater and his right-hand-man sleazy Vic (Christian Slater) are happy to take lots of pictures with an ancient polaroid during their stay. And there’s an odd native woman who seems to have an affinity for killing the local yellow snakes and giving Frida suspicious glances. 

Included are Slater’s sleazy male posse which include Tom (Haley Joel Osment), a dubious therapist Rich (Kyle MacLachlan), chef Cody (Simon Rex), blond cutie Lucas (Levon Hawke) to keep the party going, which it does for the first 40 minutes of the film. These characters very thinly developed as are several of the women. We found their antics to be repetitive and relatively boring all getting drunk and high dancing, swimming and playing games. King keeps asking “Are you having a good time?” It may have been for them, but it was boring and distasteful to watch. 

After Jess gets bit by a snake, things begin to take a turn. Frida realizes that nobody knows what day it is and Jess mysteriously disappears. But none of the other women seem to remember her. What’s happening? Frida is curious and starts to realize something’s not quite right and goes to investigate. That’s when the mood of the film shifts.

The last chapter becomes a gory, grisly horror show when the women realize what’s really going on and band together. Kravitz’s film is supposed to be about female empowerment but seems exploitative with scattershot editing, underdeveloped characters, and horrifying images. She shows promise as a director, but Blink Twice, about memory, is easy to forget.

Amazon MGM Studios    1 hour 42 minutes       R