Even if the weather is not hot in France this July, Longlegs will be able to cool off in the cinemas: thanks to the latter’s air conditioning and the cold sweat that Oz Perkins’ thriller can cause you (Anton’s son, star of Psycho). The story of a young FBI recruit’s hunt for a serial killer that reminds me of The Silence of the Lambs before breaking away from it.
Opposite Mika Monroe we find an absolutely terrifying and unrecognizable Nicolas Cage, who the promotion has mostly hidden, so that the awkwardness that his character creates works as much as possible. But what did the first viewers think of this longleg?
With an average of 2.7 out of 5 from 72 ratings*, this is Oz Perkins’ second best film, after Gretel and Hansel (3 out of 5), and the other two he directed are below 2 stars.
In Nicolas Cage’s recent career, you have to go all the way back to the summer of 2023 and his The Flash to find a movie released in theaters with the same rating. Even though we know that Longlace is barely better than the amazing boar (2.9). As for Micah Monroe, the Oz Perkins feature begins a bit below the thriller Watcher (also 2.9), which was released on video in France last year.
They liked it
My review (5 out of 5): “Ultra well polished horror thriller. Indescribable atmosphere and some camera skills. Nicolas Cage is still great.”
Idris Butalbi (4.5 out of 5): “It’s more of a dark crime thriller – pure horror. But Nicolas Cage’s performance is terrifying and I can’t get over Longlace’s terrifying face. It’s a great movie!”
Manon Bonnenfant (4 of 5): “Osgood Perkins’ new feature combines thriller and horror. The result is a fairly well-balanced mix, both in terms of tension and setting. The acting of Micah Monroe and, above all, Nicolas Cage, is incredibly exciting.
Yes, Longless manages to scare people by avoiding the usual mountain of clichés (screaming, excessive hemoglobin, stupid or even tasteless characters). Fear is everywhere, but at certain moments it remains weakened. All in all, a very good horror thriller. From there, taking it to the level of a masterpiece Silence of the lambs – from which Oz Perkins injects a few winks – probably not. At least not at the moment.”
Nicolas Cage’s performance is terrifying and I can’t forget Longlace’s terrifying face
Super Martini (4 out of 5): “A real gem of precision. Direction, music, editing and absolutely gorgeous cinematography. The only small flaw of the film is the rather simplistic approach to the story and the script, which has some flaws and lacks depth. However, I recommend this film. For thriller fans.”
Movie Lover (3.5 out of 5): “A long sentence is a particularly intelligent sentence that eschews clichés, jump scares, to present itself as a singular, rigorous work that eschews hideous clichés.”
Theo (3 of 5): “The film is not at all what I expected. I broke out in a cold sweat and 200 BPM. In the end, quite a classic film, closer to “Silence of the Lambs”. It is a special praise, which especially appealed to me: the image, which is perfectly mastered and majestic.”
They didn’t like it
Cinemadourg (2 of 5): “I was drawn to this horror thriller because I had a feeling that the script would hold water for once in this type of movie. And it almost does: a young FBI agent, a bit of a psychic, finds himself parachuted into the case. A serial killer bordering on the paranormal (Fox Mulder if you’re listening!) investigation.” It thickens as he gradually discovers his connection to a criminal…
The basic idea was quite interesting, but how boring we are here! I even fell asleep at one point, which is saying something! A very poorly exploited story in my opinion, I came away from this session completely disappointed with this ultimately unremarkable and quickly forgotten achievement. Good set-up, but very quickly disappointing: shame.”
22 out of 20 (1.5 out of 5): “Honestly…extremely disappointing. Taking the film for what it is, the photography is interesting with the ubiquity of reds and oranges and very well shot. The soundscape is eerie and the Polaroid-style format. The imagery is effective and original, but other than that, frankly, It’s not crazy at all.”
The basic idea was quite interesting, but how boring we are here!
Morgan (1 of 5): “Boring, far-fetched movie. I had to fight not to fall asleep at the end of the movie. I’m a big fan of horror movies though. I just saw an ad, ‘scariest movie of the year’ … Უcomment.”
Virginia Woolf (0.5 out of 5): “3 words: nasty turf. Presented as a horror film, I thought I would have a good moment of anxiety because I jump at the fly. Instead I resisted literally falling asleep in my seat. The scenes are long, the acting is muscular, no action, horror scenes, nothing.. .
Everything is flat from start to finish. We don’t know why, or how, or if there is an end. At least it doesn’t exist in the movie. I really liked Nicolas Cage, he had some really good roles, but I have to admit that it’s been a few decades since he made only extremely bad movies. In short, save your time and money and don’t go see this turf.”
in total
Nicolas Cage thrills and scares at the same time, and Oz Perkins’ direction is praised. In contrast to the script and its ellipses, though, several criticisms concern the gap between promotion and outcome, particularly in its approach to horror.
And you ? What do you think of Longlegs?
*Remarks on Thursday 11 July 2024
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
