Zoë Kravitz’ directorial debut starts off as a promising psycho-thriller, taking us on a vacation to the private island of former tech-CEO and billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) through the eyes of his guest and the movies’ protagonist, the waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie). Although Blink Twice does quite a lot of things right, it does not succeed in leaving a lasting impression, taking a unique or below-surface-level stance on its themes or provoking anything resembling a thought. As you may easily guess, Frida is not being invited to the island out of sheer generosity, but rather to be part of a deeply sinister scheme going on there.
Channing Tatum is highly present in most of the movie’s promotional media, his character however, who is obviously very important to the story and the progression of the plot, feels severely underused and almost bland due to his near stoic mannerisms and put on charm when compared to the two heroines, Frida and Sarah (Adrua Arjona). The display of rage, despair and utter disbelief in the unfolding events coming from Frida and Sarah is what ultimately convinced me to bring this watch across the finish line.
One thing Blink Twice definitely managed to do is take its time. Things are getting serious about 45 minutes in, which is notably far too long. Up to this point we get to see rich people drink excessively, consume various drugs and behave like teenagers/college students at a party. While this is of course just the base for what’s going to come in the next 60 minutes, the way of getting there is more tedious than it needs to be.
Pretty much the biggest let down for me and the main reason why I did not like this as much as I hoped to, was the semi-permanent deja vu I experienced. Rich pricks on an island? Glass Onion. Trying to escape from your predatory suppressors? Get Out. Men manipulating women and trapping them against their will? Don’t Worry Darling. It’s all been there and it’s all been done. If only Kravitz managed to put a unique spin into this (or at least one that made some damn sense), it may have stood out more and not have felt like a big reference to the three aforementioned movies. I got to admit, me not being a fan of the three didn’t make this any easier.
Blink Twice is a semi-successful attempt at a mystery-thriller that has left way too many opportunities to really be good on the road. There will be a time, where I will have completely forgotten about watching this or even the fact that it exists- and honestly, that time is closer than I’d like to admit.