All right, it’s been a few months, time to try to one again and see if anything has changed. First watch thoughts: this is a tough one. I really... really... REAAAALLLLY wanted to like this. And I kind of did. At points. Sort of. In spurts. Ari Aster is a brand spanking new voice in modern horror, having come out of the woodwork last year with the excellent, extraordinarily well received Hereditary. Midsommar takes many elements of his debut and moves the action to a remote Swedish locale for some old fashioned Wicker Man-esque good times. I will say that, like Hereditary, this film is oozing atmosphere. There is an unsettling, ominous, all encompassing feeling of dread that envelopes the world like the warm, bright sun that is the star of the show. Everything is bathed in an ethereal glow, and it’s quite unnerving in its own way. The performances and characters are fine, and the story also ok. The group of basically nameless (who cares anyway?) friends provide enough drama to keep the skeleton plot of a long planned vacation to see a rare ancient festival brought to life moving, and when the inevitable bad times begin, you know them well enough to care. A little. I particularly despised the primary male lead. The dispassionate, almost clinical nature of the hosts was effective in making me feel a little crazy that people can be so crazy, so that was cool. Visually it was... fine. There was some unexpected, and impressive gore here and there (not nearly enough), and I guess the ending was kind of crazy? Ish? Everything about this one was just fine for me, but I must admit I really don’t get the endless trumpeting of it as a masterpiece. It was an okay, sleeker, more intelligent Wicker Man worship one off, and I’d say it was solid enough. For those that enjoyed it more, what am I missing??? AND SERIOUSLY PLEASE... WHAT WAS THE BIG CRAZY SCENE EVERYONE WAS TALKING ABOUT???!!! I literally have no idea. Let’s chat below!