Movie Review: Barbarian

credit: Barbarian

With a title like Barbarian, it’s fair to think that a lot of people had a different idea of what this movie was going to be about, especially since the lean toward Vikings in popular culture has been building over the years and has yet to fully wane. In fact, one could say that the Viking culture is still one that a lot of people hope will last for a while. But this movie is far different than some might have envisioned, especially since it deals with a subject that many people find abhorrent.

The premise of this movie is kind of hard to figure out at first, but as it progresses, one can’t help but want to see more since there’s enough of the unknown to this story that makes people want to see what will happen from one minute to the next. But where the movie tends to be a little confusing is that it doesn’t fully explain each development, as it allows the audience to fill in the blanks at times and makes a few connections that might have been missed if not for the way each element is slammed together. 

credit: Barbarian

There was a lot of buildup for Keith’s character. 

Bill Skarsgard has been the focus of a lot of commentary since taking on the role of Pennywise in the It movies since he’s been lauded as a great actor and someone that is worth bringing into various projects that could use his special type of skill. But while many people are talking about how ‘dreamy’ and desirable he is in this movie, his presence makes enough sense insofar as it creates a transition from one part of the story to the next, as Tess is obviously the main character for the first act while Justin Long comes in eventually.

Seeing Skarsgard go out as he does is kind of surprising since, considering what a big star he is, one might have assumed that he would be allowed to stick around for a bit. But the gruesome nature and suddenness of his demise do serve to make the point that this movie isn’t going to spare any sensibilities and that, unless there’s a reason to keep a person alive, anyone can go at any given time. 

Tess is an interesting character for a few reasons. 

The fun part about following Tess through this story is that it feels right to keep from criticizing how she reacts to Keith initially since she doesn’t know the guy, and the fact that they’re double-booked into a house that lies in the middle of a decrepit part of Chicago is kind of dicey. But when she loosens up of her own accord and decides that Keith isn’t such a bad guy, it feels natural, not forced.

Her reactions throughout the rest of the movie don’t see her come off as a woman that’s overly powerful and strong enough to get herself out of her predicament, but someone that is bound to react to her surroundings in a manner that would be shared by many people given the circumstances. And while she’s not a super-strong and super-confident individual, she’s definitely the type of character that’s needed for this movie since she exhibits a survivor mentality that develops from the first moment to the last. 

credit: Barbarian

The reveal of the neighborhood is creepy as hell, but it’s effective. 

Unless one is really looking, it’s almost impossible to see how decrepit the surrounding neighborhood really is at night since it’s raining and the shadows are used in such a way to hide a lot of what could be seen as a huge red flag. When one assumes that Keith found the house in the daytime, it’s easy to think that he might have just shrugged his shoulders and walked on in, which could explain the difference between men and women when it comes to how they react to their environment and what type of tolerance each individual will have to their immediate surroundings.

For all intents and purposes, the house is just a house, but in the daylight, it stands out in stark relief when compared to the rest of the neighborhood. When seen in a flashback, though, it looks way too perfect to be anything but a fantasy that could burst like a soap bubble the moment it’s given a serious amount of introspection. Of course, popping this bubble means discovering the dark secrets that lie within the subterranean tunnels beneath the house. 

Justin Long’s character is by far the worst, and it just barely works. 

It takes a few seconds to realize how bad this guy really is since he tries to come off as a sympathetic character who might be another victim of something akin to the MeToo movement, but the fact is that the character is just as bad as he sounds after a while since he’s someone that’s grasping at anything to keep his reputation while sitting on the secret that most people have already guessed. One might think that he would actually evolve a little when the story moves along, but they would be sorely disappointed and then possibly pleased in a morbid sort of way, when he finally gets his comeuppance near the end.