nalbis’s review published on Letterboxd:
i just had to see it again as soon as possible.
round 2 babbeyyyyyy
i have been on daniels' asses for like 7 years, from their early work to swiss army man — i knew these guys were special and were eventually going to have their moment to shine. it's so validating to finally see these dudes get their moment in the spotlight; number one feature film on all of letterboxd is huge, even if it might be temporary, i mean, this bad boy ain't even wide released yet. i'm so grateful to have seen it twice now.
i can't even put my finger on exactly why this is getting so much praise. i mean, fuck, i love it. but there's clearly something about it that's just hitting an itch for huge audiences.
i think maybe people just miss having fun with an action-heavy movie that isn't superficial — that actually wants to try and say something that'll stick with you. like, we have our oscar slow burns and indie a24 flicks out there that all resonate with us and make us really feel. but now people are getting tired of having only two options; you get your artsy deep shit or your flashy comic book junk food movies. this dares to be both.
there's so much to talk about, i already said so much in my first review. just see it, these are very mild spoilers, so just see it as soon as you can.
i was worried for the second viewing i'd maybe feel some of that length and the incredibly long resolving portion of the film where it's just payoff after payoff after payoff. but my friend put it best — everything in the film matters to someone, and that really resonates with the underlying theme of the entire film. maybe if you want to be nitpicky you could say the film would be tighter without all the little side plots and running gags like raccoonie or hotdog fingers, because they all may seem meaningless in the grand scheme of things, BUT — those things matter to someone. those side plots BECOME important, it's genius.
we can matter to someone.
one of the most beautiful sentiments i've heard from something so wild.
