‘Midsommar,’ a maddening mess or maniacal masterpiece?

Hot off his 2018 horror hit “Hereditary,” director Ari Aster returns with the frightening follow-up “Midsommar.” The film tells the story of a young woman named Dani who, following a tragic life event, embarks on a trip with her boyfriend and his friends to a Swedish village to join in a traditional midsummer celebration. However, things begin to take a dark turn as the festivities continue and our characters are caught right in the middle of it all.

“Midsommar” is far from your typical horror movie, for better or for worse. Rather than focusing on obscene violence all the way through, the movie chooses to place emphasis on building an understanding of the traditions of the celebration and allowing the eerie atmosphere and tone to sink in. For the most part, this approach proves effective in sucking its audience in and creating a dreamlike state that never lets up. However, the movie has a habit of doing this to a fault.

The big downside to this kind of storytelling is that the plot moves at a snail’s pace. Running at nearly 2.5 hours, the movie takes its sweet time to get things going, which will likely disappoint some looking for a snappier paced horror experience. At times, this lackadaisical pacing can be used to lead its audience into some truly chilling moments; but more often than not, it is all build-up and not much else.

The characters, while nothing special, serve their job just fine and are supported by some solid performances. Florence Pugh as Dani is the true highlight amongst the cast. While it’s nothing Oscar-worthy, Pugh’s performance makes it easy to feel for her character and the madness she must endure is apparent through her incredible range. However, the writing for her character didn’t leave much of an impact by the end. The set up for her arc felt largely forgotten about and what did remain took drastic turns without the nuance needed to feel coherent. The rest of the cast does a decent enough job, although Will Poulter can get annoying with some of his comic relief.

The film truly marvels on a technical side. Both the lush cinematography and creative editing lend themselves to giving “Midsommar” an eerie rhythm that is simply hypnotic. The elongated shots allow room for a series of intricate details to sneak their way into the film that elevate the series of events while simultaneously allowing the environment to soak into its audience. The sound design, despite some obvious dubbed dialogue in some scenes, was fantastic, as was the experimental musical score that used human vocals and tribal instruments that fit into the film wonderfully.

At the end, “Midsommar” is an ambitious affair by Aster, but is disappointing at its core. Despite some stand out ideas and a unique tone supported by impressive filmmaking, the movie slacks in crafting a compelling enough narrative to keep things interesting. It may not be original filmmaking at its finest, but it is still worth marveling at its efforts.