Welcome to non-spoiler reviews: reviews that discuss a film but give away as little plot as possible.

There’s a sequence in the first half of Midsommar that will turn a lot of viewers off.  If you’re still on board afterwards then chances are you will enjoy the rest of it. I was turned off by the sequence and did not enjoy what followed. It speaks a lot to Ari Aster’s strengths as a writer but his weaknesses as a director. Which is not to say he’s a bad director – he’s actually quite good – but he has certain impulses that worry me about what his future.

Although not from general audiences, the response to his previous film Hereditary was overwhelmingly positive. Aster doubles down on certain elements here but he focuses on the wrong things. What made Hereditary so great was how the drama and horror aspects worked in tandem, pushing each other forward to disturbing heights. The same thing starts to happen here but as the film goes on it’s clear which one Aster is more interested in.

Like Hereditary, the film starts with grief, but the tragic circumstances in which it comes are unnecessarily brutal. I mean the tragedy in Hereditary was also brutal, but it was tied to the characters and came during a particularly intense moment. Here, while elaborately shot, it just happens. He wants us to feel bad but it comes off as edgy shock value. Like he wants to impress us by showing the worst possible event he can think of.

I know it’s unfair to compare the two but there’s so much overlap it’s hard not to. Beyond theme and plot elements, Aster carries a few other things over. For one, Aster gets great performances from all his actors. Florence Pugh has the central role and is able to carry the film and keep our interests for the nearly two and a half hour runtime. Jack Reynor is perfect as her emotionally distant boyfriend. The two give an accurate portrayal of a relationship near its end. One wants to leave and the other wants to stay, so much so that they’re over-apologetic about every little thing. It’s a testament to Aster’s writing that given how wild things get this relationship grounds the film in real emotions. Will Poulter is their horny friend and is responsible for much of the comic relief. It’s a testament to how good of an actor he is that he plays the total opposite of his character in We’re the Millers yet still manages to be just as funny. And William Jackson Harper shows he has a long career ahead of him once The Good Place ends its run.

The rest of the actors for the most part are Swedish unknowns (or at least unknown to English speaking audiences). This is extremely effective in creating a believable world where nothing feels familiar – not even the people. The lovingly built sets add to this too. They look like they were built not by professional architects and builders, but by the people in the commune. Not everything is geometrically perfect but the townspeople are okay with that. The sheer amount of artwork that populates these buildings – most of which created for the film – is genuinely impressive. The idyllic setting puts the characters and us at peace and gives leeway to some of the more peculiar aspects of the community. However Bobby Krlic’s (AKA The Haxan Cloak) score doesn’t let us get too comfortable.

One of the film’s biggest crimes is that it’s not all that scary. Some people want to call it a psychological thriller instead, which, fine, but it’s not all that thrilling either.  Midsommar is a well-made film by skilled craftsmen. Yet the man in charge keeps getting in the way of turning this into the great film it wants to be. Even though he’s one of the most exciting voices in the genre I hope Aster’s next project is a break from horror. Making a film without those distractions might be what he needs before he falls too far down the rabbit hole.

Oh and one more thing. A lot of people use horror movies to go on dates. DO NOT DO THAT with Midommar. Just trust me on that. Please.

5/10