Who amongst us hasn’t dreamed of being whisked away from our humdrum lives to an unique island, populated by lovely folks and luxurious with luxurious? That is the dream come true for Blink Twice‘s heroine, a cater waiter named Frida (I Wanna Dance With Anyone‘s Naomi Ackie), when dashing tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) gives her a non-public airplane trip to his equally personal island. However on this place of poshness and privilege, one thing heinous hides in plain sight. 

For her directorial debut, actress turned co-writer/helmer Zoë Kravitz brings in a star-studded forged that features Alia Shawkat, Christian Slater, Adria Arjona, Simon Rex, Haley Joel Osment, Geena Davis, and Kyle MacLachlan. Collectively, they ship a gnarly thriller about energy, betrayal, and want that is positive to go away audiences rattled, but sporting a crooked grin.

Blink Twice is diabolically forged. 

Even from the trailer, feminine viewers may elevate an eyebrow at Frida’s resolution to fly off with no discover to Slater’s personal island, the place she swiftly surrenders her cellphone to his fiercely chipper assistant (Davis). However the script by Kravitz and E.T. Feigenbaum builds in unstated assurances: Frida’s bestie Jess (Shawkat) is coming alongside, for starters. Plus, there are different ladies who will there, like astrology-loving app developer Camilla (Liz Caribel), chess-savvy pothead Heather (Trew Mullen), and Survivor Babes actuality TV star Sarah (Arjona). But it is not simply that the presence of different ladies makes Frida really feel protected about following a billionaire to a second (and distant!) location. These ladies have an enviable confidence and fun-loving vibe that’s intoxicating — even earlier than the get together medicine are provided. 

So, when issues go from chic to surreal, it is laborious to level the finger and proclaim undeniably that we would know higher. Plus, who might resist the attract of those males? Kravitz casts Channing Tatum, Christian Slater, Simon Rex, and Haley Joel Osment — an array of actors who’ve been superstar crushes, intercourse symbols, and dreamboats. It is simple to think about saying sure to this fantasy of fame, fortune, and wealthy, sizzling, and well-known males. Nonetheless, Kravitz’s feminine characters are self-aware sufficient to second-guess their selections as the flowery and enjoyable facade of the island begins to crack.

When Jess goes lacking, Frida is mortified to appreciate that nobody else appears to recollect her being there in any respect. However who might neglect that freckled spitfire, the form of buddy who all the time has a lighter once you want one? As Frida grows suspicious, her investigation will lead her into shocking alliances, darkish conspiracies, and heart-wrenching revelations. 

Kravitz neatly offers her thriller area to breathe. 

Credit score: Amazon MGM Studios

The premise of a non-public island that is not truly paradise may sound cliched, however Kravitz and Feigenbaum give their story time to develop and envelop. A grubby rest room scene in Frida and Jess’s condo swiftly establishes their shared intimacy and humble circumstances. The gala, the place they strategically swap their cater-waiter uniforms for slinking cocktail attire to sneak in among the many prosperous friends, is explored from the crowded kitchens to the swanky ballroom. Nonetheless, it is on the island itself the place Kravitz correctly takes her time, growing the heady routine of pleasure-chasing, which entails an limitless provide of medicine, booze, delicacies, and shiny, white apparel for each event. 

Certain, Jess will joke that the feminine friends all being supplied the identical white bathing fits, the identical white dinner attire, and the identical equipment appears “cultish.” But it surely’s a element straightforward to neglect within the haze of pot smoke and budding romance. Frida’s eager to spend each second she will with Slater, and Tatum is a grasp of enjoying the romantic lead. His heat smile, concentrated stare, and mushy, husky voice is a easy seduction. And all this sultriness and sumptuousness invitations us to dwell vicariously by Frida, with Ackie’s vast eyes and enchanted smile reflecting our personal. This cozy setup makes the jagged punctures of this dream world hit all of the more durable, since you may even neglect you are not watching a romance however a thriller.

Kravitz crafts a crackling and satisfying thriller. 

Credit score: Amazon MGM Studios

I needn’t share spoilers to have a good time Blink Twice‘s second half. Merely put, Ackie handles the flip from besotted to terrified with a visceral aplomb. Tatum makes a surprisingly sensational villain, whereas the remainder of the supporting forged bursts with power, whether or not enjoying malicious or manic. Christian Slater particularly appears to relish the prospect to sink his tooth into Kravitz’s juicy revelations, virtually spitting by an unnerving smile. 

Elsewhere, Rex (who earned vital approval for 2021’s Pink Rocket) and Haley Joel Osment are completely happy to play a pair of fools, whereas Caribel and Mullen dazzle with brat summer season appeal. Arjona proves a standout although, shifting from Frida’s romantic rival to one thing far much less archetypal and way more advanced — and even surprisingly humorous. 

Maybe the best shock of Blink Twice is simply how slyly humorous it’s. The fabric will get darkish, however Kravitz and her forged lace in an absurdity that retains us on the fringe of our seats, as a substitute of buried behind our fingers. The defiant comedy amid the horror right here urges us to maintain hope alive, even when issues look bleak, very similar to Radio Silence’s 2019 hit Prepared or Not. That movie looks like an affect right here, when it comes to some plot and aesthetic particulars, and these similarities — in addition to visible nods to motion pictures like I Spit on Your Grave — might need some viewers snarking that Blink Twice is by-product. However Kravitz makes use of acquainted items to construct her basis, then crafts a freshly exhilarating journey that feels of its time. Quite than an imitator of those motion pictures, it feels a kindred spirit, utilizing its screams to ship a message that’s achingly timeless. 

Which is all to say, Blink Twice is a knockout. 

Blink Twice opens in theaters Aug. 23.