Short Attention Span Review: Suspiria (2018)
Someone I know heralded this remake/reboot of Dario Argento's most beloved motion picture as superior to the original. He did go on to say that given how far it strays from the 1977 cult classic, this should have been crafted as something else altogether. "If that were the case," he said with the utmost confidence, "We would all be hailing this as a genuine masterpiece." Full disclosure: this guy is clearly an idiot. Of course, some of you liked Hereditary, so maybe shitshows are en vogue these days. I don't know. But I do know this: the 2018 Suspiria is a monumental clusterfuck with only a few stunning flourishes to offer any enjoyment for those who suffer through this master class in turd burglary. This is far too little for me to submit any sort of recommendation, for while there are a handful of pieces to the puzzle that sizzle, they are few and far between. And they are buried in a plodding and nonsensical affair that tries so very hard to be grandiose and transformative that it renders itself overwrought and tedious. In many ways, it's a joke, a really bad joke, like a dad joke that has died and gone to hell. The director has no feel for the material, and the cast and crew are betrayed by a script that is a mess when it aims for intrigue and a bit of a bore when it strives for excitement, save a few instances that must have been accidental forays into entertainment. Remember the score for the original Suspiria? Of course you do, Goblin's dizzying array of energy and brilliance were among that startling shocker's greatest strengths. This time out, we get a softer approach from Thom Yorke of Radiohead, and I think this take on the material could best be described as one basic bitch of a score. I would categorize the whole thing as abysmal, but I don't want to insult any abysses. Friends, let me put it to you like this: Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria is like a reboot of John Wick directed by Steven Soderbergh that runs nearly three hours long and only dishes out six minutes of action. And there is an entirely pointless subplot that constantly drags the whole sorry affair even further into tedium wherein Keanu's titular surrogate pulls double duty in a second role as an old woman with feeble ties to the plot. And we're not supposed to know it's the same performer in another role, but it is painfully obvious and only makes this particular ingredient and the recipe as a whole less appetizing. And those who like the original John Wick and those who don't give a shit about John Wick alike can only wonder why they bothered to waste their time with this hypothetical piece of shit. Though, in fairness, any hypothetical piece of shit is better than the 2018 Suspiria in my book, because I can't really waste 152 minutes of my life watching a hypothetical piece of shit, can I?
Final Grade: F for "Fuck this."
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| This clip from the film stands as a perfect metaphor for the joy I experienced while watching director Luca Guadagnino's valiant effort to deeply insult anyone and everyone who enjoys the original. Personally, I'm ready to throw hands. |
