There seems to be a fully new sub-genre of film/television amongst us: the horror/social commentary/comedy film. It started with Get Out‘s massive popularity and continued through projects such as Them (Amazon), The Invisible Man and Candyman reboots, and Black Mirror just to name a few. Even the likes of the Knives Out franchise plays into these now-established themes. The formula? Social issue/commentary + horror setting + a little bit of satirical humor = success. That might be a bit shallow, but you get the point. Enter Zoë Kravitz’ Blink Twice, a new addition to this growing sub-genre. What could have easily been a story that falls under the weight of its message, the film shines because of Kravitz at the helm. It feels hyper-specific while giving some really nice stylish sequences with a cast that is more than game to play along.

Naomi Ackie plays Frida, who starts the film at a personal stand-still, itching to find a purpose for herself. She waitresses at an event for billionaire Slater King’s (a great Channing Tatum) business. As I am sure you can guess, she ends up getting close and personal with him and he eventually invites her and her friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) to his private island to “get away from the world” with a few of his closest friends. We meet Vic (Christian Slater), Cody (Simon Rex), Sarah (Adria Arjona), Tom (Haley Joel Osment), his sister Stacy (Geena Davis) and some other women along for the ride. Of course the trip is not what it seems to be. It wouldn’t be a good movie without a good hook! That is not what I am here to talk about.

Memory (no, not the Cats kind) plays a vital role in the story. It asks: what if we could forget all of the trauma from our past? Would we feel reprieve? Hope? If we feel that reprieve, does it give us a pass at doing awful things to each other, especially between men and women? Lots of big questions that work here because Kravitz has a really nice grasp on the story she is telling. The film does not ponder on many potential responses, but focuses on one: success as revenge. The character motivations become much clearer because of it. It’s a hyper-specific story you can tell felt needed to be said.

I do wish some of the plot points were fleshed out. We spend so much time on the “good” days, then all of a sudden so much happens. Spreading out more expositional love would help calm the pace and create even richer characters. Speaking of which, the characters really are the best part. It is a treat to see Geena Davis taking shots and being on screen in general. The actors are so game to the story they are telling, and it effectively comes across on the big screen.

It is a shame that other films like this have come out before. Although it lessened the “surprise” element of the entire theme, there were still some nice twists and turns that caught me by surprise. I wish the landing stuck a bit more solidly, but overall this is a great end-of-summer movie that I feel will do well when it comes on streaming….EVEN THOUGH PEOPLE SHOULD SEE IT IN A MOVIE THEATER….but I digress.

The Bottom Line: 3.5/5