This movie knew what it was as a very well-paced thriller/comedy(?), but it wasn't my favorite thing I've ever seen. Some very good performances from Sophie Thatcher and Lukas Gage, they sold their respective roles super well, with Gage proving once again how good he is at acting unhinged.
I did enjoy this a lot for some of the commentary/themes it posits, but I wish it wasn't farther in exploring them.
Film was great at setting a mood. The standout craziest performances of Willem Dafoe (my glorious king who can do no wrong) and Simon McBurney, they knocked it out the park, alongside Bill Skarsgård, who absolutely transformed into the role of Count Orlok.
Loved the scenes with the rats, they have to defend their livelihood!
Granted, the source material is a proven fantasic musical, but this might be my favorite movie musical I've seen. The shot composition was great, the vocals were phenomenal (especially for being recorded live), and the pacing wasn't as bad as I thought it would've been. I think even though it's longer than the musical was, it uses its time effectively to make you care so much about these characters and their stories.
My mom was bawling like a water fountain so it's a pretty good movie imo
A movie that knows exactly what it is. The perfect blend of campy writing, earnest and sincere performances, and a project that just knows when to have fun. Standout performances from Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri (my glorious queen who can do no wrong) combined with a tightly written script makes this movie a coming-of-age classic that I think will live on with benchmark films like Ferris Beuller and The Breakfast Club.
