There's been plenty of slasher films over the years that follow the same formula so it's always great to see one come along that feels a little different from them all. That is most certainly the case with Bodies Bodies Bodies, the new film from Halina Reijn. Just how it feels different is quite a spoiler so best take a trip to the cinema and experience it for yourselves but this review will of course be spoiler free.
When a group of 20-somethings gets stuck at a remote mansion during a hurricane, a party game gone very, very wrong ends with a dead body on the ground and fake friends at every turn as they try to find the killer among them.
One of the key strengths that Bodies Bodies Bodies possesses is its writing, both the story by Kristen Roupenian giving the film a fresh setting and idea within the genre, and Sarah DeLappe's screenplay providing plenty of scathing takes towards Gen Z with some brilliantly pitched satire. One thing done so well in Bodies Bodies Bodies is how, even though there aren't many characters in this at all who aren't total airheads, you still find yourself hoping they stay alive and solve who the killer is.
It's an eclectic mix of characters and watching the paranoia set in and continue to grow throughout the film is thoroughly entertaining. Halina Reijn does a fine job directing it all as well, utilising Jasper Wolf's phone-lit and tight-knit cinematography down dark and narrow hallways to maximum effect. For only her second feature film, Reijn shows great potential for her future work here with Bodies Bodies Bodies.
The eclectic mix of characters are brought to life by a wonderful ensemble of young and exciting actresses who all have the brightest futures ahead of them. Rachel Sennott follows her outstanding breakthrough performance in Shiva Baby with an eye-catching turn here as Alice, loud and brash with her opinions yet not one to take criticism kindly at all. Amandla Stenberg's Sophie plays the recovering addict thrust into a situation likely to see her relapse so well, while Maria Bakalova's shows vulnerability as the stranger amongst the group, her Bee brought along by girlfriend Sophie to meet her friends. Pete Davidson can sometimes be an off-putting presence in a film but this is the perfect film for him to appear in as most of the characters are irritating.
I can easily see Bodies Bodies Bodies becoming a film that divides audiences simply because of its characters and focus on Gen Z. With that in mind, this is definitely a case of a film with mostly unlikeable characters that ends up being very good, and also a slasher film that changes direction in a way I didn't see coming which made it feel even more refreshing.
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